Enjoyable casual use wireless earbuds that focus a little too much on bass

Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Review ★★★☆☆

• Active noise cancellation These earphones have good ANC, helpful for quietening down the noise of the outside world. • SSC codec When used with a Samsung phone...

...the Buds FE can transmit over Samsung Scalable Codec (SSC), a bespoke high-quality codec. • IPX2 These earphones have very limited IPX2 water resistance, enough to handle some rain but little more.

✔ Comfortable. ✔ Effective ANC. ✔ Powerful sub-bass

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

You want ANC without a high price You should buy if

These are a good choice if you want a sensibly priced pair of earphones with active noise cancellation and don’t mind trading some balance for bass. You shouldn't buy if

You want a balanced audio experience

The Galaxy Buds FE have more of an unbalancing low bass boost than the other Samsung earphones, and battery life is shorter than claimed at five hours.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE are a good fit for someone who likes their bass extra-deep and punchy. Active noise cancellation gets a slight upgrade, though, and you don’t lose out on any key features just because these are more affordable “FE” earphones. Andrew Williams Read more