New Galaxy Buds Pro earphones tipped to launch with the Galaxy S21

Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus
(Image credit: Future)

Samsung is widely expected to be unveiling the Galaxy S21 at some point in January, but apparently it won't be the only new hardware from the company to welcome in 2021 – a new pair of Galaxy Buds are also rumored to be on the way.

As revealed by SamMobile, the new earphones will be called the Galaxy Buds Pro. They'll be successors to the Galaxy Buds Plus that launched with the Galaxy S20 phone, rather than replacements for the more recent bean-shaped Galaxy Buds Live.

The new earphones are going to feature the same in-ear design as the Buds Plus, according to the new leaks, and the sound quality upgrades are tipped to include improvements to the Ambient mode that allows outside sounds to be heard.

Active Noise Cancellation or ANC is also said to be on the way, giving users the option of a sealed-off listening experience as well. ANC was included on the Galaxy Buds Live, but this would be the first time it's appeared on Samsung's in-ear headphones.

Say hello to the Pro

As for the name, SamMobile says these earbuds are going to be called the Galaxy Buds Pro – that's based on regulatory filings that have been issued for the headphones in Indonesia and China, ahead of their official launch.

The Galaxy Buds Pro moniker would seem to have replaced the Galaxy Buds Beyond name that we'd previously heard. It wouldn't be that unusual for product naming to change along the way to the production lines.

For the time being there's no word on how much these Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro are going to cost, but apparently the colors on offer will be the same as last year: red, white, blue and black (so there are more options than you get with the AirPods).

As January approaches we should hear more about both the Galaxy Buds Pro and the Galaxy S21 handset they're launching with. According to the latest rumors, January 14 is the day when Samsung will be revealing its next batch of gadgets.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.