It’s no secret that Samsung has been moving away from an Android dependency, especially when it comes to wearables — the company has developed its own operating system, called Tizen, which it has been using on the Gear series of watches. If you’re like me, however, you’ve been hoping that Samsung has an Android Wear device or two up its sleeve. Unfortunately, it doesn’t.
A report from Fast Company cited Samsung executives as saying that the company has no Android Wear devices in development or even in planning. Now, Samsung itself has clarified that statement, basically saying that it hasn’t made anything official as far as what it will or will not do with Android Wear.
“Samsung has not made any announcement concerning Android Wear, and we have not changed our commitment to any of our platforms,” said the company in an official statement emailed to Digital Trends.
Basically, it seems as though Samsung isn’t ready to officially give up on Android Wear, but that there aren’t any Android Wear devices planned. That doesn’t mean we won’t see any in the distant future.
Not only is Samsung sticking to Tizen on wearables, but it’s also implementing Tizen on smart home devices like smart fridges and even TVs — bad news for Google, which has been making a push into the living room with Android TV.
Samsung only ever implemented Android Wear once — in the Galaxy Gear Live, which was a very early Android Wear device. It’s chunky, rectangular, and basically looks like a tiny smartphone that you strap to your wrist.
So why switch to Tizen? Apart from the fact that Samsung has more control over a self-built operating system, the company cites battery issues as a big reason for using Tizen over Android Wear.
Of course, Google isn’t having trouble finding partners for Android Wear — consumer electronics companies like Lenovo, Huawei, and LG have all released Android Wear devices, as have traditional watch companies like Tag Heuer. Tizen, by comparison, only has Samsung behind it. Given this environment, it will be interesting to see whether or not Samsung’s self-built operating system will be able to hold its own.
Still, the devices Samsung has released over the past year or so have been pretty impressive. The Gear S2 smartwatch in particular is probably Samsung’s crowning achievement in the wearable world, with models available both for the sport-focused and the fashion-conscious.
Updated on 05-25-2015 by Christian de Looper: Added Samsung’s statement.
