Samsung today unveiled its newest smartwatch, the Samsung Gear S3, at its IFA 2016 press event. Given that the Gear S2 was well received, Samsung has unsurprisingly not strayed too far but focused on adding a number of new features, including GPS and LTE connectivity.
“With the Gear S3, we continue to build on our wearables heritage of offering diverse choices to enhance consumers’ unique lifestyles,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung Gear S2 achieved meaningful progress in the smartwatch category with a personalized watch face and a versatile rotating bezel that provided an intuitive smartwatch experience. Now with the new Gear S3, we expand our Gear collection and introduce not only a great smartwatch, but a great watch. With smart capabilities and sophisticated, elegant design, the Gear S3 marks a significant addition to our smartwatch portfolio.”
Two versions of the new Samsung Gear S3 were unveiled today. The matte black Gear S3 Frontier is meant to exude “a rugged outdoor look with an enduring style that blends form and function” while the stainless steel silver Gear S3 classic aims for the “minimalist, elegant style found in the most iconic timepieces.”
The 1.3-inch display uses Always On Display (AOD) technology to show the time when the watch is not in use rather than have it fade to black. This gives the smartwatch a feel even closer to that of a traditional watch. It is ringed by a rotating bezel like the Gear S2 but enhanced with some new capabilities such as the ability to accept or reject a call or snooze an alarm.
Adding new features such as GPS does mean that the Gear S3 is, at 46mm, somewhat larger than the Gear S2 at 42mm. The move may have its detractors though. The additional 4mm and thicker design pushes it further into the realm of “big” watches and out of consideration for those who prefer smaller watches.
Samsung Gear S3 specifications:
- Processor: 1.0GHz dual-core
- Operating system: Tizen-based wearable platform 2.3.2
- Cellular connectivity: 3G/LTE (Gear S3 frontier only)
- Other connectivity: A-GPS/GLONASS, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
- Display: 1.3-inch (360×360 / 278 PPI ) SuperAMOLED with Corning Gorilla Glass SR+
- RAM: 768MB
- Internal storage: 4GB
- External storage: None
- Sensors: Accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, heart-rate monitor, ambient light
- Battery: 380mAh
- Dimensions: 46 × 49 × 12.9 millimeters
- Weight: 57 grams (classic) / 62 grams (frontier)
- Other: Wireless charging, IP68 rating, microphone and speaker
The Samsung Gear S3 is also among the first smartwatches to come with Corning’s Gorilla Glass SR+.
Pricing and availability for the Samsung Gear S3 were not announced today.
Source : Samsung