Samsung announced the Galaxy Buds On this week, its first clip-on earbuds, with sales starting October 27 in South Korea and other countries to follow "in phases," according to SamMobile's report. No other country or date has been given. If you already own Galaxy Buds, this is not a replacement for them: it is a different kind of product, and several details people ask about first are not in the announcement.
What was announced
The Buds On clip around the ear and leave the ear canal open, instead of sealing it. Reports of Samsung's announcement list TwinBoost speakers for bass, an "Audio Leakage Reduction" feature meant to keep sound from escaping in quiet places, three microphones plus a bone-conduction sensor for calls, and up to 9.5 hours of playback on one charge. That battery figure is Samsung's own claim, and it does not say how much of it holds up with the case or at higher volume. The chip is a Qualcomm Snapdragon S7 Gen 1, per Android Authority's coverage and SamMobile.
On the software side, Samsung lists Gemini Live voice conversations, a Quick Voice Memo with Bixby search, and head gestures, such as a nod to answer a call. Android Authority notes that the Galaxy AI features need a compatible Samsung phone or tablet.
What is not stated
Neither report found a statement on active noise cancellation, a water or dust rating, or whether the buds work with an iPhone. Those absences matter. A design that leaves the ear canal open does not isolate you from outside noise the way a sealed earbud does, so it would be reasonable to assume no isolation, but that is an inference from the design, not something Samsung has said. Codec support is also not listed in the coverage I read, and I could not find a Samsung page to check it against.
Another thing to hold lightly: the head gestures, Gemini Live and the voice memo are described as features for Galaxy devices. What an owner of a different Android phone gets is not clear from the announcement.
What it means if you own earbuds already
Open-ear buds solve a different problem than the ones in your drawer. They suit people who want to hear traffic or a colleague while wearing them, and who accept that they will not block a train or a plane. If you wear sealed buds for commuting, these are not a swap, and the noise-cancelling question in what Apple changed in the AirPods 5 is a different one from the one this product answers.
Nothing here changes what your current Galaxy Buds do. No update was announced for older models, and the head gestures are listed as a feature of this new hardware, not of a software release for old ones. If a newer Galaxy phone is what you are weighing instead, when your Galaxy gets One UI 9 is the question that decides what your phone can do with accessories like this.
The Buds On are a first for Samsung and a niche for most owners: worth knowing about, with no action needed unless open-ear is what you were looking for. The part to wait on is Samsung's own product page for your country, because ANC, water rating and non-Samsung phone support are the three things this announcement left out. For how another brand handles the codec and connection side, see Sennheiser's Bluetooth 6.0 earbuds.
Last updated October 2, 2026