The Samsung Galaxy S21 is giving up on these wearables

(Image credit: Snoreyn/LetsGoDigital)

It looks like the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21 series will be the end of the road for the company's early smartwatches and wearables.

German Samsung news site Galaxy Club captured a notification from the Samsung Members app alert users that 5 wearables — the Gear one, Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, Gear S and Gear Fit — volition not work with the visitor'due south 2021 smartphones.

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We've since constitute the same notice replicated on Samsung's German support site, but it doesn't offer much explanation every bit to why 2021 is the cut-off signal. "The existing service quality of older Samsung Gear wearables cannot exist guaranteed and ensured by app updates alone," the text, translated by Edge, reads.

"You volition be notified of this change subsequently the milky way article of clothing (Samsung Gear) app is updated to the latest version by sending an in-app notice," it continues. "However, Samsung Gear wearables already used with Samsung smartphones (release yr 2020 or earlier) tin can nonetheless be used."

The fact that the five will continue to work with older handsets makes information technology seem like less of a technical reason, and more Samsung wanting to movement away from indefinite support for a choice of wearables that are showing their age at present. All the affected devices were released in 2013 or 2014 – a fourth dimension when the Samsung Galaxy S5 was cutting edge – so it's not unreasonable for the visitor to consider calling fourth dimension on the aging watches.

Information technology'south also fair to say that these aren't vintage Samsung wearables by any means. The original Gear suffered from an uncomfortable design, weak notifications and poor battery life, reportedly resulting in a 30% render rate at Best Buy, while the Gear 2 merely managed a lukewarm review from u.s.a. a twelvemonth afterwards. The company would finally become the formula correct with the round faced, twisting bezel design of the Samsung Gear S2 in 2015 – and notably, that article of clothing isn't listed equally losing back up in 2021.

It's not the beginning time Samsung Gear branded accessories accept ceased to work between generations. The Samsung Gear VR was introduced with the Milky way S6, but was terminal seen working with the S10 family. This was a little different, though: given Gear VR had to physically fit a phone inside, Samsung's shifting designs and move from microUSB to USB-C meant buyers would need to utilise for an adapter, or fifty-fifty purchase a whole new headset to keep it working. Given that, information technology's perhaps surprising Samsung supported it for as long as it did.

It's hard to imagine Samsung's conclusion to abandon the v watches volition disappoint as many people, overall. After all, if you're the kind of person who can't wait to upgrade to a Galaxy S21 in January, are you actually probable to be wearing a half dozen-year-old smartwatch?

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing nigh tech for over a decade, roofing phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are institute all over the spider web and in the occasional mag too. When non weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you lot'll probably find him tackling his e'er-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.