Samsung Electronics says it is strengthening its partnerships with Google and Microsoft, in efforts to add new innovative features to its mobile and wearable devices.
At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2021, the South Korean multinational electronics giant also announced its latest Galaxy Watch, scheduled to be officially launched later this year.
Last year, Samsung expanded its strategic partnership with Microsoft to deliver unified experiences for consumers across its mobile devices.
Microsoft and Samsung share a long history of innovation and collaboration, integrating Microsoft solutions in some mobile devices, to allow users to work fluidly between smartphone and Windows PC devices.
The Galaxy and Windows platforms leverage cloud computing and advanced intelligence to deliver seamless 5G mobile experiences to users, Samsung notes.
Galaxy Fold users, for example, can drag data between Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, and synchronise notifications across Galaxy phones and Windows PCs.
In terms of Samsung’s partnership with Google, the companies have collaborated to develop “Wear OS”, an operating system that combines Google’s technologies with Samsung’s Tizen wearable operating system for its Galaxy Watch devices.
Speaking at the Samsung Unpacked event, at MWC, Patrick Chomet, corporate EVP and global head of products and experience at Samsung, provided a sneak peek of the new Galaxy Watch, the One UI Watch, set to make its debut in the next few months.
The new smartwatch will be the first device to feature One UI, the new unified platform jointly built with Google, which brings performance enhancements and a more seamless experience between the wearable device and Android smartphones.
“To unlock the full potential of these wearables, we’re leveraging our long legacy of mobile innovations and our partnerships with trusted industry leaders who have grown with us in our open ecosystem,” explained Chomet.
“Through these efforts, we will enrich our smartwatch experience and convenience of the Galaxy ecosystem for our consumers.”
The One UI Watch, together with the new unified platform, will create an entirely new Galaxy Watch experience, he added.
The unified platform will open up new features and integrations with popular third-party apps available to download from Google Play directly on a user’s Galaxy Watch.
As part of the added services, once a user installs watch-compatible apps on their Android smartphone, they will be automatically downloaded onto their smartwatch.
“Samsung and Google have a long history of collaboration and whenever we’ve worked together, the experience for our consumers has been dramatically better for everyone,” said Sameer Samat, VP of product management, Android and wear at Google.
“That certainly holds true for this new, unified platform, which will be rolling out for the first time on Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch. In collaboration with Samsung, we’re thrilled to bring longer battery life, faster performance and a wide range of apps, including many from Google, to a whole new wearable experience.”
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