Samsung brings Galaxy Buds On to the US as clip-on open-ear earbuds

Samsung Electronics America said on Oct. 28 that Galaxy Buds On are coming to the US. In its words, they are "open-ear earbuds designed for clear audio and intuitive AI experiences." Samsung's release gives the price and timing in one sentence: "Galaxy Buds On will be available in Black for $229 in the U.S. beginning early November 2026."

That is all Samsung says about availability. The release names no specific day, no other colors and no retailer beyond a pointer to www.samsung.com/galaxy-buds/. It also covers only the US, so prices elsewhere are unknown.

What a clip-on open-ear design means

Samsung describes "a clip-on design with a band crafted to balance a secure fit and comfortable wear throughout daily routines." As our guide to open-ear audio explains, in-ear earbuds seal the ear canal and open-ear speakers don't, which leaves your ears open to the room. Engadget calls Buds On Samsung's first clip-on, open-ear wireless earbuds. Samsung's release doesn't use the word "first."

Samsung says it drew on "more than 119 million ear data points" and used AI-assisted optimizations and physics simulations to fit a range of ear shapes. It also says computational modeling of the speaker and battery geometry was meant to create a low-pressure fit around the ear.

The trade-off against in-ear earbuds is one Samsung states itself. For "deep focus and noise cancellation," it points to traditional in-ear earbuds like Galaxy Buds4 Pro, and says to "then switch to Galaxy Buds On for situations that demand hands-free convenience, like outdoor running." Engadget likewise says Buds On don't pack high-level noise cancellation like the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Samsung's release doesn't name a transparency or ambient-sound mode.

Open designs raise a second question: how much sound escapes to people nearby. Samsung's Audio Leakage Reduction feature works by "projecting reversed sound waves from the rear of the speaker" to keep audio more private. Samsung gives no distance or decibel figure. That open-ear guide notes that none of the companies it covers publishes one either.

Specs Samsung lists

• Weight: 6.65 g per earbud and 41.0 g for the charging case.
• Battery: up to 9.5 hours of playback on the earbuds and up to 38 hours with the case. For calls, up to 5.5 hours on the earbuds and up to 25 hours with the case. Samsung's footnote says the figures come from internal testing with pre-production earbuds and that actual battery life will vary.
• Water resistance: IP54 for the earbuds only, meaning dust resistant and tested against fresh water splashes from any direction for up to five minutes. The case isn't water resistant, and Samsung doesn't advise using the earbuds at the beach or pool.
• Sound: an 11.3 mm TwinBoost Speaker, a Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform and a Class-D amplifier. Automatic volume adjustment based on surrounding noise is a Labs feature, turned on under Advanced features > Labs > Auto Volume, and needs One UI 8.5 or above.
• Calls: three microphones and a Voice Pickup Unit that detects speech from bone and skin movement.
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 6.2 with the SSC, SSC UHQ, AAC, SBC and LC3 codecs.

Features that depend on your phone

Samsung lists Android 12 or higher with more than 1.5GB of memory, and says some features may not be available on non-Samsung devices. Alarm dismissal and notification reading need One UI 9.0 or above. Head gestures, nodding to accept a call and shaking to decline, are off by default. Hands-free Gemini Live by voice needs a Google Gemini account and is limited to users 18 and older.

Setup is described two ways on Samsung's page. The body says "There's no need to install the Galaxy Wearable app," and opening the cradle connects the buds to a phone or tablet. A footnote says initial setup happens "via settings or Samsung Wear app on a compatible Galaxy device." Check which applies to your phone before you buy.

What Samsung hasn't said

• Whether Galaxy Buds On work with an iPhone. Samsung lists only Android.
• Whether they work with Windows PCs or other non-Android devices.
• The exact day in early November, other colors and which retailers will carry them.
• Prices and availability outside the US.
• Hearing or volume guidance, and any warranty, return policy or bundle.
• Independent results for sound quality, leakage or call quality.

Buds On are a separate October launch. Samsung's recap of its July Unpacked, covered in our guide to that event's wearables, listed no Galaxy Buds. This article is based on Samsung's US newsroom release and Engadget's report, not on our own use of the earbuds.