Samsung Galaxy Buds On Go on Sale Next Week in Korea

Samsung Electronics held a media briefing in Seoul's Jung-gu district on October 20 to walk through the development of the Samsung Galaxy Buds On, the company's first clip-style wireless earbuds, which go on sale in South Korea on October 27 in a single black finish at 299,000 won, about $220. First shown early this month, the new model is the first entry in the Galaxy Buds line to use a clip-on form factor, and Seoul Economic Daily reports the company expects it to reach other markets after the Korean debut.

Designed to stay put while the ears stay open

Unlike conventional in-ear models that plug the ear canal, the Samsung Galaxy Buds On hook onto the outer ear so the canal remains unobstructed. Listeners can hear car horns or nearby voices while music plays, which Samsung is positioning for workouts and outdoor use where situational awareness matters. Nam Hyun-jung of Samsung's wearable product planning group said more listeners want to enjoy content through the day without sealing off the sounds around them.

To hold the clip securely, Samsung analyzed data from more than a hundred nineteen million ear-shape measurements across ages and ethnicities using four-dimensional simulation, then used the results to decide where to place the speaker and battery. The band is made from a shape-memory alloy that flexes to the contours of the ear, and a wider contact area spreads pressure instead of concentrating it at one point, which the company says helps the earbuds stay put during intense movement and long wear.

TwinBoost speakers tackle the open-ear weak spot

Open-ear designs have a known tradeoff: without a seal, bass thins out and sound escapes into the room. Samsung addressed the bass side with a TwinBoost speaker built around two woofers, plus automatic volume adjustment that responds to ambient noise. For leakage, Samsung applied an Audio Leakage Reduction technology to the Samsung Galaxy Buds On it describes as a first for the Galaxy Buds series. Call quality gets three microphones and a bone-conduction vibration sensor that separates the wearer's voice from background noise.

Chips, battery and hands-free AI

The earbuds run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 sound platform with a Class-D amplifier, connect over Bluetooth 6.2, and are rated for up to 9.5 hours of continuous music playback per charge. Touch controls sit on the back of each bud.

Galaxy AI features fill out the spec sheet. With a compatible Galaxy smartphone, Samsung Galaxy Buds On owners can use Gemini Live hands-free, record Quick Voice Memos by pressing and holding the touch area and later search those recordings through Bixby, and answer or reject calls, dismiss alarms, or check notifications with simple head movements. Touch controls and the voice-memo function work from the buds themselves; the head gestures arrive through the Galaxy pairing.

Arriving as the open-ear category accelerates

The timing is deliberate. Market research firm Omdia reported that open-ear earbud sales grew by twelve percent in the year to the second quarter of 2026 even as the overall wireless-earbud market declined by two percent, and clip-on designs accounted for sixty-one percent of open-ear sales, according to Android Central. Samsung joins a field that already includes Bose, Sony, Anker and Nothing, with Shokz the best-known specialist in clip-style wearables.

For now the Samsung Galaxy Buds On are a Korea-first launch in black, with global timing still to be announced. Some retailers' listings suggest a white version could follow later, though Samsung has not confirmed one. Interested buyers outside Korea will have to wait for the company to name additional markets when Korean sales begin.

The model number tells its own story about how Samsung views the device. Regulatory filings assign the Samsung Galaxy Buds On the designation SM-U600, breaking from the SM-R prefix used by every earlier Galaxy Buds model, which watchers read as a sign that Samsung treats clip-on audio as a separate product category rather than a successor to an existing line.

Sources: Seoul Economic Daily, iTech Post, Android Central via RealHacker News, Hypebeast