Samsung Galaxy Buds FE / Apple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020)

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

Apple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020): AirPods Max 1, the first version with a Lightning charging port (2020); Silver, Space Grey, Sky Blue, Pink and Green. The 2024 USB‑C version and AirPods Max 2 are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Buds FEApple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020)
Release year20232020
Driver and sound1-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 cancellationActive 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		—
Microphones3 microphones per earbud (2 outer + 1 inner)

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

Samsung		Nine microphones in total: eight for noise cancellation; three for voice pickup (two shared with noise cancellation) Apple
BatteryEarbud 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		Up to 20 hours of listening with Active Noise Cancellation or Transparency on; up to 20 hours of movies with Spatial Audio on; 5 minutes of charge gives about 1.5 hours of listening

Apple’s figures come from pre-production tests with an iPhone 12 Pro Max in November 2020.

Apple
ConnectivityBluetooth 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		Bluetooth 5.0 Apple
Fit3 sizes of ear tips and 2 sizes of wingtips

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

Samsung		—
SensorsProximity, Hall, touch

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

Samsung		Optical, position and case-detect sensors plus an accelerometer in each cup; gyroscope in the left cup

The position and optical sensors detect when the headphones are put on or taken off to pause and resume playback.

Apple
CompatibilityAndroid 8.0 or later with more than 1.5 GB of RAM

Some features do not work on non-Samsung devices.

Samsung		Apple devices running the latest iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS or tvOS

They work as Bluetooth headphones with Apple devices on older software and with non-Apple devices, but functionality is limited.

Apple
Size and weightEarbud 17.1 × 19.2 × 22.2 mm, 5.6 g; case 50.0 × 27.7 × 50.0 mm, 40.0 g Samsung187.3 × 168.6 × 83.4 mm; 384.8 g with cushions; Smart Case 134.5 g Apple
Audio technology—Apple-designed dynamic driver; Active Noise Cancellation; Transparency mode; Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ

A Personalised Spatial Audio profile is created with an iPhone that has a TrueDepth camera; the feature needs compatible content and apps.

Apple
Chip—Apple H1 headphone chip in each ear cup Apple
Controls—Digital Crown (volume, play/pause, calls, track skip, Siri) and noise control button

Turning the Digital Crown changes the volume; the noise control button switches between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode.

Apple
Charging and case—Charging via Lightning; the battery enters an ultra-low-power state in the Smart Case

The box contains the headphones, the Smart Case and a Lightning to USB‑C cable. There is no separate power button; the Smart Case handles power saving.

Apple