Samsung's next Galaxy Buds rumored to have bean design, no stems

midian182

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Rumor mill: Samsung and Apple don’t just compete in the smartphone market; they also make rival wireless earbuds. Now, what could be the next generation of the Korean firm’s Galaxy Buds have appeared online, and they’re quite different from what’s come before.

Back in November, Consumer Reports said Samsung’s Galaxy Buds beat Apple’s latest AirPods Pro in sound quality tests. Earlier this year, the Korean firm released the $150 Galaxy Buds+, which, while only an iterative update, offer better sound, longer battery life, better built-in microphones, and upgraded Ambient Sound noise cancelation. What they do lack, however, is active noise cancelation and water resistance.

According to a new report from WinFuture, Samsung’s next earbuds will undergo a major design change. Using leaked information, the site has created some 3D renders of the buds, which go by the codename “beans” as they resemble kidney beans.

Measuring around 2.8 cm in length, the buds lack their predecessors’ stems and silicon tips that help them stay in ears. We can see a speaker hole and sensor on the inside, along with magnetic connectors that might be used for charging or measuring a user’s heart rate. A microphone and vents are placed on the outer section.

Without any silicone components to create a full seal, the earbuds might not have a noise-canceling option. And while the shape could work well for smaller ears, they're unlikely to be a good fit for everyone.

Samsung is reportedly just in the testing phase of development, so the buds, which have the model number SM-R180, could undergo a major redesign before the final product arrives.

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Looks like a hearing aid which I don't mind too much. Which makes me wonder how long before that industry takes a nosedive. Average cost of hearing aid from quick search is $2500-$3000 each.

Can't imagine that these wouldn't eventually be able to provide a large chunk of the same functionality for a fraction of the price.
 
Oh ... Samsung with their track record of releasing really mediocre headphones is trying "something new". Sign me up for this trainwreck in making!
 
Looks like a hearing aid which I don't mind too much. Which makes me wonder how long before that industry takes a nosedive. Average cost of hearing aid from quick search is $2500-$3000 each.

Can't imagine that these wouldn't eventually be able to provide a large chunk of the same functionality for a fraction of the price.
It's a good idea. It already has a microphone and speaker, the rest is software. My uncle has a hearing aid connected to an app on his phone, where he can adjust it based on being in a crowd or listening to a single person or leave it on a default setting. Get that working with a bit of AI and we have a revolutionary and extremely useful product. Samsung / Apple should be well placed to do that alone or to merge with some hearing aid developers.
It may turn out that people using earbuds for long periods of time need hearing aids sooner than average, making it a win-win for both industries :)
 
One size does not fit all... then again there will be a market of non-oem silicon to fit more ears.
 
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