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A fresh leak from the One UI 8.5 firmware suggests Samsung is quietly updating the look of its true wireless earbuds. Icon artwork discovered in system files hints at a reshaped Galaxy Buds 4 — familiar stem styling but a noticeably softer silhouette than the Buds 3.
A small icon, a big hint
Android Authority spotted a file named "list_ic_earbuds_buds4" inside Samsung's One UI 8.5 system firmware. That asset type is exactly what Samsung uses to show connected earbuds in device menus, which has a habit of leaking product design cues before official announcements.
What the design leak actually shows
Rather than a radical makeover, the leaked icon indicates an evolution. The Buds 4 appear to retain the stem-style form factor, but move away from the sharper, triangular lines that characterized the Buds 3. The result: a more streamlined, rounded look that should read as sleeker in-hand and in the case.
Why the icon matters
These small graphical files are useful for more than curiosity — they help set expectations. If Samsung is already swapping iconography in One UI, hardware mockups and marketing assets are likely progressing behind the scenes. That makes a launch alongside a next Galaxy phone cycle plausible.
Timing and speculation: could Buds 4 arrive with the Galaxy S26?
Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything yet. But given that the Buds 3 arrived earlier in the year, a refreshed model could be timed to coincide with Samsung’s next flagship wave — possibly the Galaxy S26 family in early 2026. It’s a common strategy: pair new earbuds with a flagship launch to boost attention and bundle deals.
What’s likely to carry over from the Buds 3
Even if the exterior gets a tweak, many internal features from the Buds 3 may remain intact. The current generation packs an 11mm speaker unit and three microphones per bud to handle audio pickup and ambient analysis for noise cancellation. It also integrates Galaxy AI features like Interpreter, and offers battery figures of 48 mAh per bud and a 515 mAh charging case. That configuration yields up to around 6 hours of independent playback and roughly 30 hours combined when ANC is off.
Should you expect big audio changes?
At this point, the leak focuses on looks, not internals. A refreshed shell doesn’t guarantee upgrades to drivers, mic arrays, or ANC tuning — but it does create room for ergonomic improvements and subtle acoustic tweaks. If Samsung wants to stand out from competitors, expect it to balance design refinement with software-driven features like enhanced AI audio and smarter device pairing.
What to watch next
- Official confirmation from Samsung about Galaxy Buds 4 and any launch date.
- Further firmware reveals showing more detailed imagery or feature flags in One UI 8.5.
- Hands-on photos or retail listings that confirm dimensions and color options.
For now, the One UI icon leak gives us a clear hint: Samsung seems set to polish the Galaxy Buds design language rather than reinvent it. Whether that change will be cosmetic or accompanied by substantive feature upgrades remains to be seen.
Source: gizmochina
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