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Samsung is no stranger to high-quality audio with its line of premium TWS earbuds under the Galaxy Buds name. However, premium products come at a premium price, and not everyone can afford the best mainline Galaxy Buds. Enter, the Galaxy Buds FE. Being in the FE line of products, these are more affordable than the mainline products. I was given the opportunity to review these earbuds and spent a few weeks getting to know them.
Being more affordable compared to the other Galaxy Buds, the question is whether you should bother with these or just shell out more money for the premium earbuds. Well, the thing about the Galaxy FE devices is that they’re meant to make you forget; they make you forget you’re using an affordable item.
Will these earbuds make you forget that you’re using an affordable product, or are they just forgettable? Let’s find out in this review.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: Design
Starting off with the very first thing you’ll notice about these earbuds, their design is pretty toned down. We all know Samsung as the company that’s given us some pretty robust designs over the years. The Galaxy Buds are no exception; we all remember the Galaxy Beans. Well, Samsung decided to turn down the design dial with the FE buds.
This isn’t a bad thing or a complaint. The design of the Galaxy Buds FE is pretty mellow. They have the shape of a pretty standard pair of TWS earbuds. They’re made from a pretty lightweight matte plastic with the exception of the touchpad; that’s made from glossy plastic.
There’s a rubber ring that runs around the earbuds that ends in a shark fin-shaped bit that juts out. This is the main thing that makes the design stick out. Other than that, these are a very standard-looking pair of earbuds from a design standpoint.
That’s not really an issue, as earbuds aren’t as much of a fashion statement as phones are. People aren’t likely to stop you on the street because of how fashionable your earbuds are.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: Build quality
In terms of build quality, I think that these earbuds do give off a more premium feeling. They’re made from plastic, as all other earbuds are, and the plastic itself doesn’t feel particularly premium. However, there is a bit of a heft that gives these earbuds a nice feel in the hand.
When you pick them up, you can feel that there are some quality parts. I’ve held cheaper earbuds and, while there’s not a huge difference in the weight, I could feel the lack of quality. They might be just a few grams heavier than other earbuds in this price range, but they go a long way.
Moving on to the case, I think my feelings are the same. The case is made from a glossy plastic. The plastic is nice to the touch, and it’s got some notable thickness to it. The case feels like it could take some abuse before taking on any damage. As for the overall feeling, it feels nice.
Just like with the earbuds, there’s a nice little heft to the case. It makes me feel like I’m picking up a product that’s going to give me a nice experience.
The fact that these earbuds feel nice doesn’t surprise me, as this is the same case with the Galaxy Tab S9 FE series. I recently reviewed the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+, and it also feels exceptionally premium.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: Touch controls
The Galaxy Buds use capacitive touch pads in order to control the audio. The touch controls are a bit of a mixed bag. For starters, there are eight different options that you can use to control your content. You have single-tap, double-tap, triple-tap, and tap-and-hold functions for both earbuds.
That’s nice, as I’ve seen earbuds with only double and triple-tap options. So, there are a bunch of actions that I can perform. My only complaint is that they’re pretty limited.
You can’t choose which actions do what. So, you can’t choose what the single-tap action does; you can only enable and disable it. The single-tap action plays/pauses the music, the double-tap action plays the next track, and the triple-tap action plays the previous track.
The only command that you can customize is the tap-and-hold, which is pretty odd. You can assign an action for the left bud and one for the right. You can either have the tap-and-hold option summon Bixby, adjust the volume, open Spotify, or change the sound mode.
When it comes to the sound mode, you can choose to have it switch the sound modes (ANC to ambient mode) or enable/disable them. So, you can have it so that tapping and holding the left earbud activates ANC, and tapping and holding the right activates ambient mode.
All in all, I think that Samsung should give people more control over the touch controls. I don’t know why Samsung only allows people to adjust the tap-and-hold actions but not the others.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: Low-end audio
When it comes to more affordable audio equipment, the question of audio quality comes into play. A large part of the quality is the balance; the balance between the low tones and the high tones. One issue that I run into with earbuds and other audio equipment is the over-emphasis on the low-end.
Companies pump so much bass into their speakers to appeal to a more modern audience. While it’s true that a lot of modern music like dubstep and EDM are very bass-heavy, this practice limits the usability of earbuds.
I’m happy to say that Samsung showed great restraint with the Galaxy Buds FE. Out of the box, I started listening to content, and I found that the sound was pretty thin. It lacked some of those finer low-end tones that you could really feel. I couldn’t really immerse myself in the music as much as I wanted.
However, that wasn’t the case for long. I’ll touch on the app later on in the review, but in the Galaxy Wearable app, I enabled the Dynamic setting in the EQ. This gave a nice boost to the bass, and that was the missing piece of the puzzle I was looking for with the sound.
These earbuds are capable of producing a juicy low-end sound. It just makes the lower instruments sound amazing. The earbuds don’t make the bass pop as much as they make it support the overall sound much better. It’s not overblown; it fits perfectly.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: High-end audio
The higher tones are just as important as the lower ones, and some companies tend to forget that. Again, some companies only focus on the bass. In the case of the Galaxy Buds FE, it’s clear that Samsung focused on balance.
