Galaxy Buds On: price, release date and specs

Samsung's first open-ear earbuds are coming to the US. The Galaxy Buds On, a clip-on pair that rests on the outside of your ear instead of sealing inside it, will cost $229 in the US and go on sale in early November. Samsung announced US availability on October 28, a day after the Buds On launched in South Korea.

That price puts the Buds On above the regular Galaxy Buds 4 and only $20 under the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Here is what you get for the money, what is missing, when they arrive in each market and how they compare with other open-ear earbuds.

Galaxy Buds On price

In the US, the Galaxy Buds On cost $229 and come in one colour, black. According to 9to5Google, that makes them Samsung's second most expensive earbuds, behind the $249 Galaxy Buds 4 Pro and ahead of the $179 Galaxy Buds 4.

In South Korea, where they went on sale on October 27, they cost 299,000 won, which Yonhap News Agency put at about $225. Samsung Korea is also giving buyers two 30% discount coupons for Galaxy Buds accessories on Samsung.com, for purchases until November 30.

Samsung has not announced prices for Europe, the UK, India or anywhere else yet.

Galaxy Buds On release date

Samsung's own announcement says the Buds On will be available in the US "beginning early November 2026." 9to5Google reports that pre-orders opened on October 28, and Android Authority says Samsung confirmed to it that sales start on November 6.

Elsewhere, you will have to wait. GSMArena reports that Samsung plans to bring the Buds On to Europe in early 2027, and TechRadar says the European price is still unconfirmed. Samsung has not given dates for India, Australia or other markets. When Samsung announced the Korean launch on October 20, Yonhap reported that the schedule for other markets had not been decided.

What makes the Galaxy Buds On different

Most of Samsung's earbuds, including the Buds 4 Pro, sit inside your ear canal and block outside noise. The Buds On do the opposite. A curved band clips around the edge of your ear and holds a small speaker just outside the ear canal, so you keep hearing traffic, people talking and other sounds around you. Samsung suggests using in-ear buds such as the Buds 4 Pro when you want to focus, and the Buds On for times like outdoor runs.

Samsung says it used more than 119 million "ear data points", plus AI-assisted optimisation and physics simulations, to shape the earbuds for many ear shapes. It says computer modelling helped place the speaker and battery so the fit puts little pressure on the ear. Samsung's hands-on story adds that you can adjust the band's angle to fit your ear. There is only one size, according to Android Authority.

Each earbud weighs 6.65g and measures 21.4 x 24.2 x 27.1mm. The charging case weighs 41g and is 51 x 51 x 28.3mm. You control the earbuds by tapping them.

Sound, leakage and calls

Samsung calls the driver a TwinBoost Speaker and lists it at 11.3mm. It runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform with a Class-D amplifier that Samsung says is designed to save power at high volume. Samsung also says the bass is stronger than on earlier Galaxy Buds models. The volume can adjust itself automatically based on the noise around you.

The usual problem with open-ear earbuds is that people near you can hear your music. Samsung's answer is Audio Leakage Reduction, which plays reversed sound waves from the back of the speaker to cancel some of the sound before it escapes. Android Authority says the feature is always on and, according to Samsung, does not use extra battery. Samsung still warns that some sound may leak depending on the volume, your ear shape and how quiet the room is.

For calls, Samsung uses three microphones and a Voice Pickup Unit, a vibration sensor that detects when you are speaking through bone and skin movement. A machine learning system trained on sounds such as car horns and construction is meant to remove background noise. Samsung calls the combination Intelligent Clear Call.

Gemini, voice memos and head gestures

The Buds On work hands-free with Google's Gemini Live 4. Saying "Hey Google, let's talk live" starts a conversation, though Samsung's hands-on story says this needs a Galaxy AI-enabled phone. You can also say "Next song" or "Volume up" to control music without touching the earbuds.

Quick Voice Memo records a note when you press and hold an earbud and start speaking, and Bixby can later search those recordings for you. Samsung's fine print says this needs a Galaxy AI device with the Samsung Voice Recorder and Bixby apps, and the press-and-hold gesture has to be set up in Settings. Head Gestures let you nod to answer a call or shake your head to decline it, and also work for dismissing alarms and reading out notifications.

Setup is quick on Galaxy phones. Samsung says you do not need the Galaxy Wearable app: open the case to pair, then change volume and EQ from a Buds shortcut in the Quick Panel.

Battery life and full specs

Samsung rates the Buds On at up to 9.5 hours of music per charge, or up to 38 hours in total with the case. For calls, the figures are up to 5.5 hours and 25 hours. Each earbud has a 61mAh battery and the case has 530mAh. Android Authority says the case supports wireless charging; Samsung has not said how fast it charges.

Here are the main specifications from Samsung's spec sheet:

Bluetooth 6.2, with support for Samsung's Seamless Codec (SSC), SSC UHQ, AAC, SBC and LC3. Sensors include the Voice Pickup Unit, touch, infrared, accelerometer, gyroscope and a Hall sensor. The earbuds are IP54 rated for dust and splashes; the case is not water resistant, and Samsung says they are not for the beach or pool. They need Android 12 or later with more than 1.5GB of memory, and some features may not work on phones that are not made by Samsung. Samsung's materials do not mention iPhone support.

What the Galaxy Buds On don't have

Because they leave your ear open, the Buds On have no active noise cancellation. Android Authority also points out that they lack Bluetooth multipoint, so they cannot stay connected to two devices at once, and that they come in a single size and a single colour. Several of the smartest features, including hands-free Gemini Live and Quick Voice Memo, depend on having a recent Galaxy phone.

Galaxy Buds On vs other open-ear earbuds

Open-ear earbuds are often cheaper than in-ear models, which is why the price stands out. TechRadar lists only two current open-ear pairs that cost more: the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen) at $299 and the Shokz OpenFit Pro at $249.95. The Sony LinkBuds Clip are the same $229. Cheaper rivals include the Shokz OpenDots 2 at $199 and the Soundcore AeroClip 2 at $169, according to TechRadar.

Samsung's case is tight integration with Galaxy phones: one-step pairing, Gemini Live by voice, Bixby voice memos, head gestures and its own SSC codecs. If you do not use a Galaxy phone, a cheaper open-ear pair may make more sense. Reviews will show whether the leakage reduction and call quality justify the higher price.

Will the Galaxy Buds On come to India?

Samsung has not said. The Buds On are on sale in South Korea, coming to the US in early November and planned for Europe in early 2027, according to GSMArena. There is no India price or date yet, and any conversion of the US or Korean price would only be a rough guide, since Samsung's Indian prices usually differ. We will update this story if Samsung India announces them.

The bottom line

The Galaxy Buds On are Samsung's first try at open-ear earbuds, with a clip-on design, leakage reduction, three-mic calls and deep Galaxy AI features. They are on sale in Korea now and arrive in the US in early November for $229, with Europe to follow in early 2027.

They are not cheap for this kind of earbud, and they skip noise cancellation and multipoint. They make the most sense for Galaxy phone owners who want to hear their surroundings on runs, commutes or at work. Everyone else may want to wait for reviews or a price drop.