Electronics giant Samsung is leaving a paper trail that gives a preview of what we may see in the company’s newest wireless earbuds. An FCC filing at the end of November names the Galaxy Buds Pro and includes a schematic of the Bluetooth earphones. FCC filings typically do not include information about functionality — but patents do.

Samsung filed two patents in the summer of 2020 for earphones that detect wearer activity, including sleep, and adjust audio output as a result. The earbuds utilize built-in motion and optical sensors to identify what the wearer is doing. If implemented, the technology would set Samsung’s buds apart from Apple, a major competitor that doesn’t offer any similar features. However, Bose may prove to be a challenger in the sleep sector — the company filed a patent application in May of 2020 for earphones that detect a wearer’s sleep stages by listening to respiratory patterns. That patent focuses specifically on sleep, while Samsung’s earphones can be used for detecting various exercises and daily activities. 

Patents are predictors of market movement, so these technologies may be implemented in new products as early as January of 2021, when the Galaxy Buds Pro are expected to be announced. You can stay ahead of the latest tech news by monitoring patents in Consumer Sleep on the Patent Radian®.