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There have been many reports suggesting the Samsung Galaxy Gear, Samsung’s smart watch, hasn’t done well in sales since it’s been made available. Samsung’s own lack of noise about sales seem to indicate that as well, as the company loves to boast big numbers whenever they’ve achieved them.
Another indication that the smart watch might not be doing well is a recent price drop in India (and this isn’t some $20 discount that you’d be likely to overlook). Reports indicate the device has been discounted by $120, and that this is a permanent price adjustment.
So now we’re left wondering: will Samsung be doing the same for other regions? Many folks already believed $300 was far too steep of a price to pay for the Galaxy Gear, especially considering the limited functionality this first release had. It also didn’t help that the device could only be used with select Samsung products (and even then, only after they got upgrades to newer firmware to support the watch).
A price drop would also indicate that Samsung is looking to launch the second version of the Galaxy Gear alongside the Samsung Galaxy S5, which we believe will be announced at Mobile World Congress later this month. It’s no secret by now that Samsung rushed the Galaxy Gear out to market, so such a quick turnaround to the sequel isn’t all that surprising. As for the current model, let’s hope we’re in for the same price drop that 0ur Indian friends have gotten at some point in the near future.
[Samsung India via PocketNow]
I wouldn’t pay 100$ for this. If it was compatible with all smart phones (not Samsung), then maybe… I don’t like being tied to anything. As it is, if you stop using Samsung phones, this thing is useless.
while that may be true, it was and still is the best smart watch spec wise…
honestly, who wants a low dpi greyscale screen in 2014? while the gg may have some issues due to a tech tradeoff (less battery life due to great screen, non removable bands due to camera in band, only working with a few devices due to what is likely a bit of selfish brand loyalty and a bit of the fact other phones just are not capable enough at the time to interface and still meet quality expectations)
Either way a price drop down to 180 blows the $250 pebble steel 50’s era black and white spy watch out of the water.
Here’s hoping Sammy brings some curves to the screen, a bit better battery life, and a decent amount of apps with the GG2, and ill be snatching one up.
My Omate TrueSmart has better specs than the Galaxy Gear and it’s also less expensive…
haven’t spent a lot of time looking at the Omate, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t even being released for a month or two. Add to that the fact that it also 299 (if my memory serves me correctly) compared to this price drop that brings the gg in at 180, and that it required a SIM card (?) then I’m not exactly sure how you can make these claims.
But I digress… Either way the Omate did appear to have some pretty great tts capabilities iirc, and I’m sure it will be a great device. (when it actually does come out) I will quite likely do a spec check and capabilities check on it around the time the GG2 is released so I can make a more informed decision.
Well, the SIM card is optional and there’s a cheaper version with half the RAM + storage.
But yeah, hopefully the Galaxy Gear 2 is better than this. I just received my Omate 2 days ago after so many delays. (Although I heard only the higher specced version experienced delays whereas the other was out for a while)
Does it still work with only Samsung?
If I could get one for 100 bucks I probably would. they are nifty devices even though a lot of people talk bad about them. being able to glance at calls and texts and emails before I try to pull my phone out of my pocket would be useful.
They’re also not as large as I thought they would be. I saw an employee at Tmo wearing one. The screen was no larger than his wrist and he was as skinny as me. It didn’t look oddly noticeably. It looked futuristic and cool.
With the next Gear coming, is this really much of a surprise?
Junk! Wouldn’t pay more then $30 for it. And I’d probably still return it after messing with it for a few days.
I’m hesitant on a smart watch. Don’t want 1 more thing to charge daily. Plus what if my next phone isn’t a Samsung? Though I’d imagine that the watch can be rooted to work with any phone.