Now You Can Use The Samsung Galaxy Gear With Other Phones

The smartwatch niche is a booming one, with practically every manufacturer that matters making their own version. One of the most interesting smartwatches to come out this year is the Samsung Galaxy Gear. While Pebble and Cookoo have made it to the scene first, the Galaxy Gear certainly made waves even when all we had were rumors about its specs and features.

One of the things that took away from the appeal of the Galaxy Gear was the fact that it was only compatible with the Samsung Note 3. In effect, that meant you had to spend quite a huge sum to use the Gear – counting the cost of the phone, of course. That made it the most expensive smartwatch out there.

Good news for Samsung enthusiasts – the company seems to have come to its senses, at least to a certain degree. Last week, Samsung announced that theGalaxy Gear can now be used with other phones.

Before you get too excited, though, I feel it’s my duty to quickly bring you back to earth. Sure, the Gear is now compatible with phones aside from the ginormous Note 3, the choices are still rather limited. From the official announcement:

Galaxy Gear will be available for use with Galaxy S4, S III, and Note II through the Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) update. The update came first to Galaxy S4 devices in Germany in October. Samsung will also extend Galaxy Gear compatibility to other GALAXY devices – including Galaxy S4 mini, S4 Active, Mega 5.8, Mega 6.3, and S4 zoom – through a separate software update beginning at the end of October. Software update schedules for each device will vary by country and carrier.

 So, if you have an S4, S III, or Note II, you don’t have to buy a new phone just to use the Gear. And, if you’re not short on patience, you’ll soon be able to use the Samsung smartwatch with other Galaxy devices.

If you’re using another phone, and you want the Gear, then you’ll just have to shell out more for one of the devices above.