Out of the box, the higher tones sounded nice, and they only sounded better with the Dynamic audio setting. This setting gave a nice little bump to the high-end.
I think that Samsung did a great job with the high-end of these earbuds. Voices, higher percussion, and all of the higher synth you’d hear in 80s music all sound amazing. They project crisply and clearly in the music that I’m listening to.
Just like with the bass, the higher tones fit in perfectly with the sound. Too much high-end can really weigh on the ears. Fortunately, just like with the low-end, Samsung showed great restraint and kept things in line.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: Sound Space
Because of Samsung’s excellent tuning, the sound space is great. I’m very immersed in the music that I’m listening to, and it really sounds like I’m in the middle of the action. It sounds like Daryl Hall is on one side of me and John Oates is on the other.
While the sound is immersive, it’s also spacious and clear. This is because of Samsung’s excellent management of the low-end audio. Too much low-end can wind up making the sound feel muddy and cluttered.
So, I think that Samsung went above and beyond with the audio tuning for these earbuds. When you put them on, you tend to forget that you’re listening to an affordable pair of earbuds.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: ANC (Active Noise cancelation)
Real talk; I had a moment of confusion. It was the same moment that most people have when they first hear ANC. It’s that moment of “Wait, how can this quiet the noise that much?” For me, it was “How could an affordable pair of earbuds possibly have ANC this good?!”
This isn’t an exaggeration; I was so thoroughly impressed with how good the ANC is on these earbuds. I’ve used earbuds with great ANC, but I’d still manage to hear a high-pitched hiss because they didn’t filter that noise. With these earbuds, it really felt like they silenced the world. This is for when I’m indoors.
When I’m outdoors, it’s much the same story. When outside, there’s a lot more noise that they have to filter. This includes traffic, the wind, and general ambient audio. Regardless, the ANC does a great job of getting rid of the ambient noise around. When I turn on the feature, I truly feel isolated while I’m listening to music. The ANC, in my opinion, is too good for the price you’re paying for these earbuds.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: Listening to different genres
Certain genres of music sound different depending on what earbuds you’re listening to. So, I’m going to go over my experiences with listening to different genres of music. These are genres of music that I typically listen to, and they have a wide range of moods.
Classical
Beginning with classical music, I think that excellent balance helps create an amazing sound all around. Having a balanced sound is key to making classical music sound great. Classical music isn’t intrinsically bass-heavy or top-heavy. All of the instruments have an important role to play, and they all fit together like puzzle pieces.
If the sound is unbalanced, it becomes immediately evident when you start listening. However, classical music really makes these earbuds shine. Everything that I mentioned came into play here: the ANC, balance, sound space, juicy low-end, and pleasant high-end. They all came together to create a warm and immersive sound.
Listening to orchestral music, the nice boost to the bass adds warmth and depth to the lower instruments without having them become muddy. The bass supports the higher instruments beautifully. The higher instruments sing amazingly. If you like to turn on some classical music, you will not be disappointed.
Epic orchestral
Epic orchestral and classical may share certain instruments, but they’re completely different in terms of their overall appeal. While classical is more balanced, Epic orchestral has an emphasis on impact and low-end; it’s meant to get your heart rate up.
Listening to epic music with these earbuds I could feel every impact. The great low-end performance works well for the sound in this case. Epic music uses a lot of low synth and percussion to augment the bass, and I could hear the low rumble that comes along with it. All of this is wrapped up in a package that sounds amazing because of the spacious sound space. So, the sound is punchy, but it doesn’t become muddy. It feels like you’re in a space with the instruments all around you, but it doesn’t feel like they’re all bunched up around you.
So, if you’re watching an action flick, you won’t be sorry.
70s pop/disco
Moving onto less orchestral music, we have smaller studio setups. First up, there’s 70s pop/disco. This genre is notably warm in nature, and the responsibly boosted bass comes in handy. It gives the lower-end music a nice depth and warmth that just warms the soul.
Again, we can’t forget about the voices. The high-end makes the voices sound amazing. You don’t only hear the voices, you also hear the texture of said voices. It sounds like they’re singing directly to you. Since the sound space is so nice, it sounds like you’re in the studio with the singer.
80s pop
Moving onto 80s music, we heard a shift from warmer music to music with more of an emphasis on the higher-end. Many of the basses used in 80s pop were much crunchier with a focus on the higher tones. Also, we can’t forget about the high-pitched “twinkly” synth that characterizes 80s music.
This is a great opportunity for these earbuds to produce a thin and tinny sound that would tire out the ears. However, that’s not the case. These earbuds give the higher tones the attention they deserve without having them go overboard. The voices, bass, synth, percussion, and other parts sit nicely together.
This is a challenge for most other audio equipment. There are speakers and earbuds that sound great with 70s music but don’t quite have the balance to pull off 80s music. That’s not the case for the Galaxy Buds FE.
