What you need to know
- Rumors claim that Samsung's previously rumored open-ear or "clip-on" earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Able, have changed names to "Galaxy Buds On."
- However, a leak from another source claims "Galaxy Able" might remain, as the title was discovered in the Wearable app's code with the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
- Earlier this year, Galaxy Buds Able were rumored to be earbuds that rely on bone conduction for producing sound with
Rumors have surfaced again about a set of "bone conduction" earbuds that Samsung is developing.
Tipster evowizz on X posted a short claim about a unique pair of earbuds Samsung allegedly has in the works (via SamMobile). Their post claims that the previously rumored "Galaxy Buds Able" title has been replaced with "Galaxy Buds On." The publication adds that they bear the model number SM-U600 internally for Samsung.
The number reportedly swaps "R" for "U," the latter of which is typically used to identify new earbuds from the brand.
The situation progresses with another round of leaks from SammyGuru. According to its post, the publication discovered "Galaxy Able" listed in Samsung's Wearables app code beneath the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. What's more, the post highlights a "samsung.accessory" string that may suggest full integration for the buds across Samsung's software. This has speculation leaning to one side, but nothing's confirmed yet.
Now and then, rumors will conflict like this. It's best to take what's been said here with a grain of salt for the time being.
Audio shifts
To make sense of this, we'll have to walk things back to April when rumors of "bone conduction" earbuds surfaced. At the time, the name "Galaxy Buds Able" led the way with an open-ear or "clip-on" design. It was said that these earbuds would clip onto a person's ear, sending vibrations through their bones to produce sound. Clearly, this is a departure from earbuds we're used to seeing and using that sit in-ear (or even traditional open-earbuds.
The model number that SamMobile mentioned in this recent leak was cited before. Prior reports added that the "U" is typically reserved for U.S. product releases, but this model number changes things. The vibrancy or richness of audio has also been called into question. If these buds rely on bone conduction and not more traditional methods, their bass could suffer as a result.
Android Central's Take
These buds already sounded interesting before, but the idea isn't that wild or unique to Samsung. Other brands have gone this route before, and could be seen as another earbud alternative, like anything else on the market. I'm still holding back, since there's nothing else about these buds. No hardware specifications, no charging case, nothing. For now, I'll wait.
