Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE (SM-R420) / Sony WH-CH720N

Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE (SM-R420): Galaxy Buds3 FE, SM-R420 (2025); Black and Gray. Sealed in-ear design with silicone tips. The tipless semi-open Galaxy Buds3, the Buds3 Pro and the original 2023 Galaxy Buds FE are separate models.

Sony WH-CH720N: WH-CH720N closed over-ear wireless headphones; black, white, blue and pink. The WH-CH710N (previous generation), WH-CH520 (no ANC) and the WH-1000X series are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Buds3 FE (SM-R420)Sony WH-CH720N
Release year20252023
Design and fitSealed in-ear design, silicone tips (three sizes), stem body; earbud 18.0 × 21.1 × 33.8 mm, 5 g (with M tip); case 58.9 × 48.7 × 24.4 mm, 41.8 g

Silicone tips seal the ear canal, blocking outside sound passively and helping bass sound fuller; if the tip does not seal, noise cancelling and bass both weaken.

Samsung		—
Driver and microphones1-way dynamic driver; 3 microphones per earbud Samsung—
Noise controlActive noise cancelling (ANC) and ambient sound

ANC uses microphones to detect outside sound and plays inverted sound to reduce steady noise such as engines and hum. Ambient sound lets you hear your surroundings without removing the earbuds. Adaptive ANC that adjusts to the environment is not listed for this model.

Samsung		—
Connectivity and codecsBluetooth 5.4, Auto Switch; SSC (Samsung Seamless Codec), AAC, SBC

SSC is Samsung’s own codec for higher-quality audio with Galaxy devices; other phones use AAC or SBC. Auto Switch moves the connection automatically between Galaxy devices on the same account.

Samsung		—
BatteryEarbud 53 mAh, case 515 mAh (typical); music: 6 h / 24 h total with ANC on, 8.5 h / 30 h total with ANC off; talk: 4 h / 18 h total

Samsung’s times come from internal tests with pre-production units and default settings; rated capacity is 50 mAh per earbud and 500 mAh for the case. Real runtime depends on volume, codec and battery age.

Samsung		Music up to 35 hours with NC on, 50 hours off; calls up to 35 hours NC on, 40 hours off; about 3.5 hours to charge over USB Sony
Sensors and controlsProximity, Hall, touch and pressure sensors; pinch/swipe controls on the stem Samsung—
Water resistanceIP54 (earbuds only)

IP54 means limited dust protection and resistance to splashing water from any direction; it is not suitable for submersion. The charging case is not protected.

Samsung		—
CompatibilityAndroid 11 or later with more than 1.5 GB of RAM

Samsung notes some features may be unavailable on non-Samsung devices. Equaliser, ANC settings and AI features are managed in the Galaxy Wearable app or One UI settings.

Samsung		—
Noise cancelling—Active noise cancelling with Integrated Processor V1 and Dual Noise Sensor; Ambient Sound mode

Microphones inside and outside each cup sample noise to generate an inverse signal; Ambient Sound mode lets you hear surroundings without removing the headphones.

Sony
Driver and frequency—30 mm dynamic driver; 7–20,000 Hz (JEITA); 20–20,000 Hz over Bluetooth (44.1 kHz) Sony
Bluetooth and codecs—Bluetooth 5.2; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; SBC and AAC; about 10 m range

AAC works well as the default codec on iPhones; no high-bitrate codec is listed.

Sony
Multipoint—Connection to two Bluetooth devices at the same time

For example, you can switch between a phone and a laptop without re-pairing.

Sony
Wired use—Detachable cable of about 1.2 m with gold-plated L-shaped 3.5 mm plug; passive operation

When the battery runs out you can keep listening passively over the cable.

Sony
Microphone and processing—Precise Voice Pickup beamforming mic; wind noise reduction structure; DSEE

DSEE tries to restore high frequencies lost in compressed music files.

Sony
Impedance and sensitivity—NC on 325 Ω / off 31 Ω (1 kHz); NC on 108 dB/mW / off 99 dB/mW Sony
Weight—About 192 g Sony