Samsung has officially unveiled the new Gear S3 smartwatch ahead of IFA 2016 Trade Show in Berlin – successor to the Gear S2 launched last year. The Gear S3 and has been designed in partnership with Swiss designer Yvan Arpa. Besides, Samsung has also collaborated with artist and industrial designer Arik Levy to create special watch faces and straps for the Gear S3. The smartwatch comes in two versions – the “Frontier” aimed at fitness users and the “Classic“, which exudes a more premium look and feel. It will reportedly start shipping in Q4 2016; however, Samsung is yet to announce the pricing of the smartwatch. Besides the standard version where the Gear S3 needs to be tethered to a smartphone to use connectivity features, Samsung will also release an embedded SIM version of the Gear S3 in a few markets. This means users can make and calls send messages directly from the Gear S3 – without carrying their smartphones.
Samsung Gear S3 Specs
Some of the key Gear S3 specs include a 1.3-inch Super AMOLED “always on display” with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Powering the smartwatch is a dual-core 1GHz processor bundled with 768MB of RAM and 4GB of built-in storage. It also comes with a built-in GPS, 4G LTE connectivity, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, along with support for Samsung Pay. While for the fashionistas out there, Gear S3 is compatible with any 22mm watch band, making it easy to quickly change straps. Samsung is also expected to launch plenty of its straps for extra customization options.
Samsung has also packed the Gear S3 with a bigger 380mAh battery, compared to the 250mAh battery found on last year’s Gear S2. The company touts three-four days battery life with the Gear S3, which also comes power saving modes to bolster battery life further. The smartwatch is compatible with any smartphone running Android 4.4 KitKat or higher, with 1.5GB of RAM.
Samsung Gear S3 Features
It also gets a plethora of sensors such as an altimeter, barometer, speedometer along with an optical heart rate sensor. Moreover, there’s a built-in SOS feature that sends a user’s exact location to his/her emergency contact in case they end up in trouble. Besides, the Gear S3 also gets several new features such as the ability to reject calls, snooze alarms – even without touching the display. In addition, by writing or drawing on the watch’s display automatically converts them into text messages and emojis.
Will Samsung Gear S3 shadow Apple Watch 2 launch
Samsung’s unveiling of the Gear S3 at IFA 2016 showcase comes as it wants to take a lead on Apple. The highly-anticipated launch of the Apple Watch 2 is also just around the corner. Apple has an event scheduled for September 7 where it is expected to announce the new Apple Watch 2, along with the iPhone 7.
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