Samsung Gear S3 price and release date
In a wearable world that's mostly dominated by Apple Watch, the best fitness trackers, and Android Wear devices, the Tizen OS-running Samsung Gear S2 made quite the impression - and the Gear S3 duo offers some big improvements to the wrist-based smart thing.
There are, in fact, two Gear S3 models to choose from: the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier and the Samsung Gear S3 Classic - and they're pretty much identical apart from slight design tweaks and connectivity.
Given Samsung's one of the biggest makers of smartwatches behind Apple, and it's been working hard on its own OS for the platform, any new device from the brand is a big deal. So let's dig in to see what's on offer:
- Fancy something with a little Android flavor? Here are the best Android Wear smartwatches.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Samsung's refinement of an already-decent smartwatch
- When is it out? Announced August 31, released in the latter half of 2016
- What will it cost? US$250 (about £189, AU$330) depending on the model
Samsung Gear S3 release date and price
Samsung has used its IFA press conference to talk up the new watches - sadly there's no release date nor price available yet.
We're expecting them to emerge by the end of September, but in terms of price the Gear S3 duo would do well to stay at its current entry price of US$299. Of course, we'd love to see a lower price, but that's probably not on the cards.
Like the Gear S2, the Gear S3 has emerged in two different models, and if the same pattern is followed then the Classic will cost US$50 more than that standard model, but offering a more elegant steel build and leather band.
Samsung Gear S3 design and performance
Samsung claims it has spent a lot of time studying watches – both of the smart and classic variety – to come up with the ultimate wearable, and it has produced two distinct models: the Gear S3 Frontier and the Gear S3 Classic.
The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier is aimed at more active wearers, with a rugged design and built-in LTE mobile network connectivity and GPS, which allows it to continue functioning as a smartwatch even when it's not connected to a smartphone.
Meanwhile, the Gear S3 Classic aims for a more iconic appearance, with a size and weight (which is lighter than the Gear S3 Frontier) that aims to replicate the balance found in hand-crafted luxury watches.
Apart from the design, LTE support of the S3 Frontier, and weight, both versions of the Gear S3 are evenly matched in the spec stakes, with a dual core 1.0GHz processor, 4GB internal memory, 380mAh battery and 768MG RAM.
Both smartwatches run the Tizen operating system and are compatible with Android devices running Android 4.4 or later. The two variants of the Samsung Gear S3 will also be highly customizable with support for swappable 22mm straps and interchangeable digital watch faces.
Samsung Gear S3 features
Both Samsung Gear S3 models come with support for IP68 water resistance and mobile payments through Samsung Pay. The Samsung Gear S3's 1.3-inch circular Super AMOLED always-on display has a resolution of 360 x 360 and a pixel density of 278ppi (pixels per inch), and it's protected by extra-tough Corning Gorilla Glass SR+, which is a first for a Samsung Gear wearable.
By having an always-on display, wearers will be able to quickly glance at the watch to tell the time, like a classic timepiece, rather than having to wait for the screen to turn on, as with other smartwatches.
There's also the same Samsung Pay support that's found in the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge models (as well as the recent Note 7) - which means you can pay using any terminal with an NFC or magnetic stripe payment section using the watch.
The Gear S3 Frontier also features an SOS mode that allows users to activate location tracking to alert families, friends and emergency services if the wearer encounters any problems, even when they don't have their smartphone on them.
The Gear S3 battery life looks to be massively extended too: where most Android wear watches are promising a couple of days' use before conking out, the two new Samsung watches are tipped for four days' use between charges.
This is down to a pretty large 380mAh battery as well as a much more efficient platform in Samsung's proprietary Tizen operating system (AKA the Tizen Based Wearable Platform 2.3.2).
GPS and a barometric altimeter are big additions to the mix here: with this on board you'll be able to take these watches out for a run, learn how high you've gone, track your distance and listen to music too. If you're using the Frontier, you'll even be able to get phone calls without needing to staple your phone to your arm or stomach.
And finally: let's not forget that these watches are IP68 water- and dust-resistant rated, which means they can thrive under one meter of water for 30 minutes - just like the S7 pair.
We'll be updating this hub with information as we get it - stay tuned folks!
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What we want to see
As complete of a device the Samsung Gear S2 is out of the box, there are certainly a few tricks that we'd love to have seen. So, instead of complaining about it, we're looking to the future.
1. Built-in GPS
The more expensive 3G/4G model of the Samsung Gear S2 contains built-in GPS, which is an awesome feature that benefits joggers, walkers, and those who just want to know where they're going block-by-block.
We'd love to see this feature trickle down to the basic edition of the Gear S3, which would put it above several smartwatches that lack it. Frustratingly, there are several devices that do have it, like the Sony Smartwatch 3, Moto 360 Sport, and most recently, even Samsung's own Gear Fit 2. So, why not the Gear S3?
2. Android Wear 2.0 edition
In our exclusive video showing off the Samsung Galaxy S8 of our dreams, we bet that Samsung will release a stock Android option. It seems crazy, we know, but crazy enough to (hopefully) be true. Not that TouchWiz is all bad–it's gotten much better in recent years–but stock Android is pure, clutter-free bliss.
While the same can't be said about Google's wearable platform, it'd nevertheless be a gutsy move by Samsung to introduce an Android Wear 2.0-ready version of the Gear S3.
The Gear S2's Tizen OS is slick, refined, and in some ways, better than Android Wear. Even so, some smartwatch users might count Samsung out of their purchase decision by not adopting it, despite it being cross-platform.
3. iOS compatibility
One feature that Android Wear has up on Tizen, at least on a limited level, is iOS compatibility. Certain models, like the Moto 360 2015, Huawei Watch, LG Watch Urbane, Fossil Q Founder and a few others, can work on both Android and iOS.
Sure, iOS functionality with an Android Wear device is nothing to get too excited about, but giving iOS users more options to choose from than just the Apple Watch is a plus.
We'd love to see Samsung open its doors on the next wearable to work with iPhones. Samsung and Apple have a pretty bitter rivalry, so this might be wishful thinking, but it seems like an oddly good fit.
4. More bands to choose from
The bands of the Samsung Gear S2 can be switched out rather easily for any band that will fit its sizing. The only downside to this is that, other than its leather bands, Samsung doesn't offer any other bands of its own to trick the device out with.
Compare that to Apple expansive selection of bands to choose from, as well as Google's eclectic Android Wear Mode band collection, and Samsung's efforts so far seem utterly basic.
A small of a factor it might seem, being able to customize the bands of a smartwatch really makes it feel like your own.
5. A faster processor
As noted in the performance section, the Gear S2 and Samsung Gear Fit 2 share the same processor. Not that it's particularly bad, but if the Gear S3 is the step-up in design, build quality and features that we hope it is, it should have an impressive chipset to add onto that.
It's especially important considering that the Apple Watch 2 is incoming and Android Wear is set to upgrade its chipset standard to Snapdragon Wear 2100, which will yield much slimmer devices in the near future.
from Techradar - All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/1325711
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