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The unannounced Galaxy Buds 3 FE are hiding in plain sight on an official Samsung website

Samsung's highly anticipated new low-cost earbuds have popped up out of nowhere in Panama (of all places), costing $129.

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Aug 06, 2025, 10:54 AM

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Official Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE promotional image

If you were expecting Samsung to unveil its next pair of low-cost earbuds with a lot of pomp this fall (especially after that super-encouraging battery capacity leak from yesterday), you will probably be disappointed to see the Galaxy Buds 3 FE listed on the company's official Panamanian website out of nowhere today.

It's unclear if this happened by error or not, but at least for the time being, the tech giant's hardcore fans in the small Central American country can apparently order the OG Galaxy Buds FE's sequel in exchange for $129 and hope to receive the new noise-cancelling earbuds as early as Friday, August 8.

Of course, it would be pretty weird to spend your hard-earned money before Samsung details all the features and capabilities of the Galaxy Buds 3 FE. The only things I can guarantee you'll receive for your 129 bucks are active noise cancellation, up to 30 hours of battery life, and a strikingly similar design to the high-end Galaxy Buds 3 Pro.

Would you buy the Galaxy Buds 3 FE?

As soon as they come out Probably not at $129 Not until Samsung details all the features and capabilities Not at any price

That battery endurance rating, mind you, is not any different from what the first-gen Galaxy Buds FE or the non-Pro Galaxy Buds 3 are technically capable of, so those rumors of massively improved battery capacity may have been greatly exaggerated.

Now, while this totally low-key launch might feel uncharacteristic for Samsung, it actually resembles what the company (inexplicably) did with the ultra-affordable Galaxy Buds Core back in June. So, yes, there's a good chance this Galaxy Buds 3 FE listing was in fact intentional, although I still don't understand why Samsung isn't at least trying to build more buzz around some otherwise very promising products.

Hopefully, the Galaxy Buds 3 FE will expand from Panama to other markets before long, and hopefully, its US price point will sit a little lower than $129. The original Galaxy Buds Fan Edition, remember, was released in the fall of 2023 at $99.99, scoring many substantial discounts in recent months that allowed it to shine brighter than the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro for many buyers.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.

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