If you regularly read my reviews, you could be mistaken for thinking we all live in a high-end, premium, flagship world where we only have access to the latest developments in tech and only the most powerful, fastest and long lasting will do.

That's not real for most people, of course. As a reviewer, I get to play with the coolest of the cool toys but if I was shelling out my own hard-earned coin, I'd certainly be prepared to compromise on all sorts of features and addons that aren't what you'd call, "Strictly necessary."

So today, I'll try and go some way to answering the classic question; do you really get what you pay for?

To do that, I paired the almost entry-level Samsung Galaxy A17 handset with the new Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE. At around NZ$229.00, the Buds3 FE are less entry-level than the NZ$399.00 A17 - but both devices are significantly cheaper than their sister flagships.

Of course, in the case of the A17, you can pay THOUSANDS more for the highest of high-end Samsung devices and obviously this particular phone doesn't fold, or come with a stylus inserted into its chassis.

However, it doesn't really look particularly cheap, with its modern, square edges and light-catching back panel. It feels light in the hand and the 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display is certainly a decent size. It'd be pretty unusual to find a Samsung device with a bad screen and this one certainly isn't. It's bright, it's colourful and it's protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus - not the toughest Gorilla available but still pretty tough.

The A17 also carries an IP54 rating which means you'll get away with splashing it although perhaps not dunking it.

The camera setup is a bit hotchpotch - a respectable 13MP selfie-cam paired with a triple-sensor primary shooter on the back; 50MP Wide, 5MP Ultra Wide and 2MP Macro. I guess a 5MP Ultra Wide is better than no Ultra Wide and to be honest, I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the pics and vids I've been shooting. Here's a demo...

The camera also performs fairly well in low light... up to a point.

And here's the main rub with this phone; it's weak. It's run by the same Exynos1330 chip found in last year's A16 and with just 4GB of RAM, the actual operation of taking a pic in low light is hit and miss because of the lag between button press and the shutter actually firing. In fact, I found this was the case when taking most kinds of photos.

This is a frustration that followed through to anything that was even remotely resource-heavy. Apps seem to take an age to load, even native apps like Samsung Health.

So this isn't the phone for me - especially given there's no wireless charging and there's not even a built-in screen recorder.

However, for some users, they're not going to care about that stuff. They just want a durable, reliable phone with good battery life that will keep working after the 3G shutdown. The A17 probably isn't the worst option.

My experience with the Fan Edition Galaxy Buds3 was infinitely more pleasurable.

They're a very similar size and shape to the Buds3 Pro, but without the light-up LED strip along the stem. Samsung often changes up the form-factor for its earbuds but I'd suggest there was a lot of positive feedback to this hybrid sealed-fit/external stem design so they've kept it going here.

As I suggested when I reviewed the Pros, the stem means an extra point of contact which not only leads to a more stable, snug fit but a more balanced, comfortable wear as well.

Alas, unlike the Pro version, the Buds3 FE case only charges via USB-C - not wirelessly. That would usually be a dealbreaker for me except these guys sound rather good.

While I'm not convinced these Buds have quite the dynamic range of the Pros, and I'm certain the ANC isn't quite as effective, there's a lot to love about what I'm hearing.

I tested the Buds3 FE using the new lossless audio option on Spotify and it rocked.

"Wish You Were Gay" by Billie Eilish is already a fantastic track but the production values shine through dramatically when listening on the Buds3 FE. The mix is so stripped back, yet has a lot of elements - from acoustic guitar to crowd sound effects. Each piece of this sonic puzzle has been meticulously placed in the recording and now those pieces are precisely re-placed in my ears.

The gentle L.A.B. ballad, "Monica" also starts with a simple acoustic guitar, accompanied with a lonely cabasa to keep the beat. (Okay, it might be one of those egg-shaped shaker things, but in my mind it's a proper cabasa) Again, the baredboned-ness of this mix is transmitted so accurately by the Buds3 FE. Then, as the song builds and soaring lead guitar and crashing drums come to the party, I can still make out the original components with crystal clarity.

You even get 360 Audio for fully immersive surround sound if you're listening to the right content on the right app.

The pinch and swipe controls mimc those on the Buds3 Pro and the battery life is pretty good too. I love these and if I had to choose between the $229 FEs and the $399 Pros, I'd probably save my money.

So I guess you could say there was a winner and a loser here - the cost-saving compromises were too many on the phone but with the Buds3 FE, the features that have been missed haven't been missed nearly so much.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy A17.

Click here for more information on the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE.