Samsung Galaxy Buds FE

Comfortable ; Effective ANC ; Powerful sub-bass

Doesn’t quite reach battery life claims ; Disjointed bass ; Occasional jarring connectivity blips ; Very limited water resistance

These are enjoyable casual-use earphones with solid active noise cancellation. But they trade away some of the balance of the other Samsung Buds pairs in search of bass thrills.

Small and lightweight ; Fits firmly and comfortably ; Good sound quality

Mostly for Android phones ; Few features ; Mediocre battery life

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE perform really well in comparison with the more expensive Galaxy Buds 2 Pro headphones and are even better on a couple of points. But unfortunately, some of the shortcomings remain, such as the lack of an app for the iPhone....

Effective ANC for the price ; Comfy, fairly secure fit ; A punchy listen

Some will find them too bass-heavy ; Battery life only average ; Gives up features to hit the low price

Surprisingly effective ANC makes the Galaxy Buds FE a real contender in the sub-$100/£100 space. Tuning won’t be to all tastes, but custom EQ makes up the difference

Great value for money ; Active noise cancellation works well ; Sound quality is pleasant ; Battery life is decent

Low water resistance rating ; No wireless charging ; No aptX support

The TL;DR version: Reasonably priced and solid all-round, Samsung's Galaxy Buds FE are a great option for anyone who's looking for a no-nonsense set of earbuds.

Reliable performance with satisfactory sound ; Good noise cancellation for the price ; Flat buttons are easier to interact with

No wireless charging ; No multipoint Bluetooth ; Wing fins might not improve fit for everyone

But for a lot of people, a comfortable fit ranks above all else. And if Samsung’s past-gen earbuds were a better match for your ears than the current crop, the Galaxy Buds FE will be a welcome return to that older design. There doesn’t always need to...

For this price, the sound quality is impressive ; Very effective ANC and ambient modes ; Great comfort, even with the wingtips ; Samsung's value-add features are great ? if you have other Samsung gear

Only IPX2 rated ; Fast pairing is a Galaxy Wear app exclusive ; The in-ear detection is to turn ANC off, not for automatic play/pause ; The controls don't have a lot of customization options

Effective ANC for the price ; Comfy, fairly secure fit ; A punchy listen

Some will find them too bass-heavy ; Battery life only average ; Gives up features to hit the low price

Surprisingly effective ANC makes the Galaxy Buds FE a real contender in the sub-$100/£100 space. Tuning won’t be to all tastes, but custom EQ makes up the difference

Good ANC ; Fair price ; Remains in place when worn ; Extensive app ; Decent battery life

No wireless charging support ; Only IPX2-certification ; Data-hungry app ; App is meant for Android users only

While I'm still wondering what to make of the other current Samsung Fan Edition devices, such as the Galaxy Tab S9 FE (+), which we recently reviewed, I really like the Galaxy Buds FE. For $99.99, you get an attractive (okay, a matter of taste) pair of...