This older Galaxy Watch model gets an unexpected update from Samsung

What you need to know

• Samsung has issued an update for the original Galaxy Watch model.
• The update improves the performance of the smartwatch's sensors.
• The Galaxy Watch was launched in 2018, and the last software update was issued in late 2021.

Samsung has a surprise for owners of the original Galaxy Watch, issuing a small update to the device for the first time in more than a year.

The update was spotted by Sammy Fans and comes in at just 34.40MB. While no new features are included with build R810XXU1GWE2, the changelog highlights at least one improvement to the Galaxy Watch included with the update, which improves the performance of the device's sensors.

(Image credit: Sammy Fans)

It's not clear what prompted this new update, especially since it's the first to arrive on the watch since November 2021, but in case you're still holding on to this five-year-old smartwatch, you can probably expect more accurate sensors following the update.

The Galaxy Watch launched in 2018, which is a long time in the smartphone world. The device is based on Samsung's Tizen OS, although the company has since moved on to Wear OS with its latest smartwatches, including the Galaxy Watch 5. Still, it's good to see Samsung extending support to such an old device.

The last major update to the original Galaxy Watch arrived shortly after the launch of the Galaxy Watch 4, bringing some added functionality and new watch faces to Samsung's older Tizen-based smartwatches.

Galaxy Watch owners can check for the update in the Galaxy Wearable app on their smartphones.

Meanwhile, we're roughly one month away from the launch of the new Galaxy Watch 6, which will be based on Wear OS. The device is expected to bring back the rotating bezel that was popular on older models and will likely be powered by the new One UI 5 Watch based on Wear OS 4, which is currently available in beta.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

The Galaxy Watch 5 is the perfect smartwatch for Galaxy smartphone owners, thanks to its fantastic design, great features set, and good battery life. Samsung is constantly improving the software to give Galaxy Watch 5 owners the best experience possible.