After some debate as to whether Samsung's next wireless earbuds will be called Galaxy Buds 2 Plus or Galaxy Buds 3, it turns out that they'll be the first Samsung wireless buds to belong to the FE line.
Samsung confirmed the Galaxy Buds FE moniker in a leaked user manual — the same one we explored in greater detail a couple of days ago. That leaked material gave us a bit of a preview of the overall design of the Buds FE and how they'll differ from the more recent models.
But now, the Galaxy Buds FE and the accompanying charging case have shown up in a series of higher-definition renders (via WinFuture).
Once again, these renders confirm a new (or rather reinvented) design philosophy for the upcoming Galaxy Buds FE. Interestingly enough, the upcoming FE model seems to borrow ideas from the original Galaxy Buds and Galaxy Buds+ released in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
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Galaxy Buds FE will have optional rubber accessories for improved grip
Like the 2019 and 2020 models, the upcoming Galaxy Buds FE will have interchangeable rubber wingtips in different sizes for different ear shapes, designed to improve grip. Essentially, what you see in the renders above are a pair of Galaxy Buds FE earbuds wrapped in one such rubber accessory, i.e., a wingtip attachment.
There are no renders of the finless configuration, at least for now. Nevertheless, the user manual leaked earlier this week confirmed that more traditional, wingless rubber attachments in small and medium sizes exist.
Hardware specifications remain a bit of a mystery, but given the Fan Edition branding, we're guessing that Samsung wants to offer these earbuds for a lower price than its Galaxy Buds 2 Pro model, which starts at $229 — although as of this writing, you can buy a pair of Buds 2 Pro for $179.
Exactly what features the Galaxy Buds FE would sacrifice for the supposed price reduction remains to be determined. The original Galaxy Buds and Buds+ lacked active noise cancelation (ANC), but the leaked user manual suggests that the Buds FE will benefit from both ANC and Ambient Sound.