Samsung Galaxy H1 Over-Ear Headphones Could Rival Apple's AirPods Max

Samsung could be looking to expand its wireless audio category by introducing over-ear headphones. Beyond recent rumours detailing clip-on Galaxy Buds and ear-hook designs, the tech giant appears to be secretly developing a pair of premium over-ear headphones dubbed the Galaxy H1.

Samsung Galaxy "H1" Coming Soon?

The confirmation comes from folks at SamMobile who recently spotted hidden code strings within the official Samsung Wearable application. One of them reveals that Samsung is building a headset codenamed Galaxy H1. It could be positioned to challenge headphones like Apple's AirPods Max.

Samsung Galaxy H1 headphones connection status — Image Credit: SamMobile

The assets in the app's code reveal two headphone icons, each representing the headphone's connection status. The icon with greyed-out earcups denotes the disconnected state, while green denotes that the headphones are connected.

However, the Galaxy H1 moniker could be strictly an internal placeholder, meaning the actual name of the headphone could be different. While the code strings don't offer any specifications, the leak also reveals a few things.

For starters, the Galaxy H1 could feature an SSC UHQ audio codec and Bluetooth 6.0, combined with top-tier Adaptive Noise Cancellation and Ambient Sound Mode. Besides, it could integrate seamless auto-switching across Samsung's device ecosystem alongside built-in AI assistant support.

Samsung AKG Headphones Y600 — Image Credit: Samsung

That said, with 2026 coming to a close, the Galaxy H1 headphones probably won't be released this year. However, more information about them should surface soon, alongside concrete launch information. Considering this is still very early, we expect the headphones to launch at the next Galaxy Unpacked event in 2027.

There are plenty of noise-cancelling headphones out there, with Sony prominently leading the pack with its XM series. Products from the likes of Bose, JBL, Sonos and Bowers & Wilkins are also considered the gold standard. Samsung could make the space even more competitive if the H1 turns out to be a viable offering.

Apple recently launched the AirPods Max 2 with the H2 chip, better ANC and Bluetooth 5.3. However, Samsung could one-up Apple if it relies on its original tuning partner, AKG, to give users a great symphony of sound, comfort and noise cancellation at a competitive price.