Sony WH-1000XM6 / Samsung Galaxy Buds FE

Sony WH-1000XM6: WH series · Over-ear

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

SpecificationSony WH-1000XM6Samsung Galaxy Buds FE
Release year20252023
Driver30 mm Sony—
Bluetooth5.3 Sony—
Bluetooth profilesA2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; TMAP, GMAP, PBP for LE Audio

About 10 m line-of-sight range; Power Class 1.

Sony		—
CodecSBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 Sony—
Frequency responseWired and on: 4–40,000 Hz; LDAC 96 kHz: 20–40,000 Hz

Over Bluetooth at 44.1 kHz sampling the range is 20–20,000 Hz.

Sony		—
Impedance / sensitivityWired, on: 48 Ω, 103 dB/mW; off: 16 Ω, 102 dB/mW Sony—
Rated battery lifeMusic: up to 30 hours with ANC, 40 hours without ANC Sony—
Rated talk timeUp to 24 hours with ANC, 28 hours without ANC Sony—
ChargingAbout 3.5 hours; 9 V / 2.3 A with a USB Power Delivery adapter

Charge between 5 and 35 °C; use between 0 and 40 °C.

Sony		—
ConnectionsBluetooth; 3.5 mm audio; USB-C charging Sony—
WeightApproximately 254 g Sony—
Gaming audioGMAP support · firmware 3.1.5

Added by the 30 June 2026 update; requires a compatible phone and game.

Sony		—
LE Audio requirementLC3; Low latency mode in Sound Connect

LE Audio is unavailable in the default Prioritize Sound Quality mode.

Sony		—
Water protectionNot waterproof

Not designed for rain or wet use.

Sony		—
Earlier software fix2.1.0: recording/playback in some iPhone apps and missing call audio

21 August 2025 release note; not a fix for every connection issue.

Sony		—
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
Microphones—3 microphones per earbud (2 outer + 1 inner)

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

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
Sensors—Proximity, Hall, touch

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

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