Samsung has officially announced the Gear S2, its round Tizen-powered SmartWatch. The smartwatch will come in two variants: the regular Gear S2, and the Gear S2 Classic.
The Gear S2 features a round, 1.2-inch circular display with a resolution of 260×360. Samsung says the watch is 11.4 millimeters thin and also packs a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor and a 300mAh battery, which the company says will support 2-3 days of battery life.
Both smartwatch variants feature a 1.2-inch circular Super AMOLED displays with a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels.
On the inside, the Gear S2 features a “wearable-optimized†1.0GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. It is equipped with a bunch of sensors including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a heart-rate monitor, an ambient-light sensor, a barometer, and a microphone. Connectivity is taken care of by Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.1, and NFC. There’s a 250 mAh battery that can be charged wirelessly using the provided charging dock, and the company claims that the Gear S2 can last upto 2-3 days with normal usage. The Gear S2 3G also features cellular connectivity, thanks to an Embedded-SIM (e-SIM), and has a day less of battery life.
Samsung has invented a new way of interaction with the smartwatch: a rotating bezel, and there are two additional buttons, home and back, which help a user in accessing notifications and applications in a quicker, more accurate, and more comfortable manner.
Both watches are IP68 certified, so they are dust as well as water-resistant.
Both smartwatches run a Tizen-based wearable platform that is customised to be used on wearable devices with circular displays. Users can view at-a-glance notifications for calendar events, emails, messages, news, weather, and notifications from other apps with ease. They can even type or narrate custom replies using the inbuilt keyboard and the voice recognition system. The Gear S2 can receive notifications and can carry out voice calls, thanks to cellular connectivity.
The Gear S2 sports NFC inside for mobile payments, and Samsung says it is working with partners to expand the utility of the smartwatch in new ways, “including smart car keys, residential room keys, and remote controls to manage a connected home.”
Samsung is also touting its work with third-party partners and developers, noting that a number of apps optimized for the Gear S2’s round interface will be available at launch. Also on tap are partnerships that will yield a variety of third-part watch faces and watch bands, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding options to match your style.
The watch can also be used as a smart car and room key or a remote control that can manage connected devices and appliances at home.
Pre-installed apps include S Health, Nike+ Running, S Voice, Weather, Calls, Contacts, Notifications, Messages, Email, Maps & Navigation, Music Player, and Gallery. There’s a Healthy Watch Face and a widget that displays your activity throughout the day.
Fitness functions on the Gear S2 encourage users to stay healthy and active, and gives them a 24-hour activity log with activity progress and patters. Auto activity recognition system motivates users to be active and fit.
Samsung Gear 2 Specs
[table style=”table-striped”]
| Category | Gear S2 | Gear S2 Classic | Gear S2 3G |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 1.2-inch circular AMOLED, 360×360 | 1.2-inch circular AMOLED, 360×360 | 1.2-inch circular AMOLED, 360×360 |
| Processor | Dual-core 1GHz Pega-W | Dual-core 1GHz Pega-W | Dual-core 1GHz MSM8226 |
| Memory | 512MB | 512MB | 512MB |
| Storage | 4GB internal | 4GB internal | 4GB internal |
| Battery | 250 mAh Li-ion 2-3 days usage Wireless charging |
250 mAh Li-ion 2-3 days usage Wireless charging |
300 mAh Li-ion 2 days usage Wireless charging |
| Connectivity | 802.11n Wifi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC | 802.11n Wifi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC | 802.11n Wifi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC |
| OS | Tizen based wearable platform | Tizen based wearable platform | Tizen based wearable platform |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, Barometer | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, Barometer | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, Barometer |
| Dimensions | 42.3 x 49.8 x 11.4mm 47g |
39.9 x 43.6 x 11.4mm 42g |
44.0 x 51.8 x 13.4mm 51g |
| Resistance | IP68 certified dust and water resistant | IP68 certified dust and water resistant | IP68 certified dust and water resistant |
| Audio | Codec: MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ Format: MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG |
Codec: MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ Format: MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG |
Codec: MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ Format: MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG |
| Features | Contacts, notifications, messages, email, S Voice, S Health, Nike+ Running, music player, gallery, maps & navigation, weather | Contacts, notifications, messages, email, S Voice, S Health, Nike+ Running, music player, gallery, maps & navigation, weather | Contacts, notifications, messages, email, S Voice, S Health, Nike+ Running, music player, gallery, maps & navigation, weather |
[/table]
Samsung will be showing off the Gear S2 at IFA this week and pricing and release details are currently not available.
