Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds On keep your ears open to the world
Samsung has introduced the Galaxy Buds On, its first clip-on wireless earbuds in the Galaxy Buds range. Unveiled alongside the US launch of the Galaxy Tab S12 series and SmartTag 3, they offer an alternative to earbuds that sit inside the ear canal: the Buds On clip around the ear, leaving it open to surrounding sounds.
Designed for open-ear listening
The clip-on shape is intended to let wearers hear their surroundings while listening to music or taking calls. Samsung says it studied a range of ear shapes to position the speakers and battery, and designed a larger contact area to spread pressure more evenly. The band’s flexibility is also tuned to help the earbuds stay in place during movement.
Users can control music playback and calls with a light tap on the back of an earbud. For sound, the Buds On use what Samsung calls TwinBoost speakers, designed to strengthen bass. Automatic volume control adjusts playback to the surrounding environment, while Audio Leakage Reduction aims to limit how much sound other people can hear. Those are manufacturer claims; their effectiveness will depend on real-world use.
Audio hardware and call features
The Galaxy Buds On use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform and a Class-D amplifier. Samsung claims up to 9.5 hours of continuous music playback on a single charge.
For calls, each earbud setup combines three microphones, a bone-conduction-based Voice Pickup Unit and machine learning. Samsung calls the system Intelligent Clear Call and says it helps isolate the wearer’s voice from background noise.
Hands-free AI and voice memos
When paired with a compatible Galaxy phone or tablet, the Buds On support several connected features. Wearers can say, “Hey Google, let’s talk live,” to start a hands-free Gemini Live conversation.
A long press on an earbud can also launch Quick Voice Memo, allowing users to start recording without taking out their phone. Recordings can later be searched with Bixby. This feature requires a Galaxy AI-compatible device, Samsung’s Voice Recorder and Bixby apps, and a separately configured long-press shortcut.
