Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE beat Apple’s AirPods 4 in two key areas

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE have arrived, and they're a nice surprise.

While Samsung's more budget buds don't quite have the spec of the more expensive Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, they've inherited some of their best features – including two that the Apple AirPods 4 can't match.

The first thing you'll notice is that the Buds 3 FE have a very different design, and now resemble the Pros. And that isn't just cosmetic.

The Buds 3 FE have the same pinch and swipe gestures as the Pro. They also get improved water and dust resistance, with an IP54 rating.

There is one downside: the price has gone up. But there's plenty here to justify the slightly higher cost.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE: key features and pricing

The buds have Bluetooth 5.4 with AAC, SBC and SSC (Samsung Seamless Codec). They're built around 11mm dynamic drivers that Samsung says deliver crisper highs and deeper bass.

There are six microphones for voice calling with AI audio enhancement, and there's enhanced ANC too, which reduces ambient audio by up to 32dB. The buds also have 360 Audio spatial sound.

There are two features in particular that stand out to me, because they leapfrog Apple's AirPods. The first is that the Samsung buds have much longer battery life: a quoted 8.5 hours / 30 hours with ANC off and 6 hours / 24 hours with ANC on.

And the second is that, thanks to Google Gemini, the Buds 3 deliver live in-ear translation via the Samsung Interpreter app – a feature we know Apple is working on but hasn't delivered yet.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE come in two colours, black and grey, and are priced at £129 / $149 (about €127 / AU$230). They'll be available from 4 September 2025.