Samsung Galaxy Buds open-ear design has leaked again, this time in the clearest images yet, suggesting the company is closing in on launch. Unlike previous leaks that used icons to imply the design concept, the new images show real devices and suggest that Samsung has already been working on them for a while. The company may finally release products related to the Galaxy Buds name beyond the regular Galaxy Buds series.
What the New Leak Shows
Instead of fitting inside the ear canal, this new design has a clip on the back that goes over the top of the ear and holds it in place. This way, the earbuds frame around your ears and allow you to hear sound from outside, unlike conventional Galaxy Buds. Some sources report seeing a green or gray color accent on the earbud, while it is not clear if this detail serves a purpose (as a blinking light) or is purely decorative.
Meanwhile, the charging case looks similar to the one that comes with the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. This is the first leak that actually shows the general shape of the earbud, as opposed to abstract icons indicating certain design elements. This leak shows more technical detail than the rumors about the Galaxy Buds Able that surfaced last year.
How This Leak Compares to Earlier Ones
This is not the first time that Samsung has been rumored to release earphones with an entirely different design than the Galaxy Buds. In fact, this particular project has been circulating online for more than a year. In the spring, a firmware icon that was found in the code of One UI revealed a rough image of some sort of clip-style earbud. This icon showed some technical details, such as two dome-shaped structures on either end of the earbud, and a tiny grille that could have housed a microphone. Some reports at the time suggested that Samsung was developing some sort of bone conduction earphones, while the Galaxy Buds Able codename implied regular drivers.
As it turns out, Samsung is not planning to develop bone conduction earphones, because a report from local Korean media last week suggested otherwise. That source stated that Samsung had been working on “clip-type” open-ear buds, rather than bone conduction headphones, and that Xiaomi had been working on something similar, which would explain why their Xiaomi Clip earbuds use regular 11 mm drivers and feature AI noise-canceling tech. Xiaomi’s clip-style earbuds have already been released in China and officially offer 38 hours of battery life with the charging case, but it is not clear how Samsung’s hypothetical product would compare to the Xiaomi Clip.
A Second, Different Design May Also Be Coming
Meanwhile, another design leak that also came from Samsung’s internal software suggests that the company is also working on another pair of earphones that use a slightly different concept. These hypothetical earphones bear the internal codename “Buds Canal 5” and use standard earbud earpieces that fit inside the ear canal, but also have a hook that goes over the top of the ear, similar to athletic earbuds. This design has been popular among sports earbud users who want a secure fit during workouts, but it is unclear what Samsung’s intended customer base would be for Canal 5. It is also unclear if Canal 5 earbuds and the hypothetical open-ear earbuds would share the same release window, or if only one concept will actually see the light of day.
Why the Open-Ear Design Matters
Open-ear, clip-style earbuds have been one of the rising formats of the past two years. Companies such as Bose, Anker (Soundcore), Huawei, Sony, and Motorola have all released open-ear, clip-style earbuds, primarily aimed at fitness enthusiasts, office workers looking for a more comfortable alternative to standard earbuds, and others who find regular earbuds uncomfortable when worn for a long time. Reviews of competing open-ear earbuds have noted that they allow for more comfort after several hours of wear than standard earbuds, because they do not put pressure on the ear canal. Thus, Samsung’s entry into the market, if any, would position the company to compete with several established firms at once rather than only Apple’s AirPods.
What Samsung Might Call It
The naming of Samsung’s hypothetical product has also been inconsistent between reports. While the Galaxy Buds Able name was used in leaks dating back to at least last year, a more recent report suggests that Samsung’s new product would not use the word “Able” at all. Some recent leaks suggest that Samsung could name the product “Galaxy Buds On”, but it is unclear if this is actually the case.
When Could They Launch?
Samsung did not mention anything about new Galaxy Buds earbuds at its Galaxy Unpacked event, which is understandable given that most of its attention was on its Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip devices. This has led to speculation that Samsung would instead save the earbuds for IFA 2026, the large consumer electronics trade fair in Berlin, where the company often unveils products that do not fit in with the launch cadence of smartphones or other flagship devices.
What We Still Don’t Know
Still, there are several factors that have not been disclosed. It is currently unknown what the price, battery life, and driver size of these earbuds would be, as well as what specific features they would offer. Some rumors suggest that these earbuds would support Samsung’s new Galaxy ecosystem features such as the Auracast broadcast or 360 Audio spatial sound technologies, but others suggest that they would not. It is also not clear if Samsung would actually bring out the open-ear “Galaxy Buds Able”, or the Canal 5 earhooks, or if both designs would fail to materialize, or if only one of these concepts would see release. In the following days and weeks, more information may come to light, so this article will be updated to reflect any new developments.
