New Samsung earbuds offer premium features at a much better price

Wireless earbuds have become one of the most indispensable tech accessories in recent years as phones lost their headphone jacks and music services moved from MP3 players to streaming services, and this week it's the turn of Samsung to bring something new to the table

Apple's AirPods may be the go-to for iPhone owners, but there are hundreds of choices out there, and often rival products offer more features at lower prices. That's the case with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE, the firm's new mid-range wireless earbuds that cost £129, less than the existing £159 Galaxy Buds 3 and £219 Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

I've not used the new Buds 3 FE yet, but on paper, they could prove to be the smartest choice of the three despite being the cheapest. The 'FE' stands for 'Fan Edition', the odd moniker Samsung uses for its cheaper versions of Galaxy earbuds, phones and tablets.

For a start, they are in-ear noise cancelling earbuds, unlike the regular Buds 3, which have a hard plastic design that sits in your ear but doesn't have an ear-sealing rubber tip. Some people prefer this, but if you want the seal and the active noise cancellation (ANC) tech that blocks out external sound, the FE model will be better for you.

"With a larger speaker, Galaxy Buds 3 FE deliver rich, powerful sound with deep bass and clear treble," Samsung said, comparing the Buds 3 FE to the original Galaxy Buds FE. "Enhanced ANC reduces ambient noise, creating a more immersive listening experience.

"Crystal Clear Call technology uses an advanced pre-trained machine learning model to isolate your voice, ensuring conversations remain clear even in noisy environments. The call experience is also improved by the adjusted microphone position, which is optimised for voice pickup with microphones facing towards the user's mouth."

The better mic position is down to the change in design to an AirPods-esque stem, with the mics at the bottom. The older Buds FE were small in-ear circular buds.

These stems, which Samsung calls Blades, can be pinched to pause or swiped to change volume, just like the much more expensive Buds 3 Pro. And this being a Samsung product in 2025, the Buds 3 FE are (unfortunately?) stuffed full of AI.

When used with a Samsung phone they can, Samsung says, perform live translation, follow voice commands using Google Gemini, or read out your daily calendar or emails. They also have IP54 dust and water resistance, so are good for exercising.

Samsung also promises six hours of playback on a charge with ANC on or eight and a half with it off. The charging case should top them up four times or so before needing charging itself.

But above all, these buds should hopefully prove to have good sound quality for the £129 asking price, which isn't actually that cheap when you look at the overall earbuds market. The Galaxy Buds 3 FE go on sale in grey or black from September 4.