Skip to main content

Samsung decides to take a breather from the smartwatch space — For now

samsung will stop releasing smartwatches for now gear s diesel black and gold
Image used with permission by copyright holder
During Samsung’s keynote address at Mobile World Congress, you might have noticed that the South Korean giant didn’t announce a smartwatch. Seeing how it released six such devices in the span of a year and a half, this came as a bit of a surprise. Talking with the Wall Street Journal, however, Samsung gave the reason for that: The company will take a bit of a break.

“We’ve been introducing more devices than anybody else,” said Samsung executive vice president Young-hee Lee rather candidly. “It’s time for us to pause.”

That’s not to say Samsung isn’t sitting still — quite the opposite. Lee confirmed to the outlet that Samsung is “working on it” and that the company wants a more well-rounded device for its next venture. “We want a more perfect product,” added Lee.

Samsung entered the smartwatch space with the Galaxy Gear, which the company released back in September 2013. Since then, Samsung practically flooded the smartwatch market with the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, Gear Fit, Gear Live, and the Gear S, the latter of which can take the place of a smartphone with its SIM card slot.

Samsung’s decision to take a break from the smartwatch market could stem from the company’s lack of engagement with consumers, seeing how Samsung was quick to release more smartwatches. It could also be Samsung’s way to come up with a smartwatch that can compete against Apple’s entry.

Editors' Recommendations

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
Samsung is about to display the Galaxy Ring for the first time
A photo of the Samsung Galaxy Ring teased at Unpacked 2024.

Last year, there was much talk about Samsung launching a smart ring to compete with the likes of the Oura ring, and last month it became a reality when the Korean company teased the Galaxy Ring in a slick video at the end of its Unpacked event.

It all went a bit quiet after that ... until now, that is.

Read more
Samsung’s new fitness tracker could be released any day now
Leaked photo showing the Samsung Galaxy Fit 3 wearable devices in boxes.

It seems that Samsung is nearing the launch of its anticipated Galaxy Fit 3 wearable device. This new device will succeed the Galaxy Fit 2, which is almost three years old.

The Galaxy Fit 3 was accidentally revealed on a Samsung website just days ago, and now some retail boxes have been spotted in the wild, according to Gizmochina. Although the retail boxes don't reveal any new information that we didn't already know, they do suggest that Samsung is getting ready to launch the Galaxy Fit 3 very soon.

Read more
Look who just replaced Samsung as king of the global smartphone market
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra's cameras.

Samsung has been sitting pretty at the top of the global smartphone market for more than a decade. Until now, that is.

Data released this week by research firm IDC shows that the Korean tech giant has been knocked off its perch by archrival Apple thanks in part to robust sales of the iPhone.

Read more