Samsung’s first Wear smartwatch arrives this summer, and it’ll feature One UI

By Andy Boxall Published June 29, 2021

The next Samsung Galaxy Watch model to launch will be the first to use the new Wear software platform developed by Samsung and Google — and it’s coming this summer. Samsung teased the smartwatch during its Mobile World Congress 2021 virtual event, and also provided some more information on the new software, but stopped short of telling us anything about the watch itself.

Samsung gave us a hint about what the software will actually look like. It revealed the watch will use a One UI interface, called One UI Watch, which will be placed over the Wear platform. This suggests the familiar and very user-friendly menus and design of the Galaxy Watch range running Tizen will still be used, rather than Samsung changing to a hybrid or more Wear OS-like interface made for Wear.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Apps — Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

This aside, Samsung reiterated much about Wear that we already heard from Google, but included some more granular details about what to expect. It says the Wear platform will “change the smartwatch game,” and the intention is to provide a faster smartwatch experience, with better battery life, seamless integration with your mobile device, and increased health data accuracy.

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A 30% speed increase in app startup time is promised, along with support for a smaller, lower-power processor core that will handle biometric sensor monitoring, helping to extend battery life. Wear will also provide an eSIM with greater carrier support. All Google apps, including the Google Play Store, which offers access to existing apps made for wearables, will be available on the Wear platform. That’s unlike Tizen watches, which use Samsung’s own app store and services.

Samsung will open its watch face design tool to Google developers, allowing them to create new, unique watch faces. When you first pair a Wear watch with your phone, it will automatically install apps you already use that are available for it, and sync across personal settings like world time options and caller block lists. This simplicity of use, and closer integration with your phone, is something Apple Watch owners will be familiar with.

The new Galaxy Watch model, which may be called the Galaxy Watch Active 4, will arrive at an Unpacked event to be held during the summer.

Former Senior Mobile Writer

Andy has written about mobile technology for almost a decade. From 2G to 5G and smartphone to smartwatch, Andy knows tech.

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