Samsung’s New ‘Fan Edition” Earbuds Beat the Pricier Buds 3 Pro in One Key Way

After some major leaks earlier this month, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 FE are finally here, and on paper, they look like a pretty good deal. While the “FE” moniker, short for Fan Edition, often signifies a lower price point in exchange for some compromises on features, the new Galaxy Buds 3 FE actually beats Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro in a couple of key areas, and one of those battlegrounds is battery life.

According to Samsung, the $150 Buds 3 FE offer 6 hours of battery with active noise cancellation (ANC) activated and 8.5 hours with ANC off. That’s compared to the $190 Buds 3 Pro battery life, which clocks in at 6 hours and 7 hours with ANC on and off, respectively. I would have liked to see the ANC battery life get a bump here too, but it’s nice to know that if you need to, you can get an extra hour and a half for less money. Those battery life numbers aren’t mind-blowing in the general field of wireless earbuds, but they do put the Galaxy Buds 3 FE on par with comparably priced buds from OnePlus.

The other category that the Galaxy Buds FE 3 excel in is weight. These wireless earbuds are actually 5 grams lighter than the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which isn’t an enormous difference but is enough to give the FE a slight edge if you’re comparing the two against each other. It’s also worth noting that Samsung managed to decrease the weight while upgrading the battery life, which is always a feat worth mentioning when it comes to any gadget, earbuds included.

The next biggest selling point is the fact that the Galaxy Buds FE 3 match a lot of the Pro features while keeping the starting price lower. The first thing you’ll probably notice is that the new Buds FE 3 borrow the same AirPods-like design as the Buds 3 Pro, which is nice if you like Apple’s white earbuds but maybe not so nice if you’re looking for something different. There is a slight difference here in that the Galaxy Buds FE 3 come with a matte finish as opposed to the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro’s glossy one, though, and they don’t have any LED lights on the stems—sorry, blades—themselves.

On top of a similar design, the Galaxy Buds FE 3 also come equipped with real-time AI translation features (only if you have a Samsung phone) and hands-free Gemini compatibility so you can activate and use your voice assistant without unlocking your phone. AI features probably won’t be make-or-break for most people, but it’s nice to know that they’ll be there if you should need/want them.

As is the case with any pair of wireless earbuds, the biggest question will be in the sound. One notable difference between the Buds 3 Pro and Buds 3 FE is that the former has a dual-driver design while the latter has just one driver. It’s hard to say what kind of difference that will make without hearing them back-to-back, but I’m guessing the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro will have an edge when it comes to fidelity and dynamic range. Even with that difference, however, the Buds 3 FE feel like a good deal for the price, and if you’re looking to save a little bit of money but not make any major compromises, this could be the pair of Samsung wireless earbuds you’re looking for.