90s pop/R&B/Hip-hop
In the 90s, a lot of music brought back the warmth that we hear with 70s music and turned it up. There are so many deep tones that rumble in the back of the head. This is where a ton of other earbuds fail to produce a decent sound. They wind up making the bass sound muddy and ugly.
Again, the Galaxy Buds FE managed to pleasantly surprise me with their restraint. The bass sounds velvety and warm, but it doesn’t go as far as to be muddy. I get a fair amount of that rumble, and it’s the perfect amount to give the sound a warm and relaxing feeling.
Moving onto the higher end, we heard a lot of emphasis on higher percussion with a lot of 90s pop and hip-hop. Well, as you can imagine, the high-end performance gives the high percussion a nice boost. Those high hat hits sound crisp and clear.
2000s pop
Moving up a decade, we hear a bit of a shift in the overall sound of the music. For starters, we started hearing more synthetic kick drum hits which added some punch to the sound. This characterizes a lot of 2000s music, and these earbuds do a great job of bringing that out. This is on top of producing an amazing balanced sound.
Overall, these earbuds have a great feature that most other audio products in this price range don’t have. I’m not talking about the low-end, high-end, or sound space. I’m talking about consistency. There are earbuds that sound great with a few genres- maybe they sound great with 90s pop but not with classical. Maybe they sound great with 80s pop but not 70s pop. However, the Galaxy Buds FE sounded consistently great no matter what I listened to; I was thoroughly impressed with the sound.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: Battery
It doesn’t matter how great the audio is if the earbuds die before you can listen to all of your favorite music. Adding to these earbuds’ long list of amazing qualities, the battery life of the Galaxy Buds FE is great. I typically use these earbuds when I’m working, so I’m talking about 6+ hours of constant use every day. When I start the day with a full battery, I usually end my shift with the battery just reaching the end of its rope.
This is without the charging case. With the charging case, I’m able to get just north of 24 hours of constant use. I went through the trouble of testing the earbuds on a constant run, and I got a time of 24 hours and 7 minutes. That’s really good for a pair of earbuds.
The charging is pretty fast, and it will come in handy when you’re in a pinch. I ran out of battery, and I needed a quick top-up for a trip to the store. I popped them in the charging case for about 20 minutes. They were able to last me over an hour before falling back to sleep. They charged fully in just north of an hour and a half, so if they die on you, you won’t have to wait for too long before you can start listening to them.
Charging the case itself takes about two hours, which isn’t too bad either. You won’t have trouble with these earbuds getting you through the day. I got 24 hours, but that was listening to them constantly with no break. If you’re using them casually throughout the day, then they will last you a couple of days.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: Galaxy Wearable app
Nowadays, most advanced earbuds and headphones can be managed with an app. In the case of the Galaxy Buds FE, they’re managed through the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app. This is the all-in-one interface that you can use to customize your Galaxy Buds experience.
The experience using the app is pretty standard compared to other apps that I used. Samsung made a point to put the most relevant settings and information on the front page. At the top, you see the battery status of the earbuds and the case. You can only see the battery status of the case if you have at least one of the earbuds, which is typical of TWS earbuds.
I would have liked to see the battery status of each earbud individually, but it only shows you one battery level for both. That’s not great, as we’re all familiar with the pain of putting out earbuds in our ears only to find that one of them decided not to charge. It’d be nice to know the battery level for both in case this happens. That’s not the biggest complaint, however. What’s neat is that I get the battery level in 1% intervals, so I can see the exact battery level.
Right under the battery level, you’ll see the slider where you can adjust the sound mode. You’ll switch between the ANC, ambient, and normal modes.
EQ presets
There are a ton of settings and tweaks that I could go into, but I think that the best one is the built-in EQ. Under the Earbuds settings, the top option is the EQ. This isn’t as in-depth as the EQ in the Edifier Connect app, but most companion apps aren’t.
However, I do wish that it gave you the ability to customize the EQ. Instead, you have a selection of five EQ presets along with the normal mode. You have a Bass Boost, Soft, Dynamic, Clear, and Treble Boost mode. They’re all pretty self-explanatory except for the Dynamic one. This gives both the bass and treble a boost while the mid-tones are kept relatively unchanged.
Galaxy Buds FE Review: Conclusion
Just like I said at the beginning of the review, the Galaxy FE devices are meant to make you forget. Actually, I can say the same thing about most mid-range devices. The company wants you to forget that you saved $200 getting the cheaper product. During my review, I have had to remind myself multiple times that I’m using an FE product.
When I hear the amazing ANC, I have to remind myself; when I hear the excellently balanced sound, I have to remind myself, when I make it to the end of a long work day with juice in the tank, I have to remind myself.
I think that since I have to keep refreshing my memory, Samsung accomplished what it wanted. I didn’t feel like I was using a cheaper device, I felt like I was using a great device that just costs less. If you’re looking for a fantastic pair of earbuds, then look no further than the Galaxy Buds FE. They’re worth every dime and so much more!