Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Truly Wireless Headphones Review

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE look closer to buds produced by Jabra like the Jabra Elite 10 True Wireless than to the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless. Instead of a rounded bud shape, they have a flat surface that doubles as their controls. They come in a couple of different colors: 'Graphite' and 'White'.

These buds have a pretty comfortable fit. They rest nicely on the outer edge of your ear canal, so they don't need to be forced further into your ear. The buds themselves are a little bit smaller than the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless, but they also have wingtips, which help keep them in place and feel very comfortable compared to their otherwise hard plastic edge. That said, their bud shape may not be the most comfortable for all users, depending on the shape of your ear. If you find an earbud-style fit gentler on your anatomy, consider the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Truly Wireless.

These buds have very simple controls. There's a touch-sensitive surface on each bud, which is a little too responsive since you can easily register a command by accident. There are no volume controls by default either, which is a little disappointing. You can enable this feature by changing the 'Hold' option in the companion app. You'll lose out on other controls, though. There are chimes to let you know when you've reached min/max volume and when you play or pause audio or cycle between different ANC modes.

On either bud:

• One tap: Plays and pauses audio.
• Two taps: Skips the track forward.
• Three taps: Skips the track backward.
• Touch and hold for two seconds: Cycles through ANC on and ambient sound, which allows you to hear your environment without pausing your audio. You can add ANC off via the companion app though.

Like most truly wireless earbuds, these buds are pretty portable. They're small, lightweight, and easily fit into your pockets or bags.

Their carrying case is good and is nearly the same as that of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless. The case is lightweight and has a glossy shell with a matte interior. There are LED lights to indicate the case's charging status as well as the buds' battery status. The hinge feels sturdy, too. Unfortunately, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless, the carrying case doesn't support wireless charging.

The build quality of these buds is good. They're mostly made of plastic with silicone ear tips and stability fins, so they feel sturdy. The buds are also certified IPX2 for resistance against light rain, though this is less than the IPX7 of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless, which have protection against water submersion. Unfortunately, the silicone ear tips can rip if mishandled.

These buds have good stability. They'll stay in place with moderate head movements thanks to their stability fins. If you're wearing them during tough workouts, they can loosen up a bit, but they won't fall out of your ear.

• Samsung Galaxy Buds FE headphones
• Charging case
• 3x pairs of ear tips
• 2x pairs of silicone wingtips
• USB-C to USB-C charging cable
• Manuals

These buds have a pretty neutral sound profile. They deliver a touch of extra thump and rumble in the bass range. Vocals and instruments sound clear and present, but a bit of treble roll-off weakens their detail. They have a few EQ presets available in their companion app if you prefer a different sound.

These buds have a fairly bass-heavy sound profile out-of-the-box. They're a good fit for fans of big-room techno and house as the prominent low and mid-bass response helps accentuate thudding kicks and basslines. Their balanced mid-range response ensures vocals and lead instruments are detailed and present in the mix. While the treble range is somewhat compliant with our target, it skews toward sounding veiled overall. There's some de-emphasis in the low treble, as well as the mid and high treble, that can weaken the upper harmonics of vocals and make breathy sibilants sound dull. There's a range of EQ presets that can help tailor the sound to your needs, though. The frequency response also changes based on whether the ANC is enabled, with a slight reduction in bass when the feature is disabled.

The frequency response consistency is great. You'll get a consistent sound once you get a good fit using the included ear tips and stability fins.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE comply well with our bass range target. However, the whole range is somewhat overemphasized, particularly in the low and mid-bass. Consequently, the kicks in club-ready tracks like Darude's Sandstorm have plenty of thud and slam.

These headphones have great compliance with our mid-range target. The response is pretty flat and neutral, so in songs like Mitski's My Love, Mine All Mine, her vocals and the soft instruments surrounding them are present, natural, and clear throughout the track.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE comply well with our treble range target. A bit of treble roll-off in the lower part of the range hurts the upper harmonics of vocals and lead instruments. There's a more significant dip in the response between the mid and high-treble, though, which can detract from the breathy brilliance of whispery vocals.

The peaks and dips performance of these buds is passable. Mostly, the response is pretty flat and neutral, which means that the headphones can control their sound profile quite well. There's a dip in the mid-mid, which affects the right driver, which nudges vocals and instruments to the back of the mix. A bump in the low treble affects both drivers and helps the upper harmonics of vocals come through. The response becomes more erratic in the mid-treble, though, where a slight peak causes sibilants, like open hi-hat accents, to sizzle. It's followed by a sharp dip in the high treble that removes some of the brilliance from plucked acoustic guitars.

