Samsung might soon launch a smartwatch running Wear OS

Pocketnow

By Nadeem Sarwar

Published Feb 20, 2021

Samsung is bringing back Google's Wear OS - previously known as Android Wear - to its smartwatch portfolio after using the in-house Tizen OS.

Samsung is apparently ready to rekindle its bond with Google over a dinner date with smartwatches on the table this time. Don’t get the reference? Well, it appears that Samsung is bringing back Google’s Wear OS (previously known as Android Wear) to its smartwatch portfolio after a long spell of using the in-house Tizen OS software.

Leakster Ice Universe has tweeted that Samsung’s new smartwatch will be run Wear OS instead of Tizen OS. Now, it isn’t clear if the tweet below talks about a flagship Galaxy Watch series wearable, or the next entry in the Galaxy Watch Active family. But going by the company’s recent launch schedule, an update to the Galaxy Watch Active2 is next in line for an official launch.

https://twitter.com/UniverseIce/status/1362697174694301700?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The folks over at GalaxyClub are reporting that two Samsung smartwatches carrying the model numbers SM-R86x and SM-R87x are currently in development. Again, it is unclear if they will debut as the next entrant in the Galaxy Watch series (tentatively called the Galaxy Watch 4) or if they’ll join the more sporty Galaxy Watch Active series, debuting as the Bluetooth and LTE-ready models of an updated version called Galaxy Watch Active3.

Wear OS: A win-win proposition for Samsung and Google, eh?

However, using Wear OS will likely bode well for Samsung as well as Google. In Google’s case, its Android-based wearable operating system struggles to find mainstream takers, save for the likes of the Fossil Group and Mobvoi. Samsung, on the other hand, will get access to an operating system with a better app ecosystem, and more importantly, Google’s backing with handling the software development part.

Exciting things ahead for Samsung smartwatch fans!

And now that we’re talking about upcoming Samsung smartwatches, a report from ETNews suggests that Samsung’s next smartwatch will employ non-invasive technology for taking blood sugar (or glucose) level measurements. Lately, Samsung has updated its latest smartwatches with the ability to measure blood oxygen saturation, ECG, and blood pressure, making them even more capable fitness wearables.

Just in case you’re wondering, the Gear Live launched in 2014 was the last Samsung smartwatch to run an Android-based software. You can watch Pocketnow’s review of the wearable below: