Samsung's first clip-on earbuds hit the US for $229 in early November

Samsung's first clip-on earbuds, the Galaxy Buds On, will go on sale in the US in early November for $229. They were first announced earlier this month with pricing only for Korea. Samsung has now confirmed the US details. At launch, they come in one color: Black.

What makes them different

The Buds On do not plug your ear canal. That means you can listen to music and still hear traffic, conversations and other sounds nearby. Each earbud weighs 6.65 grams and uses an 11.3mm speaker. Samsung says it studied more than 119 million ear data points to refine the fit.

Open-style earbuds often leak sound to people nearby and can be weak on bass. Samsung says its Audio Leakage Reduction feature uses reversed sound waves to cut down on how much audio escapes.

What it costs and what you give up

At $229, the Buds On cost only $21 less than Samsung's flagship Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which sell for $250. Compared with those, the Buds On give up several things:

• No active noise cancellation, which blocks outside noise
• Weaker bass
• Lower dust and water resistance, at IP54 (dust and splash protection)

The review at Digital Trends notes that the use case is simply different. The Buds 4 Pro suit daily use with a Galaxy phone. The Buds On are built for staying aware of your surroundings.

Battery and extras

Samsung lists up to 9.5 hours of playback on the earbuds, and up to 38 hours with the charging case. They run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform.

For calls, there are three microphones and a voice pickup sensor to help isolate your voice. On compatible Galaxy devices, you can start a Gemini Live conversation by voice, record quick voice memos, and answer or reject calls with head gestures. An automatic volume feature adjusts to surrounding noise, but it is experimental and needs compatible Galaxy software. Some advanced features need newer versions of One UI, Samsung's phone software.

Who they suit

People who find regular earbuds uncomfortable may like them. So might anyone who runs or commutes and wants to hear what is going on around them. If you want noise cancellation or strong bass, the pricier-feeling tradeoffs may not be worth it. Samsung has not said when more colors will arrive.