Samsung's plan to remove the Tizen OS from the Galaxy Watch has been rumored for some time, but thanks to Google I/O, it is now certain.

The two companies confirmed this new smartwatch OS (a combination of Samsung's Tizen and Google's Wear OS) today during I/O 2021. Called simply "Wear" for now, this joint effort will offer several advantages to consumers. They include a longer-lasting battery, smoother animations, and a special edition of Google Maps.

Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 will also benefit Fitbit's fitness tracking and health-based features. This is not so shocking considering Google acquired Fitbit for $2.1 billion in 2019. Interestingly, Samsung has stated that all of its future wearable devices will use Wear OS. There has already been speculation that Samsung will release multiple smartwatches this year.

Samsung has done a great job with watches, as evidenced by our Galaxy Watch 3 review. And this partnership with Google may be its best chance to dethrone the upcoming Apple Watch Series 7. At this point, the Apple Watch Series 6 is at the top of our best smartwatch list, and while the Galaxy Watch 3 was well received by fans and critics alike, the Galaxy Watch 4 is positioned as a better, richer experience overall. The Galaxy Watch 4 is positioned to offer a better, richer experience overall. Not only that, but fans may be able to choose from different versions at various price points.

Unfortunately, Samsung's past smartwatches cannot use the new Wear operating system. The company has stated that wearables released in the past cannot be upgraded to use Wear. These watches will continue to use Tizen, with Samsung issuing updates for the next three years.

We expect Samsung to reveal more details about its next smartwatch as soon as possible. Based on past iterations of Samsung's wearables, we can assume a price point of $400. Unfortunately, a release date has yet to be announced.