Definition: Samsung Gear

Samsung's first line of smartwatches. Debuting in 2013 as the "Galaxy" Gear and later renamed Samsung Gear, the Galaxy name was brought back with a new line of watches five years later (see Galaxy Watch).

With sizes from 30 to 46 mm and up to 16GB of storage, the OS in Samsung Gear watches changed from Android to Tizen to Android Wear and back to Tizen. The Gear 2 Neo was a camera-less plastic unit, and the Fit was a sports model. Starting with the second-generation, Gears were dust proof, water resistant and included a heart rate monitor. See Samsung Gear S, Samsung Gear VR, Wear OS and Tizen.

The Original Gear

The camera on the first Gear smartwatch was on the band. In 2014, the lens was moved to the watch body on the Gear 2.

Gear and Gear Live

A major change from the original (left), the third-generation Gear Live (right) eliminated the phone dialer and camera altogether.