Samsung has finally unveiled its latest addition to the smartwatch lineup, the Gear S3. While it seems like the Korean manufacturer has shown no signs of interest to compete with the rest of the Android Wear operated smartwatch, the Samsung Gear S3 is impressive in its own stride too. The newly launched Tizen powered smartwatch retains the addictive rotating bezel from its predecessor, while adding a slew of innovations and improvements to it.
For starters, Samsung has drawn a line between fashion and function, hence the Classic version and the Frontier version. The Classic version features a more sophisticated and classy look to it while the Frontier is the more rugged of the two, boasting a sporty look as well. The difference? Apart from design, the Frontier Gear S3 has the extra LTE connectivity missing on the Classic version.
As far as display and hardware go, the Gear S3 sports Super AMOLED 1.3-inch circular display covered with Gorilla Glass SR+ to prevent scratches. What’s also new is the smartwatch features Samsung’s Always On Display technology which supports a whopping 16 million colors. The rotating bezel, apart from the usual functions seen on the Gear S2, can now be turned to accept or reject calls, a very nifty new feature by Samsung.
Probably the biggest issue with current smartwatches is their battery life, with most wearables only lasting an average of 2-3 days at maximum. Samsung has seemingly addressed the concern by upgrading the battery by quite a bit when comparing the Gear S2 and Gear S3. The battery capacity sees around a 50% increase from 250mAh to 380mAh in the latter, an improvement in battery life as well, with the Gear S3 boasting 3-4 days of battery life even with LTE enabled. The smartwatch does have a couple of battery saving modes if you intend to squeeze in some extra battery life.
The Samsung Gear S3 is equipped with a microphone and speaker, which means users could go full-on spy mode when making phone calls if they intend to do so, with the option to pair a set of bluetooth earphones/headphones for the same purpose, and also to listen to music. Samsung has also packed a slew of sensors in the Gear S3, including an altimeter, barometer, heart rate sensor, GPS and a speedometer. Other details include the IP68 rating on both the Classic and Frontier Gear S3’s, alongside a military level testing to ensure that the watch can withstand extreme shocks and temperatures if you happen to encounter those situations. And last but not least, the Samsung Gear S3 features the standard 22mm watch strap which means that users can customize its look to their heart’s content with any 22mm band they find out there.
Samsung has yet to announce the pricing and the availability of the Gear S3 just yet, but the company won’t be staying silent for long. What are your thoughts on the Samsung Gear S3 so far? Stay tuned with us as we bring you more live updates from IFA 2016!
