TL;DR
- The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra launch with Wear OS 5.
- They are the first smartwatches to run Google’s latest wearable OS.
- The new OS brings several improvements, including better battery life and performance buffs.
Earlier this year at its I/O developer conference, Google unveiled Wear OS 5, the latest iteration of its wearable operating system for smartwatches. Today, the new OS version officially debuted on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra.
According to Google, Wear OS 5 makes several improvements over its predecessor, from enhancing efficiency and improving battery life to offering overall performance gains for wrist-borne devices. These underlying tweaks include changes to the Watch Face Format and updated complications.
Beneath the new facade, Wear OS 5’s developer preview also teased a new privacy dashboard allowing users to control per-app permissions and updates, while Health Services introduces broader support for running metrics. As usual, the OS also provides access to the Google Play Store and numerous wearable apps.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra users will find One UI 6 Watch running on top, offering minor aesthetic and usability tweaks, like a new multisports tile for Galaxy Ultra users. The new watches also support a broader list of fitness metrics accessible through the Samsung Health app.
When will Wear OS 5 come to other watches?
With the Google Pixel Watch 3 expected to launch later this year, the new Galaxy Watches are again the OS’s show ponies. However, expect a more stock version of Wear OS 5 to arrive alongside Google’s smartwatch.
Samsung’s older smartwatches should also make the jump to Wear OS 5 in the near future, but the company hasn’t yet unveiled a concrete update timeline.
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