Samsung unveils Galaxy Buds On, its first open-ear clip-on wireless earbuds

A new market entirely

(Credit: Samsung)

• 🆕 Samsung has announced the new Galaxy Buds On

• 👂 It’s the first set of open-ear clip-on wireless buds from Samsung

• 💦 IP54 water resistance and clever tech inside to reduce sound leakage

• 🗜️ They feature a more secure fit than older earbuds

• 🔋 9.5 playback hours on the buds, 38 hours with the case, and powered by Qualcomm’s energy-efficient Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform

• 💰 You’ll be able to buy them from next month at a cost of $229

Samsung has unveiled its first open-ear clip-on wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds On, as it enters a growing market sector currently dominated by Sony and Bose.

The new Samsung buds feature a clip-on design for a more secure fit than some of its older open earbuds, and feature Audio Leakage Reduction tech that Samsung says reduces sound leakage for those around you. To achieve this, Samsung’s tech protects reversed sound waves at the rear of each earbud.

The new buds are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform, which offers longer playback at higher volumes. A high-efficiency Class-D amplifier drives it, intricately designed to optimize power consumption.

Samsung says it has pulled data from over 119 million ear scans to help these new buds fit well across a range of ear shapes and sizes. They’re designed to ensure a low-pressure fit around the ear, making them more comfortable for extended periods than typical earbuds. For fitness fanatics and commuters, an IP54 water-resistance rating is a welcome bonus.

These aren’t technically Samsung’s first open design, as it released the Galaxy Buds Live some years ago, while the newer Galaxy Buds 4 have an open-type, semi-in-ear profile as recent AirPods do.

Samsung has packed in a new high-efficiency Class D amplifier for punchy audio and stronger efficiency – to this end, the 9.5 hours of playback on a single charge is solid, with the charging case upping this to 38 hours.

For calls, the Galaxy Buds On have three mics and a voice pickup in it which detects vibrations – the two elements work together to cut out noise and isolate your voice, plus it incorporates algorithms which have been trained to cancel out ambient sounds such as construction noise and car horns.

Samsung has also included support for gesture controls, so you can nod or shake your head to accept or decline calls, and even dismiss notification readouts.

If you’ve got a Galaxy smartphone, you’ll be able to access Gemini Live, as well as Quick Voice Memo recordings among other things, and the buds will connect to your phone as soon as you open the case.

The Galaxy Buds On will launch in early November 2026 and will be priced at $229.

Up next: Apple responds to iPhone Duo crackgate: ‘we are aware of an issue’

Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.