Samsung's Galaxy Buds On open-ear earbuds go on sale in the US in early November for $229

Samsung Electronics America said on October 28, 2026, that Galaxy Buds On, its open-ear earbuds, will go on sale in the US in early November in black for $229. Instead of sitting in the ear canal, the earbuds clip onto the ear on a band, a design Samsung says keeps wearers connected to the people and sounds around them. Samsung pitches them for hands-free uses such as outdoor running, and points buyers who want noise cancellation to its in-ear Galaxy Buds4 Pro.

What Samsung has announced

Each earbud weighs 6.65 g. Samsung rates them for up to 9.5 hours of music per charge, or up to 38 hours in total with the charging case, and up to 5.5 hours of talk time per charge, or 25 hours with the case. Those figures come from Samsung's internal tests of pre-production units paired with a recent Galaxy phone at default settings.

The earbuds are rated IP54, which Samsung describes as dust resistant and tested against fresh-water splashes from any direction for up to five minutes. The rating covers the earbuds only: the case is not water resistant, and Samsung advises against beach or pool use. To limit how much sound escapes, Samsung says a feature it calls Audio Leakage Reduction projects reversed sound waves from the rear of the speaker.

Compatibility is the first thing to check. Samsung lists Android 12 or higher with more than 1.5 GB of memory, says some features may not be available on non-Samsung devices, and does not mention iPhones. Some features also depend on the phone's software: head gestures, such as nodding to accept a call, need One UI 8.5 or later, and automatic volume adjustment is an experimental Labs feature.

How they compare

The table sets Galaxy Buds On against Samsung's in-ear Galaxy Buds4 Pro, announced in February at $249 and listed at $249.99 on Samsung's US store on October 29, and Bose's open-ear Ultra Open Earbuds (2nd Gen), using each maker's published US price and specifications.

On price, Buds On sits $70 below Bose's second-generation open-ear model and $20.99 below the Buds4 Pro's Samsung.com price. Bose measures its battery figure at a loudness of 75 dBA, and says playback falls to up to 5 hours with either its Immersive Audio or Auto Volume feature switched on. Bose lists compatibility with any Bluetooth-enabled phone, tablet or computer, and a one-year limited warranty. Samsung's announcement does not state a warranty term.

The LE Audio detail on the spec sheet

Samsung lists Bluetooth 6.2 and, among the codecs, LC3. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), which manages the standard, says LC3 support is mandatory for every LE Audio product. The spec sheet also lists two LE Audio profiles, PBP and TMAP. According to the Bluetooth SIG, Auracast broadcast audio, which lets compatible earbuds, headphones and hearing aids receive audio broadcast in places such as airports, theaters and stadiums, is a set of configurations specified within PBP, the Public Broadcast Profile.

Samsung's Buds On announcement does not use the Auracast name, although its February 2026 specifications for the Galaxy Buds4 series did. Samsung's US product page for Buds On does: its comparison table lists Auracast among the audio features of Buds On, as it does for the Buds4 Pro and Buds4. Our guide to LE Audio and Auracast explains why both ends of the connection have to support it.

Support on the receiving side is growing. On October 22, 2026, the Bluetooth SIG said that all five of the largest hearing aid makers, Sonova, Demant, GN, WS Audiology and Starkey, which together account for about 90% of the global market, now offer hearing aids that support Auracast.

Before you buy

• iPhone owners: Samsung lists Android 12 or later only, so check which features, if any, work with iOS before you pay.
• Open-ear designs let some sound out. Both makers describe leakage-reduction designs, but neither gives a leakage measurement on the pages we read. Bose says people nearby may notice sound at maximum volume in a very quiet setting.
• Check the retailer's return window, since Samsung's announcement gives no warranty term for Buds On.