My Huawei FreeClip 2 stayed comfortable through a long editing day and a grocery run, even with my glasses on. Samsung’s $229 Galaxy Buds On bring that same clip-on category to Galaxy users, with an open ear canal and voice-memo controls built into the buds.
In my FreeClip 2 review, I also found the adaptive volume useful when moving from a quiet studio into a parking lot. On the Huawei pair, dialogue stayed understandable outdoors and the volume eased back down when I returned inside. Samsung adds automatic volume adjustment to Buds On, too.
Price: $229 (Black, U.S.)
Where to buy: U.S. availability begins in early November. Samsung product details
Galaxy Buds On will come in Black for $229 in the U.S. in early November. The clip-on design leaves your ears open to nearby conversations and other sounds. There’s no active noise cancellation; Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro remain the options for blocking out your surroundings.
Open ears, automatic volume
Each earbud weighs 6.65 grams. A flexible band wraps around the ear, with the speaker positioned outside the ear canal. The earbuds have an IP54 rating for dust resistance and splashes; the charging case isn’t water-resistant.
The TwinBoost speaker works with Auto Volume, which can raise the listening level as the surroundings get louder and return it to the previous level when things quiet down. Auto Volume is an experimental Labs feature that requires One UI 8.5 or later and must be enabled in settings.
Audio Leakage Reduction projects reversed sound waves from the rear of the speaker to reduce escaping audio.
For calls, three microphones work with a Voice Pickup Unit that senses movement through bone and skin. A machine-learning filter is designed to reduce background noise such as car horns and construction. Intelligent Clear Call requires initial setup on a compatible Galaxy device.
Capture a thought without pulling out your phone
Quick Voice Memo starts recording when you long-press an earbud. Long-press again to finish and save it, then use Bixby to find the recording hands-free. This feature requires a Galaxy AI-supported device, Samsung Voice Recorder and Bixby. Configure the press-and-hold gesture in Settings.
You can open Gemini Live by saying, “Hey Google, let’s talk live.” You’ll need a Google Gemini account and an internet connection; availability depends on the device, language and country, and it’s limited to users 18 or older.
Head Gestures let you nod to accept a call or shake your head to decline. They’re off by default and require One UI 8.5 or later. Dismissing alarms and having notifications read aloud require One UI 9.0 or later, with supported-app limits.
Within the Galaxy ecosystem, audio can switch from a tablet to a phone for a call and return to the tablet afterward. A Galaxy Watch can stream music to the buds and control them. Basic compatibility starts with Android 12 and more than 1.5GB of memory, but some features aren’t available on non-Samsung devices.
Price: $229 (Black, U.S.)
Where to buy: U.S. availability begins in early November. Samsung product details
Playback is rated at up to 9.5 hours per charge and up to 38 hours including the case. Battery testing used a pre-production pair connected to a Galaxy smartphone; actual playback varies with volume, settings and use. USB-C and wireless charging are supported.