The imaging performance is excellent. In the last few years, we've tested a few Samsung headphones with well-matched drivers (and solid imaging performance), indicating the manufacturer's quality control and ergonomics. Imaging varies across units, though. Our unit's L/R drivers are well-matched in group delay, which ensures tight bass and transparent treble. They're also well-matched in amplitude and frequency response, resulting in an even and balanced soundstage. That said, there are a couple of peaks in the phase response's mid-range, which causes shifts in the stereo image. It affects the staging of lower-range vocalists, but it's hard to spot.

The passive soundstage performance is bad, but that's common in in-ear headphones. They bypass your outer ear, which needs to be activated by sound resonances to create a more immersive and spacious soundstage. As a result, the soundstage feels closed-off and as if sound is coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you.

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless, these headphones don't support 360 Audio for a more spacious and immersive sound.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance is great. Distortion falls within good levels, which results in clean and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

Their full-range noise isolation performance is impressive. Essentially, their already isolating fit, which handles high-pitched and mid frequency noises effectively, is advantageous for setting the ANC up to cut out even more low-pitched environmental sounds. The ANC mainly handles the deep, low sounds of your surroundings and the midrange ambient din. However, the mids aren't evenly reduced, which can give the impression of a relatively narrow span of frequencies poking through and reaching your ears. Still, not everyone will notice that, and it depends on your sensitivity.

In common scenarios, the combined ANC and passive isolation of the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE do an amazing job of cutting out audible distractions like the whoosh of cars in traffic and the HVAC at your workplace. Higher-pitched sounds, like dish clatter, are dampened the most comprehensively. Their ANC effectively reduces low engine rumbles from buses and people's chit-chat, comparable to the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless.

These earbuds don't have a wind reduction mode to help reduce the popping sound of 'anti-noise' produced by the ANC system when air hits the microphones. That said, they perform better than their sibling, the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless, although both are sensitive to the direction of the wind.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE have an outstanding leakage performance. Leakage is mostly concentrated in the bass range, which sounds full-bodied. However, overall leakage is very low, so if you're listening to your favorite tunes at a high volume, people around you won't hear it unless you're in a very quiet environment.

The integrated mic has a decent recording quality. There are slight differences in frequency response compared to the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro True Wireless, particularly in the treble range, which improves their high-frequency extension and, in turn, how bright and open your voice sounds. Overall, your voice is clear and intelligible.

The mic has a great noise handling performance. The mic can separate your voice from background noise quite well, so you're understandable, even in busy environments like a train station.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE have a mediocre battery performance. The manufacturer advertises that these buds last 8.5 hours with ANC off and six hours with ANC on. That's similar to the over six hours we measured with ANC on. Battery life varies depending on use, though, and volume and features like voice call can impact battery life. The carrying case holds 3.5 additional charges if needed, and you can even use one bud while the other charges. If you're looking for better continuous battery life, earbuds like the Beats Solo Buds True Wireless run for much longer between charges.

The Galaxy Wearable app is good. However, it's unavailable on iOS devices, so you can't adjust your headphones' settings to your liking unless you use an Android device. There are features like EQ presets, an earbud fit test, and a 'Game Mode,' which lowers latency on Samsung devices. You can customize your control layout and manage features like ANC and in-ear detection. You can see a video of how it works here. The manufacturer added live AI translation in a subsequent update, but you need a Samsung account and a compatible phone by the brand, such as a Samsung Galaxy S24 or newer. If you want to sidestep too many brand-exclusive features, you can consider the Nothing Ear (a) Truly Wireless, which offers most of the same support across operating systems, plus greater EQ customization.

You can't use these headphones wired. They come with a USB-C to USB-C cable to recharge the case.

These buds have good Bluetooth connectivity. While they don't support multi-device pairing, they have some unique features for Samsung devices. They have a 'Game Mode,' which considerably lowers latency on Samsung devices so that you can game with minimal lip sync issues. They also support the brand's proprietary codec, the Samsung Scalable Codec (SSC), intended to yield higher quality audio while adjusting for factors like connection strength by changing the bitrate, which, like 'Game Mode,' requires a compatible Samsung device. That said, they otherwise only support AAC and SBC codecs. Their latency via SBC is quite high, and you'll experience a delay between your audio and visuals. Some apps and devices compensate for latency, though.

These headphones can only connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs. On the upside, you'll have full audio and mic compatibility.

These headphones come with a carrying case that holds roughly 3.5 extra charges. There's a USB-C port for recharging the case. However, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Truly Wireless, the case doesn't support wireless charging.