In celebration of Earth Day, Samsung has announced a partnership with plant-based designer Sean Wotherspoon to create a line of eco-friendly smartphone cases and Galaxy Watch accessories. The device accessories are all sourced sustainably using 100% recycled materials, according to Samsung. The cases and watch bands are all biodegradable, meaning that once they’re thrown out, their ecological impact will be quite low.
The 2022 sustainability line consists of phone cases for the Galaxy S21 and watch bands for the Galaxy Watch 4. All items will be available for purchase starting at 10 a.m. ET on Earth Day — Friday, April 22 — on Samsung.com.
The “biodegradable” point isn’t just marketing, either. In the right conditions in a landfill, these will start to break down in just a month. But, with normal airflow/moisture and regular wear, they won’t have any issues during the owner’s time having them on their wrist.
— Andrew Martonik (@andrewmartonik) April 21, 2022
In terms of design, the entire Samsung x Sean Wotherspoon line puts aesthetics at the forefront. The three color options for all accessories are green, yellow, and pink and are covered in cartoon graphics of things like the globe, peace signs, and other Earth Day-themed graphics. In addition to the physical bands, Samsung has provided free matching digital watch faces available for download for those wanting a singular look for their Galaxy Watch.
While many companies like flexing their eco-friendly muscles for Earth Day, this isn’t Samsung’s first sustainability effort. Not only is this the second of the company’s sustainably sourced accessory series, but Samsung has also been pushing for the recycling of technology waste through other programs. For example, just last week the company added the Galaxy S21 lineup to its Certified Renewed store, a first-party retailer that sells refurbished devices.
Earlier this month, reports suggested that the company is looking to provide Android device owners the option to repair their broken hardware using recycled pieces, cutting down on both costs and plastic waste. The program is still yet to be officially announced and implemented, but it’s another example of Samsung putting eco-friendly practices front and center.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.