Skip to main content

Samsung exec confirms it’s prepping a smartwatch, been working on it ‘for so long’

Galaxy-AltiusSamsung confirmed in an interview this week that not only is it working on a smartwatch, but it’s been doing so for some considerable time.

“We’ve been preparing the watch product for so long,” Lee Young Hee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile business, told Bloomberg in an interview in Seoul on Tuesday, adding, “We are working very hard to get ready for it. We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them.”

Recommended Videos

Rumors about the Korean electronics giant developing a high-tech watch have been doing the rounds for a while now, but this is the first time a source who didn’t mind being named has stated it as fact.

Hee didn’t divulge any details regarding the look or specifications of the smartwatch, though it’s of course possible she was referring to the much-talked-about Altius wristwatch that’s been popping up on many tech websites – including this one – in recent months.

Though consumers on the hunt for a smartwatch already have a few products to choose from, Hee’s comments mean the race is well and truly on between the tech world’s two biggest players and fierce rivals, Samsung and Apple.

In a report earlier this month, it was suggested that the Cupertino company could have a smartwatch ready for launch before the end of this year. The so-called iWatch, possibly made with curved glass, will reportedly run a modified version of iOS, enabling it to sync with Apple’s mobile devices and perform functions such as making and receiving calls. GPS functionality is also likely.

The project is apparently being led by Apple design chief Jony Ive and involves a team of around 100 product designers. As usual, of course, Apple hasn’t yet released any information about the watch through official channels.

With the smartphone market seemingly reaching saturation point, tech companies are desperately looking around for a new wow-factor product to grab the attention of consumers, though there’s much debate as to whether a bells-and-whistles wristwatch will be that product.

For Samsung and Apple, time, so to speak, is of the essence. The company that gets its product on the market first could gain a big advantage, locking new users into its ecosystem before its rival even has a chance to take the wraps off its competing device.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
It’s time for Apple, Samsung and Google to solve the eSIM problem
Nano SIM card in SIM card tray from iPhone 14 Pro Max.

When Apple launched the new iPhone 16e on Wednesday, the Apple Store in every region displayed one thing under connectivity: eSIM. There was no mention of a physical SIM, and I had a waking nightmare that Apple had quietly pulled the plug, and every iPhone 16e globally would be sold as an eSIM-only model.

A quick search — and a look at the photos — confirmed that this hadn’t happened, but my reaction kickstarted a thought about eSIMs, their promise (and what we were promised), and the current state of eSIMs globally. I’ve been traveling for the past month, and eSIMs are an absolute mess. The potential was immense, but it goes against carriers’ interests to make it any easier, but there is a solution.

Read more
It’s official: Samsung confirms the existence of the Galaxy A56, A36, and A26
Samsung Galaxy A55 color renders

Rumors have swirled about Samsung's unreleased Galaxy A56, A36, and A26 handsets, but the company has yet to confirm their existence. That changed today when the three devices were listed on the Chilean Samsung service website. The website is aimed at customers who are out of warranty but need repairs, listing the price for different models.

Since none of these handsets are released yet, the price is simply listed as "not available." However, it does give us the model numbers.

Read more
Samsung could reinvent the S Pen for its next foldable phone
Rear view of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.

Samsung is reportedly making a major stylus input change for its next book-style foldable device as it moves forward in pursuit of slimmer phones. According to a report from ET News, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will switch the stylus input to a format similar to that of the Apple Pencil.

Citing industry sources, the Korean outlet mentions that Samsung has decided to remove the digitizer element from the upcoming phone’s display assembly. The digitizer is a pressure-sensitive layer that converts the physical input from a stylus and converts those strokes into digital information.

Read more