Samsung ships 800,000 Galaxy Gears in 2 months

Samsung has revealed that it has shipped over 800,000 Galaxy Gear smartwatches in the two months since its launch, but reports of a poor retail performance suggest that it is struggling to entice customers.

According to Reuters, Samsung labelled the Galaxy Gear as the world’s most popular smartwatch, having surpassed its own expectations in terms of sales. However, a large advertising campaign and collaborations with fashion shows may not have been enough to convince Joe Public to invest the £300 required to buy one – apparently the company has only sold 50,000 units to date.

When it first launched, the Galaxy Gear was only supported by a select few devices, including the Galaxy Note 3. Although Samsung has now added compatibility updates to more of its smartphones and tablets, including the Galaxy S4, it lags behind other smartwatches which are compatible with all Android devices, such as Sony’s Smartwatch 2.

Samsung’s announcement may sound like good news, but reports from retailers paint a different picture. A leaked memo from US retail chain Best Buy suggested that the customer return rate was as high as 30 per cent, while here in the UK Phones4U is giving away a Galaxy Gear with every Galaxy Note 3 taken out on contract.

Until Samsung reveals actual sales figures, it’s impossible to know how well the Galaxy Gear is doing, but based on these reports it seems the smartwatch revolution has yet to begin.