Gemini will be the key to the Galaxy Watch 8 — or the latest fad that can't save Wear OS

Like most Android fans, I'm eagerly waiting for Galaxy Unpacked next Wednesday, where the Galaxy Watch 8 is certain to appear. Official software reveals and unofficial leaks paint a clear picture of what to expect. But I can only solve the biggest mystery with the watch in hand: Will Gemini revitalize Galaxy Watches, or leave them floundering?

IDC reported last month that Samsung's global wearable share fell from 8.8% to 7.5% since last year, with Apple (15.5%) doubling its sales, Huawei (22%) and Xiaomi (19%) dominating the charts, and Garmin (4.7%) creeping up from behind.

It's not all bad news for Samsung; Canalys says its Galaxy Fit 3 sales helped the brand perform quite well in "emerging markets." But when it comes to premium smartwatches, Chinese brands and Apple are squeezing Samsung out, despite it having the best phone sales of any brand in 2025.

How does Samsung turn things around? The leaked Galaxy Watch 8 design will either annoy fans of the old look or break long-time fans' apathy after years of reruns. Either way, if the rumored Watch 8 price increase happens, Samsung will have more to prove than a facelift. It needs a killer feature.

For Android phones, Gemini has been the killer app driving Pixel and Galaxy sales. So maybe the AI will have the same effect for smartwatches, revitalizing people's interest in Wear OS. But that will come down to how well it works.

Gemini and Galaxy AI need to wow people, not just regurgitate the obvious

Samsung wants to turn the Galaxy Watch 8 into a daily AI companion, judging and guiding you toward better choices. The question is, will the AI underlying it work or say anything profound enough to make people care?

Samsung's list of new features includes Bedtime Guidance to recommend an "optimal bedtime" and shame you with reminders into better habits; how your sleep, exercise, and stress are impacting your Vascular Load, or heart health; whether your antioxidant index shows healthy nutrition; and a Running Coach that'll give you a "running level score from 1 to 10" and generate a training plan to complete a race, from a 5K to a marathon.

Plus, Samsung hinted at the first 2025 Unpacked that Samsung Health would let you "get real-time insights" by asking an AI questions about your health and habits. We could even get "personalized nutrition advice" with "tailored meal plans and recipes."

In theory, this all sounds like a holistic approach to health that'll make Samsung Health better, backed by algorithmic data, accurate sensors, and LLM-generated advice.

In practice, people might turn off bedtime reminders for the same reason they turn off move reminders: to avoid being shamed. Samsung's Running Coach will need to live up to the accuracy of a fitness watch's lactate threshold test for serious runners to care about their score; up until now, Samsung's VO2 Max score has never felt especially accurate.

And after the mess last year with everyone getting the same AGEs Index, I'm curious whether the antioxidant index tool will detect carotenoids with precision.

I'm not trying to be cynical here. But accuracy and personalization matter as much as presentation. Will Samsung be able to accurately judge a person's heart health, or create a competent marathon training plan based on 12 minutes of running data? And will its AI coach provide specific advice or just spit out generalizations from Google Search?

That's why Gemini — running in the background to power these Galaxy AI tools — matters so much to the Watch 8's success. Samsung needs to convince people these tools aren't AI boondoggles with iffy data, like the Garmin Connect Plus chatbot. If Samsung decides to charge for a Samsung Health AI subscription, the bar will be even higher.

Gemini could transform Wear OS or fall flat

Health and fitness tools matter to a lot of people, but people buy Wear OS watches for the smarts, Android interconnectivity, and (up until now) Assistant commands.

We know from the One UI 8 Watch beta that the Watch 8 will get new Tiles and a Now Bar with relevant data you can summon with a double-finger tap. Samsung will need to prove that the Now Bar knows what apps and info you find the most "relevant." And we're sure to get other upgrades.

However, I'm mainly waiting for Gemini, which Samsung confirmed would arrive on Galaxy Watches. The blog post promised "hands-free assistance using natural voice commands to stay productive on the move." It gave examples like "Remember I’m using locker 43 today" or "Summarize my last email" of what Gemini can do, pulling data from Google and Samsung apps.

This sounds futuristic as heck and could wow people who rely on basic Assistant commands (or Siri). But it will come down to execution.

How well will Gemini recognize commands specific to watches and watch apps? Will commands be effective outside of the core Samsung and Google apps? Will Gemini use more battery life than Assistant did? Can you use Gemini Live on your watch?

Most importantly, will the newer Galaxy Watches have any advanced, on-device Gemini smarts with the newest Exynos chips, or is it all dependent upon your Galaxy phone? People need a reason to upgrade from their old Galaxy Watch, or not to buy the older Watch 7 for significantly less.

I'm also curious if Google is holding anything back with Gemini for the Pixel Watch 4, leaving the Galaxy Watch 8 waiting a couple of months longer for this killer feature. Thankfully, we'll find out soon what Samsung and Google have up their metaphorical sleeves! Hopefully, it's enough to get the AI-obsessed public interested in their watches again.

But if Gemini on Wear OS is a pedestrian upgrade over Assistant, people will keep migrating to other brands that offer better battery life, advanced fitness training, or other perks.

For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch, check out our Ultimate Guide.