- Galaxy Buds FE 2 filings have been spotted in the US (FCC) and India (BIS)
- According to the FCC certification, ‘Galaxy Buds Core’ could be their name
- Details in the FCC filing even suggest dual-band Wi-Fi (up to 5.8 GHz)
We’d read reports of a fresh set of Galaxy earbuds in ‘advanced development’, but now they’ve actually been spotted – on two official certification sites. But is it just a case of another day, another set of affordable earbuds spotted in the wild?
Well, no, because a) September 2023 was a long time ago and that’s when the inaugural (and honestly disappointing) Samsung Galaxy Buds FE launched, and b) the US listing mentions dual-band Wi-Fi up to 5.8 GHz.
If true (and as spotted by 91 Mobiles, many thanks for that), that would bring Samsung’s typically cheaper-than-Pro ‘Fan Edition’ buds up in line with Xiaomi’s Buds 5 Pro Wi-Fi – which can be yours for a cool $239 / £189 / AU$385 (or thereabouts).
But Samsung’s original Buds FE sold for just $99 / £99 / AU$149, so surely not? Then again, when ‘Fan Edition’ has come to mean anything that’ll play especially nice with your Samsung Galaxy phone and ecosystem, much not much else, it would certainly fit the bill. For clarity, Xiaomi’s list of compatible smartphone source devices for its Wi-Fi toting buds is currently limited to its own Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 15 Ultra so buying a smartphone from another manufacturer after buying Xiaomi buds? Strongly discouraged.
Samsung Galaxy Buds FE 2: what we know so far
We have not one but two credible Galaxy Buds FE 2 or ‘Buds Core’ sources now: the Bureau of India Standards (BIS), as spotted by SamMobile, and the Federal Communications Commission (an independent US government agency, usually referred to as the FCC).
Although we can’t see any design or pricing specs, the model name is still SM-R410, which ties up with previous reports pertaining to the Budes FE 2. That said, the marketing name on the FCC listing is ‘Samsung Galaxy Buds Core’. A new naming strategy for Samsung? We’ll wait and see – but whatever the moniker, they’ll almost certainly be successors to the entry-level Buds FE.
Specs in the FCC filing suggest a 200mAh battery in the buds with a charging case that houses a 500mAh power pack. Given that the original Galaxy Buds FE’s case carried a 479mAh battery (to boast a maximum 30-hour playtime with the buds) it’s a nice update – particularly when you consider that in Xiaomi’s recent two-strong Buds Pro 5 release, the buds boasting Wi-Fi support actually carried a better battery life claim than the regular Bluetooth set.
That’s right! Crucially, the US listing also mentions connectivity dual-band Wi-Fi (up to 5.8 GHz frequency) and because the older Spetember 2023-issue siblings carried 5.2, we’d expect Bluetooth 5.3 at least at this point.
Will they arrive alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 at Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event – which we’d expect to happen some time in July? It’s impossible to be sure, but right now it certainly looks like it.
