Samsung Galaxy Buds On Go Official: Clip-On Open-Ear Earbuds With a 9.5-Hour Battery, Korea Launch October 27

Key Takeaways

• The Galaxy Buds On are Samsung's first clip-on, open-ear Galaxy Buds, worn around the ear instead of sealed inside the ear canal.
• They run up to 9.5 hours of music on a charge and launch in South Korea on October 27 at KRW 299,000 (around ₱13,900).
• Features include Gemini Live voice AI, head gestures for calls and alarms, and a three-microphone call system with a bone-conduction sensor.
• Samsung says a phased global rollout will follow, with no Philippine date or price announced yet.

Samsung has quietly added a fourth kind of Galaxy Buds to its lineup. The Galaxy Buds On, announced October 1 without a launch event, are the company's first open-ear earbuds — a clip-style design that answers one of the fastest-growing categories in personal audio.

A clip-on design instead of in-ear

Instead of sealing the ear canal, each bud clips around the outer ear and positions its driver toward the canal while letting ambient sound through — a design aimed at people who find in-ear tips uncomfortable or who want to stay aware of their surroundings. 9to5Google reports that Samsung analyzed different ear shapes and engineered "an ergonomic design with a larger contact area to distribute pressure more evenly," tuning the elasticity of the flexible band so the buds stay put during movement.

Open-ear designs trade isolation for awareness: because nothing seals the ear canal, you can hear traffic, announcements and conversations around you — useful for commuting or office use — but the designs normally leak sound to people nearby and lose bass response. Samsung's answer is a TwinBoost speaker system for low-frequency output, an Audio Leakage Reduction feature, and automatic volume adjustment that reacts to surrounding noise, all running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform with a high-efficiency Class-D amplifier, according to Android Authority.

Sound, calls, and AI features

For calls, the Buds On combine three microphones with a bone-conduction Voice Pickup Unit — a sensor that reads the vibrations of your own speech — and machine learning that separates your voice from background noise. Controls are handled by a light touch on the back half of each bud.

The AI layer is familiar from Samsung's recent earbuds: Gemini Live conversations triggered hands-free, Quick Voice Memo recording with a long press, and Head Gestures that let you nod to answer a call, shake your head to decline, or dismiss alarms without touching your phone.

Battery life is rated at up to 9.5 hours of continuous music playback per charge — notably long for the category, where the open design leaves more room for battery than a tiny in-ear shell — and the buds ship with a charging case that mirrors the Galaxy Buds 4 design. The launch color is Black, with Samsung saying nothing yet about further colorways.

Price and release date

The Galaxy Buds On go on sale in South Korea on October 27 for KRW 299,000 — about ₱13,900 at current rates. Samsung says availability will expand to other markets in phases but has not published dates or regional pricing.

When could the Philippines get them?

There is no Philippine launch date or price yet. For reference, Samsung priced the in-ear Galaxy Buds 4 at ₱11,490 and the Buds 4 Pro at ₱14,990 locally, so a Korea price of around ₱13,900 would slot the Buds On between the two if Samsung keeps its usual conversion. The local open-ear field is still thin — premium audio brands have focused on in-ear flagships like the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro that landed at ₱25,490 — so Samsung's retail reach could make the Buds On the first clip-on earbuds many Filipino buyers actually try in a store. Until Samsung Philippines says otherwise, treat any local listing as unofficial.