The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2013–2014
Samsung's first smartwatch only worked with two phones — and nobody wanted it
The Galaxy Gear launched at $299 in 2013 but only paired with the Note 3 and Note 10.1. A 30% Best Buy return rate and a 4/10 Verge score killed it.
Samsung · 2013-09
What happened
Samsung entered the smartwatch race in September 2013 with the Galaxy Gear, priced at $299. It was Android's first major wrist-worn attempt, and Samsung shipped it with a 1.63-inch screen, a speaker for phone calls, and a camera built into the strap. The ambition was to beat Apple to the wrist.
The execution strangled it. At launch the Gear only worked with two devices — the Galaxy Note 3 and the Note 10.1 2014 Edition — because Bluetooth Low Energy required Android 4.3, which only those two shipped. Even changing the clock's digit colour meant picking up the phone. The Verge scored it 4/10 and called it 'unintuitive, oversized, overpriced, and in constant need of a Galaxy guardian'.
The market agreed. By late October 2013, at least 30% of Galaxy Gears sold by US chain Best Buy were being returned by unsatisfied customers. Samsung claimed 800,000 sold in two months, but Korean agency Yonhap disputed the figure, saying it was units shipped, not sold. The Gear was replaced within months by the Gear 2, which shipped with the rival Tizen OS, and the original was effectively discontinued in February 2014.
Why it happened
- Samsung launched a wearable that only worked with two phones, so it was useless to anyone who did not already own the newest flagship — a crippling narrowing of an already young category.
- The $299 price carried a half-baked experience: a day of battery life, few working apps, and a notification system that could not show Gmail previews — reviewers panned value and utility together.
- A 30% return rate at Best Buy showed buyers rejected it, not just critics, and the 800,000-sold figure did not survive scrutiny as shipped rather than sold.
The lesson
A wearable only works if it works with more than the maker's newest phone. Samsung shipped a $299 watch that paired with two devices, and a 30% return rate and a 4/10 verdict buried it in four months.
Aftermath
The Galaxy Gear was succeeded within months by the Gear 2, which dropped Android for Samsung's own Tizen OS; the original Gear was phased out in February 2014. Samsung kept iterating on wearables, but the first attempt became a textbook case of launching a companion device before the ecosystem it depended on existed.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Samsung Galaxy Gear (launch, compatibility, 30% Best Buy return rate, 800,000 figure disputed by Yonhap, Gear 2 successor)
- The Verge — Samsung Galaxy Gear review (4/10, 'unintuitive, oversized, overpriced, and in constant need of a Galaxy guardian')
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