Samsung has long been suspected of having a pair of open earbuds lurking in its development studio. The folks at Android Headlines have revealed them to be the Galaxy Buds On, the South Korean company’s upcoming clip-on headphones.
The major change is in the name. Previously, the rumoured headphones were called the Galaxy Able earbuds. Now, it seems, it’s just On. Galaxy On, of course. That, plus a couple of highly detailed images of the hardware, gives us a better idea of what’s coming.
Buds On the way
Most of what is physically known about these new headphones is based on the visuals Android Authority has laid its hands on. The clip-on nature of the buds is apparent, as is their orientation. The larger section inserts (more or less) into the wearer’s ear. A companion image shows some idea of the fit. Unlike most buds, these won’t block up your ear canal completely.
The design should hold them securely in place, with further rumours speaking of head-based gestures — nods and so on — making an appearance. There’s an obvious microphone port. With Samsung, there’s probably more than one, while open-ear air conduction is a feature of these. It’s a little like bone conduction, only it uses air pressure to transmit down your ear canals. So… the big feature is just… listening, then?
Odds are it’s more advanced than that. Automatic volume adjustment rumours further support the multiple mics idea, while Samsung’s Galaxy Buds On are also supposed to have AI-based voice assistant functions. That could work well with the open design, since wearers will want to hear a) the person they’re speaking to and b) the AI giving them the answers they need for a decent reply.
What’s missing is a launch date. That hasn’t changed much since July this year, but Samsung is supposedly launching its tablets early in October. That would be a good opportunity for the company to unveil these as well.
