{"id":46883,"date":"2025-09-27T14:04:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T14:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/46883\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T14:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T14:04:08","slug":"samsung-galaxy-buds3-fe-review-better-airpods-for-android","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/46883\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE Review: Better AirPods for Android"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been very impressed with Samsung\u2019s third-gen wireless earbuds. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro ($190)<\/a>, which were released in 2024, were a solid AirPods Pro competitor for Android owners. Now, they\u2019ve been joined by the Galaxy Buds3 FE, a new entry-level model that looks nearly identical to the Buds3 Pro but trades away a lot of bells and whistles for a more accessible price: $150.<\/p>\n

The Pro\u2019s high-tech LED \u201cblade\u201d lights are gone, as is head tracking, auto-pause, dual drivers, wireless charging, and full waterproofing. What matters more is what Samsung kept: a very comfortable fit, great sound quality, and surprisingly good ANC, transparency, and call quality. In short, the Galaxy Buds3 FE get the most important stuff right.<\/p>\n

Like all Samsung Galaxy wireless earbuds, some of their more interesting features are exclusively available when using Samsung Galaxy phones<\/a> (and don\u2019t even think about buying them if you\u2019re on an iPhone<\/a>), which narrows their prospective market. But if you\u2019re a true-blue Samsung fan on a budget, the Galaxy Buds3 FE are a great set of wireless buds.<\/p>\n

Midrange Gems\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Photograph: Simon Cohen<\/p>\n

Though Samsung calls them Galaxy Buds3 FE\u2014you\u2019d naturally assume that means they replace 2023\u2019s Galaxy Buds FE ($100)<\/a>\u2014they\u2019re actually a kind of midrange option. Samsung is keeping the Buds FE around (and maintaining the price), which I think is a great idea. The original Buds FE are still excellent, and now you\u2019ve got two different fit options: the older, button-style, and the newer AirPods imitation shape. As a bonus, if you opt for the Buds3 FE, you get better water and dust protection: IP54 versus IPX2.<\/p>\n

Between the two FE models, I\u2019ve got to give the comfort award to the Buds3 FE. With less mass in your ear and no silicone stability fin wrapped around the circumference, it\u2019s a gentle, easy feel. If you\u2019ve ever tried the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, Apple AirPods Pro, or similarly shaped, stem-based models<\/a>, the Buds3 FE should feel instantly familiar. However, that also means they aren\u2019t exactly rock-solid for high-impact activities like running. This is where the original Galaxy Buds FE still have an edge: Twist them into place and it\u2019s unlikely they\u2019ll budge unless you want them to.<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Wear App via Simon Cohen<\/p>\n

Samsung isn\u2019t very generous with ear tip sizes. Beyond the preinstalled medium tips, you only get a small and a large size in the box\u2014the new AirPods Pro, for example, give you four pairs. Make sure you use the fit test in the Samsung Wear app<\/a> once you get the earbuds connected. I thought the medium tips felt OK, but the test prompted me to try the large, and it was right: They gave me a better fit and a tighter seal.<\/p>\n

Speaking of what\u2019s in (or not in) the box, Samsung, like Apple, no longer includes a charging cable. You probably have at least one USB-C cable already, but if you don\u2019t, you\u2019ll need one.<\/p>\n

Moving to the stem-based design brings pinch and swipe gestures to the FE family. Samsung borrowed this system from Apple\u2019s AirPods Pro, but the triangular shape of the Galaxy Buds\u2019 stems can make these controls a little harder to use than Apple\u2019s. You do get used to them, however, and overall, I think they\u2019re an improvement on the first-gen Buds FE\u2019s touch controls\u2014especially using the up\/down swipe gesture to control volume.<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s AirPods\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Photograph: Simon Cohen<\/p>\n

Sound quality on the Galaxy Buds3 FE is outstanding. It not only compares well to other earbuds at this price, it holds up to many more expensive models. The sound signature is robust, with excellent response across frequencies. The low end is resonant yet snappy, the mids and highs are clear and detailed, and the soundstage has a pleasing amount of width and depth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve been very impressed with Samsung\u2019s third-gen wireless earbuds. The Galaxy Buds3 Pro ($190), which were released in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46884,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[31251,8240,61,60,563,564,573,507,80,34504],"class_list":["post-46883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-earbuds","tag-headphones","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-samsung","tag-shopping","tag-technology","tag-wireless-earbuds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}