Ahead of the Berlin IFA Conference starting on September 5th, Samsung has announced their next smartwatch. The Samsung Gear S smartwatch features a curved Super AMOLED display, and has built-in Wi-Fi and cellular 3G radio for optional data connectivity without needing a paired smartphone providing internet access.
The Gear S brings together a number of features from Samsung's previous generation of smartwatches. The styling and wristband matches the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo look, while the curved display echoes that of the Gear Fit.
Also echoing the Gear 2 is the operating system. The Gear S runs on Tizen, just as the Gear 2 range did. Samsung is still working with Google and Android Wear (as witnessed by the Gear Live released at Gogole I/O, and presumably a new Android Wear device will be announced at IFA) but by using Tizen, the company is looking to be as independent as possible.
It will be interesting to see how much slack Google continue to offer Samsung if the South Korean company does not show an ongoing commitment to Android Wear alongside the Tizen powered wearables.
The Gear S is an iteration on Samsung's smartwatch styling with echoes right back to Samsung's first smartwatch. At first glance, with the traditional hour/minute hands on display, it's the most watch-like smartwatch that Samsung has put on sale.
Of course we have to remember that these are press images, and would have been chosen to give the best context to the watch. How it looks in the real world remains to be seen. The wrist strap looks similar to that of the Gear 2 watches, and while the curved Super AMOLED screen will create a more watch-like feel, how the interface works with the bulk of a two-inch screen (running 360x480 pixels) will need to wait until the press get some hands-on time with the smartwatch.
We'll also have to wait to see how the untethered 3G and Wifi connectivity will work alongside the familiar bluetooth connectivity used by previous Samsung smartwatches. The company's press release talks about 3G connectivity, but does not mention how this is achieved. Presumably you're going to need another SIM card to give the handset data access via a cellular network. That might be fine in markets with a strong (and cheap) pay as you go ethos, but it would incur a regular payment for the Gear S to remain connected when it is out of range of your smartphone.
The Gear S is expected to go on sale globally in October 2014, and Samsung offered no indication on pricing.
