Introduction
Not counting the Samsung Gear Icon X, Samsung released six pairs of wireless earbuds under the Galaxy Buds brand as of September 2023. Samsung's seventh pair of Buds was announced at the beginning of October of the same year and hit the stage as the company's first pair of Fan Edition (FE)-branded earbuds.
Before October 2023, Samsung's Fan Edition lineup consisted only of smartphones. The FE series is known for value, as FE phones usually carry some flagship-grade characteristics without costing as much as Samsung's top-tier devices. Similarly, the Galaxy Buds FE earbuds borrow high-end features from previous Buds models but cut some corners in favor of a lower price.
Design
Interestingly, the Galaxy Buds FE seemingly borrow ideas from many of the previous models released by Samsung over the ears. The charging case looks similar to the Galaxy Buds 2 case, but the FE earbuds mark the return of interchangeable rubber wingtips.
Samsung stopped using interchangeable wingtips after the Galaxy Buds+ (2020). Now, through the Galaxy Buds FE, this feature that was missed by many has made a return in 2023.
The Galaxy Buds FE have oblong touchpads that are easy to get a feel for. Samsung announced the accessory in two color options: Graphite and White. Both colors come with a charging case that looks white on the outside, but the Graphite color option has a black interior and earbuds.
Specifications and Features
Despite Samsung's budget-oriented approach for the Galaxy Buds FE, the new earbuds boast advanced features such as Ambient Sound, Active Noise Cancellation, and touch controls.
Users can pause and resume playback, skip tracks, answer or decline calls, change volume, and more, all by tapping or performing gestures on the small oblong touchpads.
Each earbud has a battery of 60mAh, and the charging case has a capacity of 479mAh. Samsung claims that the Galaxy Buds FE can last six hours on a single charge with ANC on and up to 21 hours with the charging case's battery included. With ANC disabled, the Buds can last for 8.5 hours, and the case adds another 30 hours of music playback.
Something had to give to create a more affordable package, and the thing that is missing here is wireless charging for the case. The Galaxy Buds FE don't have wireless charging, which means they can't be charged by other Galaxy phones using Samsung's Wireless PowerShare feature.
Price and Availability
Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds FE on October 5 for just $99. They are the most affordable wireless Buds Samsung ever released. The Fan Edition Buds cost $130 less than the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The Galaxy Buds FE went on sale in select markets on October 10, 2023.
Downloads and Resources
You can remain up to date with the latest Galaxy Buds FE developments through our home page. SamMobile readers can also download official Samsung firmware files for their devices, and premium memberships offer additional perks such as faster firmware download speeds, ad-free browsing, access to giveaways, expert support, and more.