Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Wireless Earbud Review

With battery life in the 96th percentile, you'll almost never charge these. But sound quality sits in the 43rd percentile, which is mediocre for $92. Only buy these if you're a Galaxy power user who values marathon battery and a secure fit over great audio.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE are a $92 set of true wireless earbuds that excel at everything except, well, the sound. They're built for comfort and convenience, scoring in the 86th percentile for fit and the 91st for connectivity. The headline feature is a 30-hour battery life, which puts them in the 96th percentile and means you'll almost never think about charging them.

Where they falter is in the core audio experience. Their sound quality lands in the 43rd percentile, which is frankly mediocre for the price. The microphone performance is even worse at the 38th percentile, making them a poor choice for calls. Samsung is betting you'll trade that for their excellent ecosystem features, like Auto Switch and Live Translate, but that's a big ask if you're not deep into Galaxy phones.

Let's talk about what these buds do well. That 30-hour total battery life is a monster, sitting in the 96th percentile. You can forget your charger for days. The Active Noise Cancellation is also solid, ranking in the 89th percentile. It's not the absolute best, but it'll handle a noisy commute or a loud gym just fine. The build quality and connectivity are both in the 91st percentile, which means they feel sturdy and pair seamlessly with Galaxy devices. The wing-tip design clearly works, as the comfort score hits the 86th percentile. For fitness, commuting, and travel, these scores make a lot of sense.

Now, the bad news. The sound quality percentile is 43. That's below average. You're getting a dynamic driver setup that, according to our data, lacks the detail and balance of competitors at this price. The microphone is even weaker at the 38th percentile, which explains the dismal 53.5/100 score for calls. If you plan on using these for meetings or talking to people, look elsewhere.

At $92, the Galaxy Buds FE are in a tricky spot. You're paying a premium for battery life and Samsung's software integration. If you value those things above all else, they're a decent buy. But if you care about sound, the value drops fast. Competitors like the Nothing Ear (a) and Anker Soundcore P31i offer better audio performance at similar or lower prices. You're essentially trading audio quality for longevity and convenience.

Stacked against the competition, the Buds FE are a niche pick. The Nothing Ear (a) will likely beat them on sound quality and have a more fun design for less money. The Sony WF-1000XM5 is in a different league for ANC and sound, but costs over twice as much. The real competition is the Anker Soundcore P31i, which offers real-time adaptive noise cancellation and likely better sound around the same price, but lacks the battery life and deep Galaxy integration. The Buds FE win on battery and comfort, but lose on pure audio performance and call quality to nearly everyone else on the list.

Skip the Galaxy Buds FE if you're an audiophile or need reliable buds for calls. The 43rd percentile sound quality means there's better audio to be had at this price, and the 38th percentile mic is a call-quality disaster. If you don't own a Galaxy phone, you're also paying for a bunch of features you can't use, which makes them a poor value compared to something like the Anker Soundcore P31i.

We can only recommend the Galaxy Buds FE to a very specific user: someone deep in the Samsung ecosystem who prioritizes battery life and a secure fit over everything else. The 96th percentile battery and 86th percentile comfort are legit. But for everyone else, the 43rd percentile sound and 38th percentile mic are deal-breakers at this price. There are better-sounding buds out there for your money.