User Experience: Samsung Galaxy Buds FE
The Samsung Galaxy Fan Edition series welcomes a new member to the family – the Galaxy Buds FE. This is Samsung’s latest and most affordable wireless earbuds. So, what can you expect from this pair of earbuds? Is it worth the official price tag of RM399? Read on to find out.
Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Specification
| Samsung Galaxy Buds FE | Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official Retail Price | RM 399 | RM 499 |
| Colours | Graphite, White | Graphite, White, Lavender, Olive Green |
| Driver | Single | Dual |
| IP Rating | IPX2 | IPX2 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Noise Cancellation | ANC | ANC |
| Battery Life | 6 + 15 hours (ANC) | 5 + 15 hours (ANC) |
| Case Charging type | Wired | Wired & Wireless |
| Dimensions and weight (earbuds) | 17.3 x 19.3 x 22.2 mm | 17 x 20.9 x 21.1 mm |
| Dimensions and weight (case) | 50 x 27.5 x 50 mm | 50 x 50 x 27.8 mm |
| Earbud weight | 5.8g | 5g |
| Charging case weight | 40.8g | 41.2g |
The Galaxy Buds 2 is a close contender to the Buds FE considering how similar they are with just an RM100 retail price difference. Judging based on the spec list, we can roughly narrow down the difference to the driver count, charging mode and the slight battery life difference. That’s it?? Not really.
Galaxy Buds FE
The most prominent design choice for the Galaxy Buds FE is the return of the wingtip design. It helps keep the buds in without causing too much discomfort. Of course, it is a personal preference thing, so Samsung has designed it in a way that users can remove the wingtip and replace it with a rounded rubber cover.
Overall, it is still a pair of rounded wireless earbuds that doesn’t stand out too much. The touch surface is glossy and surrounded by a matte finish around the buds. It supports most of the tapping functions and can be customised in the Samsung Wearables app.
Speaking of the app, you will need it to fully enjoy the complete features. Does it stop you from using the buds if you decide not to install the app? Absolutely not, you can simply connect the earbuds with Bluetooth and start using it without any issues. For example, iOS users still can use the earbuds like any regular Bluetooth earbuds even though Samsung has stopped updating the Wearables app for them. What you are ultimately missing out is the ability to update the firmware and customise the features.
Now, the RM 399 question, how does it sound? Honestly, even though the Buds FE uses the older single-driver design. It still sounds pretty good. It has a rather warm sound profile with muted bass characteristics. Well, that is given since we don’t have a dedicated bass driver in the Buds FE. Despite so, there is still room for tweaking in the EQ, so I don’t think it is a problem at all.
The ANC and ambient sound mode work remarkably well for the Buds FE. It seems that Samsung is fully committed to this technology and aims to bring the same experience throughout their entire Buds lineup.
The Signature Clamshell Case
Then the clamshell case remains the same design as their other Buds model.
The only difference here – it only supports wired charging mode. Unlike the other Galaxy Buds case could support both wired and wireless charging. Wireless charging means you can use your Galaxy Watch charger to juice up the case.
I don’t think it matters even if the removal of the feature was meant to be an act of cost-cutting. USB-C is abundant anyway.
The consistent and shared case dimension across all Galaxy Buds models means they can share the accessories such as the protective case.
Conclusion
After spending two weeks with the company’s most entry-level wireless earbuds, I’d say the most impressive improvement Samsung has made with the Galaxy Buds FE is the design. While the wingtip may not fit every single user’s preference, however, having the option to install or remove means more users can customise the earbuds to fit.
The Buds FE brings a lot to the table, especially Active Noice Cancelling and Ambient Sound Mode for the price of RM399. They are indeed trickling down the technology from the flagship models down to mid-range and now to the Buds FE. Sound quality is reasonably good even with a single-driver setup.
Despite so, the main challenge is still the competition from Samsung itself. At the time of reviewing the Buds FE, you can shop around for the Buds 2 for less than RM300. A cheaper Galaxy Buds 2 is a no-brainer because it is supposedly the more advanced model. This is a typical case of self-cannibalization. Just beware there are plenty of counterfeit Samsung earbuds selling on popular e-commerce platforms.
Where to buy:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3MpqNUr
Lazada: https://invol.co/clk5drg
Shopee: https://invl.io/clk5drh
