Apple AirPods 5 (Wireless Charging Case) / Samsung Galaxy Buds FE

Apple AirPods 5 (Wireless Charging Case): A3439 / A3440 / A3441; A3529 wireless case; white

Samsung Galaxy Buds FE: Galaxy Buds FE (SM-R400); Graphite or White. The Galaxy Buds3 FE released in 2025 is a separate product.

SpecificationApple AirPods 5 (Wireless Charging Case)Samsung Galaxy Buds FE
Release year20262023
Announcement / availability9 / 18 September 2026 Apple—
ChipApple H2 Apple—
Noise controlANC, Adaptive Audio, Transparency Apple—
AudioCustom dynamic driver; Adaptive EQ Apple—
Spatial audioDynamic head tracking Apple—
SensorsOptical in-ear sensor; motion and speech accelerometers AppleProximity, Hall, touch

The proximity sensor pauses music when a bud is removed; the touch surface controls playback and modes.

Samsung
MicrophonesDual beamforming and inward-facing microphones Apple3 microphones per earbud (2 outer + 1 inner)

Samsung says automatic personalized beamforming and a DNN separate speech from background noise.

Samsung
ControlsPress controls; swipe volume adjustment Apple—
Bluetooth5.3 Apple—
Earbud battery lifeUp to 5 hours ANC on / 7 hours off Apple—
Total with caseUp to 22 hours with ANC on Apple—
Quick charge5 minutes in case: about 1 hour listening Apple—
Charging caseUSB-C; Qi and Apple Watch chargers Apple—
Find MySpeaker in case Apple—
ProtectionIP57 Apple—
Earbud size / weight30.2 × 18.3 × 18.1 mm; 4.3 g each Apple—
Case size / weight46.2 × 50.1 × 21.2 mm; 34.7 g Apple—
Other devicesBluetooth audio; some features require Apple devices Apple—
Case compatibilityA3529 pairs only with wireless-case AirPods 5 earbuds Apple—
Driver and sound—1-way speaker; Scalable (Samsung proprietary), AAC and SBC codecs

The Scalable codec is Samsung’s codec that adjusts bitrate to connection quality and works with Galaxy devices; other phones use AAC or SBC. The high-resolution SSC Hi-Fi codec is not supported.

Samsung
Noise cancellation—Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Ambient Sound

ANC picks up outside sound with microphones and suppresses it with an inverse wave; Ambient Sound lets outside sound in so you can hear without removing the buds.

Samsung
Battery—Earbud 60 mAh, case 479 mAh (typical); 6 hours with ANC on (21 hours with case), 8.5 hours with ANC off (30 hours with case); talk time 3.5 hours with ANC on

The case does not support wireless charging; it charges over a USB-C cable.

Samsung
Connectivity—Bluetooth 5.2; Auto Switch, SmartThings Find

Auto Switch moves audio automatically between Galaxy phones, tablets and watches on the same Samsung account. SmartThings Find shows the buds’ last location.

Samsung
Fit—3 sizes of ear tips and 2 sizes of wingtips

Wingtips grip the ear to help the buds stay in place during exercise.

Samsung
Compatibility—Android 8.0 or later with more than 1.5 GB of RAM

Some features do not work on non-Samsung devices.

Samsung
Size and weight—Earbud 17.1 × 19.2 × 22.2 mm, 5.6 g; case 50.0 × 27.7 × 50.0 mm, 40.0 g Samsung