I have Galaxy Buds3 and I'm looking at the Galaxy Buds3 FE

The phones Samsung says the earbuds work with, in its own words: usually an Android phone with more than 1.5GB of memory.

Samsung notes that some features may not be available on phones made by other companies.

Matters most if: Your phone is not a Samsung Galaxy.

Samsung says Galaxy Buds connect to an iPhone (iPhone 5 or later with iOS 9 or later) by Bluetooth only; iPad and iPod touch are not supported. Only Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live had a Galaxy Buds app for iPhone.

You can listen to music and take calls, but features that need Samsung's app or a Galaxy phone are not there.

Matters most if: You use an iPhone.

The app Samsung names for the earbuds' settings, usually Galaxy Wearable on Android.

On newer Galaxy phones the settings are built into the phone, so the app is not needed there.

The Galaxy AI features Samsung names for the earbuds, such as Interpreter, Live Translate or talking to an AI assistant.

Samsung says these need a compatible Samsung Galaxy phone.

Matters most if: You have a recent Galaxy phone and want translation or voice assistants in your ears.

Samsung's Auto Switch moves the earbuds' connection between your Samsung Galaxy devices, for example from your tablet to your phone when a call comes in.

It works only between Galaxy devices: Samsung names Galaxy phones and tablets with One UI 3.1 or later, and Galaxy Watch4 or later.

Active noise canceling (ANC) uses microphones to cancel steady background noise, such as an airplane engine. Adaptive ANC changes the level to suit the sound around you.

Samsung gives battery times with ANC on and off: with it on, the battery runs down sooner.

Matters most if: You commute, fly or work somewhere noisy.

More in the glossary →

Ambient sound lets outside sound in through the microphones, so you can hear people and traffic without taking the earbuds out.

Useful for a quick chat, an announcement or walking along a busy road.

The speakers in each earbud, as Samsung describes them. "1-way" is one speaker; "2-way" adds a small tweeter for high notes next to the woofer for low notes.

Speaker size alone does not tell you how the earbuds sound: fit and tuning matter as much.

Samsung's 360 Audio places sound around you, as in a cinema; with head tracking it stays in place when you turn your head.

Samsung says it needs a Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet with One UI 3.1 or later, and video or music made for it.

Matters most if: You watch films on a Galaxy phone or tablet.

Samsung's higher-resolution sound over Bluetooth: 24-bit Hi-Fi, and SSC UHQ up to 24-bit/96kHz on newer models.

It works only with the Galaxy phones and tablets Samsung lists, and only with music files of that quality.

More in the glossary →

The ways sound is compressed to travel over Bluetooth. SBC and AAC work with most phones; Samsung's SSC codecs only with Samsung Galaxy devices; LC3 is the codec of Bluetooth LE Audio.

The phone and the earbuds use a codec they both support, so the list matters most with a Galaxy phone.

More in the glossary →

How long the earbuds play music on one charge, from Samsung's internal testing. For models with ANC, Samsung's time is with ANC on.

Volume, codec and features such as 360 Audio change the time you actually get.

How long you can talk on calls on one charge, from Samsung's internal testing.

Calls use the microphones as well, so talk time is shorter than music time.

The typical capacity of each earbud's battery, in mAh. On newer models Samsung also gives a lower rated capacity, shown under the row.

Capacity alone does not give the hours: the chip and features matter too. The battery life rows are the better guide.

How well the earbuds resist sweat and water, as an IP rating in Samsung's words. The second figure is for water: IPX2 is dripping water, IP54 splashes from any direction, IP57 and IPX7 a short dip in water.

Samsung's rating covers the earbuds, not the case.

Matters most if: You exercise with them or use them in the rain.