Samsung's Circular Gear S2 Smartwatches Unveiled
Samsung has made its latest foray into the smartwatch market with the new Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic, expanding its lineup of wearables. The watches have 1.2-inch circular screens with a 360 x 360 resolution (302 ppi), making them stand out from Samsung's other wearables.
The interface takes advantage of the round screen, including an app launcher that lets users tap on round targets to switch applications.
The watches have a ring around the face that rotates to control functions, and they have new fitness capabilities, including a 24-hour activity log that users can check to see at a glance how active they've been.
The Gear S2 Classic will have a black stainless steel case and a black leather band, while the Gear S2 will come in a dark gray case with a dark gray band or a silver case with a white band. According to Samsung, the watches will run for 2-3 days depending on how people use them. Unlike their predecessor, both the Gear S2 and S2 Classic will be available without a 3G modem, though they will have reduced functionality when not in range of a paired Samsung smartphone.
The S2 and S2 Classic are both 11.4 millimeters thick, roughly a millimeter thicker than the Apple Watch.
Users who spring for a Gear S2 with a 3G modem will find that it's bigger and heavier than its non-cellular counterpart. The Gear S2 Classic isn't available with 3G.
The watches run Samsung's Tizen operating system. For now, the company said it will have "a variety" of apps available at launch that are optimized for the S2's circular screen. In addition, Samsung is working with its partners to develop further applications.
For more convenience, the Samsung Gear S2 comes with NFC technology which will enable mobile payments without the need for a wallet.
Samsung hasn't announced when the watches will be available for purchase or how much they'll cost. The Samsung Gear S costs $199 in the U.S. when purchased from a wireless carrier with a two-year contract.
Samsung Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic Specifications:
Display | 1.2?, Circular Super AMOLED, 360?360, 302ppi |
AP | Dual core 1.0 GHz |
OS | Tizen based wearable platform |
Audio | Codec: MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ Format: MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG |
Memory | Storage: 4GB Internal Memory RAM: 512MB |
Features | Communications: ? Contacts, Notifications, Messages, Email, ? Preset text, Voice Input, Emoticons, Keypads |
Health & Fitness: ? S Health, Nike+ Running |
|
Information: ? Schedule, News, Maps & Navigation, Weather |
|
Media: ? Music Player, Gallery |
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Others: ? S Voice, Voice Memo, Find My Device, Power Saving Mode, Safety assistance, Privacy lock |
|
IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant | |
Samsung Services | Samsung Gear Apps |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth? 4.1 NFC |
Sensor | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, Barometer |
Dimension | Gear S2: 42.3?49.8?11.4mm (47g) Gear S2 classic: 39.9?43.6?11.4mm (42g) |
Battery | Wireless Charging 250mAh Li-ion Typical Usage 2~3days |
Samsung Gear S2 3G Version Specifications:
Display | 1.2?, Circular Super AMOLED, 360?360, 302ppi |
AP | Dual core 1.0 GHz |
OS | Tizen based wearable platform |
Audio | Codec: MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ Format: MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG |
Memory | Storage: 4GB Internal Memory RAM: 512MB |
Features | Communications: ? Contacts, Notifications, Messages, Email, ? Preset text, Voice Input, Emoticons, Keypads |
Health & Fitness: ? S Health, Nike+ Running |
|
Information: ? Schedule, News, Maps & Navigation, Weather |
|
Media: ? Music Player, Gallery |
|
Others: ? S Voice, Voice Memo, Find My Device, Power Saving Mode, Safety assistance, Privacy lock |
|
IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant | |
Samsung Services | Samsung Gear Apps |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth? 4.1 NFC |
Sensor | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, Barometer |
Dimension | 44.0 x 51.8 x 13.4mm (51g) |
Battery | Wireless Charging 300mAh Li-ion Typical Usage 2 days |