We got two Samsung Galaxy Folds, two watches and a Flip at Unpacked, but no Buds: here’s when Samsung’s legendary open-back armband-style earbuds should now arrive

Galaxy Unpacked 2026 was without buds
New report announces year-end announcement
Possibly announced alongside tablets and FE (or “Fan Edition”) devices

Samsung’s latest product launch event, Galaxy Unpacked 2026, went off without incident. Well, uneventful for audio fans; there were three foldable phones, two smartwatches, and all-seeing glasses…but where were the much-talked-about Galaxy Buds Able?

These are a new pair of open-back earbuds, which we had heard would be released alongside foldable earbuds (that’s not the case). So where are they?

Well, shortly Before Galaxy Unpacked, we may have heard our answer. According to a Korean publication called Electronic Times, which regularly reports on industry news, the Ables will arrive much later in the year.

Unable to launch?

According to the report, Samsung delayed the launch of the Galaxy Buds Able, implying that they were originally supposed to release alongside the Folds and Flips.

They would be delayed so Samsung could assess “product quality and launch timing.” This last point is fair enough; the Galaxy Buds 4 haven’t been on shelves for long.

This last point also implies that Samsung doesn’t think the Able is “there” yet, and that’s also fair enough; Open-back headphones – especially newer headphones or clip-on types – are not as simple as normal headphones. Fit and audio architecture are much more important, and brands need to find a way to ensure that audio quality isn’t lost when music is transmitted from the headphones to your ear.

To compete with big rivals from Shokz and Bose, the Galaxy Buds Able need to be premium, and I imagine Samsung won’t launch anything until it hits that bar.

So basically, put a rough “September or October” date in your calendar for these new headphones – and keep following our news coverage. As we know, so do you.