Wearables
Roaring HarmonyOS watch growth is potential threat to Wear OS, Samsung!
Huawei’s HarmonyOS smartwatch is growing quite fast in China. Counterpoint Research, in its latest report, predicts that Huawei smartwatch sales will further grow in the country, seizing a whopping 61% market share in 2024, up from 48% last year.
Whenever Huawei grows, it comes as a red alert for global tech titans like Apple and Samsung. As the company now has its own operating system, Google is also on the list of affected vendors. HarmonyOS is also aiming to cross China’s boundaries right after reaching the app ecosystem milestone.
Samsung and Google’s collaboration continues to benefit the Wear OS ecosystem. Whether it’s Watch OS Format or third-party app support, both companies are effectively investing in the ecosystem. Meanwhile, Huawei’s growth in Europe would hurt Samsung, Apple and Google too.
Huawei’s HarmonyOS-powered smartwatches are popular in China. Local consumers who don’t prefer Apple’s watchOS opt for HarmonyOS watch rather than Google’s Wear OS. Apart from innovations, this growth is powered by the sentiments of Chinese citizens.
Image: Huawei
Last year, the overall HarmonyOS shipments grew almost 2x, surpassing Apple’s WatchOS. HarmonyOS’ shipment share is further estimated to reach 61% in China in 2024, up from 48% in 2023, Counterpoint Research report highlights.
The report predicts growth for the entire smartwatch ecosystem including Wear OS and WatchOS. However, Huawei’s resurgence is a potential threat to Google’s Wear OS and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch segment – the same way as HarmonyOS Vs Android smartphones.
Huawei is pushing the boundaries of innovation with next-gen features in wearables. The company’s recent smartwatch offers a satellite SOS feature, which is one of its kind in the industry. At the same time, HarmonyOS is smart, smooth, and fluid that readily attracts users.
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On July 10, Samsung launched the smallest and most compact product within the Galaxy lineup, the Galaxy Ring. It offers several innovative health management functions along with an exciting way to control your phone using simple gestures. You can easily activate gesture features on your Galaxy Ring.
Samsung Galaxy Ring’s gesture feature lets you turn on an alarm or take a photo or video while the camera app is running by double-clicking your finger and thumb while wearing the ring.
How to activate gestures on Galaxy Ring :
To use the Galaxy Ring’s gesture controls, follow these steps:
- Open the Galaxy Wearable app on the smartphone connected to the Galaxy Ring.
- Navigate to the “Gestures” section within the Galaxy Ring’ Settings.
- Choose which functions you want to control with gestures. Options include dismissing an alarm or taking a photo or video.
After you have chosen your desired functions, you can start using them by performing a simple gesture. To dismiss an alarm or capture a photo or video, double-tap with your finger and thumb while wearing the Galaxy Ring. This gesture will start the selected function without needing to touch your phone.
If you have a Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Z Flip 6 model, you can start using these features. This feature will be extended to other Galaxy devices through future software updates.
Galaxy Ring
Samsung Galaxy Ring features a sleek design with dimensions of 7.0 mm x 2.6 mm, 24-hour-a-day health monitoring, long-lasting battery from 18mAh (Size 5) to 23.5mAh (Size 13), Galaxy AI features, and more.
Moreover, the Galaxy Ring provides comprehensive health insights and analysis via the Samsung Health app without any additional fees. It gives detailed metrics on sleep patterns, including movement, sleep latency, heart rate, and breathing rate during sleep. It also introduces Energy score and Wellness tips for daily health insights.
Samsung finally releases Galaxy Ring: Here’s all you need to know
Samsung Galaxy Ring is cheapest in South Korea followed by the US. The company’s first ring-type wearable is available for pre-order in six countries. Of these countries, Korea is the cheapest while the UK is the most expensive Galaxy Ring market.
Galaxy Ring pricing data gathered by AndroidAuthority shows that the product is the cheapest in South Korea. In US dollar terms, Samsung is selling the Galaxy Ring for $360, translated from the 499,400 Korean won retail price.
Samsung is selling the Galaxy Ring for $400 in the United States. The pricing decision makes it $40 more expensive than South Korea. It costs $412 (2,999 CNY) in China, $489 (440 EUR) in Germany and France, and $515 (399 GBP) in the UK.
As of now, the Korean tech giant is availing the Galaxy Ring in two Asian and three European countries alongside the United States. Notably, the US price in the below-mentioned chart doesn’t include sales tax, which could be approximately $40 or $45.
Samsung will put the Galaxy Ring on general sale on July 24, 2024. If you travel abroad, you will be able to save some money on your Ring purchase. However, your trip destination should be South Korea or China to have travel discount perks.
The general availability will commence the day after tomorrow. We expect US e-commerce platforms would bring some sharp discounts for local shoppers in the US. Amazon and Best Buy may put the Galaxy Ring on sale, bringing additional discounts.
Well, it would take time for Galaxy Ring to see any significant price reduction. It all depends on the popularity of the product and production volume. If the product becomes hit, forget about any severe cash discount for at least 6 months.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is available in 9 different sizes. Pre-order your Ring to claim early buyer perks and faster delivery at your doorstep. You can also opt for a Sizing Kit, which will help you determine the perfect Ring size for yourself.
Samsung has pushed a new update for its Galaxy Store app, specifically for Galaxy smartwatches running Wear OS 5 with One UI 6 Watch Beta. This update can be identified via version 1.0.06.8 and enhances the overall performance.
The latest update enhances user experience by improving the performance and reliability of the Galaxy Store app on Samsung wearable devices. It includes fixes for known issues to ensure smoother operations. However, it does not contain any new features or changes.
The update is compatible with Galaxy devices running Wear OS 5 and One UI 6 Watch Beta. Samsung advises users to update promptly to enjoy the improved features and stability offered by version 1.0.06.8.
Users can easily access and install the update through the Galaxy Store app itself. Also, you can download the update directly from the third-party app source link mentioned here.
With version 1.0.06.8 of the Galaxy Store app, users of One UI 6 Watch Beta can expect a more stable and efficient app experience on their Samsung wearable devices.
One UI 6 Watch Beta
In early July 2024, Samsung released the One UI 6 Watch Beta 3 update for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series with version ZXG3. The same version update rolled out for the Galaxy Watch 5 series with July 2024 security patch. The update brought a bunch of enhancements to improve user experience and address existing issues.
The update arrived with improved system stability and optimized performance to address issues related to battery consumption and application execution speed. Also, it enhanced network interoperability to provide better connectivity experiences.
The Beta update is not without its known issues. Users noticed an issue where the Always-On Display (AOD) fails to deactivate when the watch is not being worn after installing this update.
Aside from this, Samsung will soon make the stable One UI 6 Watch available for Wear OS watches. It is expected to bring several new features and improvements to enhance the Galaxy Watch experience.
One UI 6 Watch Beta 3 live for Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series