Korean tech giant Samsung has unveiled the new iteration of its Gear smartwatch, surprising fans with a new circular watchface and more battery life than the Apple Watch.
The Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic each boast a round 1.2-inch (3cm) screen, three day battery life and NFC payments technology, as well as fitness tracking.
The Gear S2, which Samsung is positioning as the slightly superior (and more expensive) option, also features its own SIM card slot meaning it can operate independently of a smartphone and send and receive its own text messages and calls.
But it’s unknown how many apps will be available for the new devices.
The limited selection of apps is one of the main challenges facing Samsung’s smartwatches, which have been around for longer than the Apple Watch but haven’t generated as much interest or sales.
Samsung’s newest, the Gear S2, faces competition not just from Apple but also from a variety of manufacturers using Google’s Android Wear software.
According to IDC, Apple was the No. 2 maker of wearable devices in the April-June quarter, with a 20 per cent worldwide market share, behind the Fitbit and its fitness trackers at 24 per cent. Samsung was fifth with 3.3 per cent.
So far, outside app developers have focused their efforts instead on the Apple Watch and Android Wear watches. Samsung’s watches use their own operating system, Tizen, which means extra work adapting apps for them.
Samsung promised a variety of apps designed for the new watch’s circular face, but it didn’t provide details. The company said demos of the new apps will come Thursday at the IFA tech show in Berlin.
Samsung CEO JK Shin said the phones were a “progessive” effort for the company.
“For the past several years, Samsung has pioneered and advanced the wearables category, bringing brave new concepts to the smart wearables market,” he said.
“It is the perfect complement for any occasion, easily taking you from day to night, from work to workout, and ensuring that you get more out of every moment in your day, by making it smarter and ultimately more personal and fun.”
Samsung didn’t announce a price or release date for the S2.
With AP
