Samsung Gear S3
Samsung unveiled the Gear
S3 smartwatch. It's actually smarwatches - meet the Gear S3 classic and Gear S3
frontier. The watches grew since the S2 generation - 1.3" screen size,
46 mm in diameter. That's why Samsung will continue to sell the Gear S2 for
those who find the S3 too big.
But they will be missing out. The new
Always On display is so much better, it shows the full 16 million color gamut
(S2 managed just 8 colors). Also, the screen remains surprisingly active for
this being a lower power mode - you can see the second hand tick!
The Samsung Gear S3 now has full
support for Samsung Pay - both NFC and MST (S2 did only NFC). And all versions
of S3 will be able to handle calls - the LTE versions can dial on their own,
the Wi-Fi ones just act as a hands-free.
The watches are surprisingly rugged too.
Officially, they score an IP68 rating, but their 316L stainless steel body
should handle even corrosion from salt water. The screen is guarded by a
specially formulated Gorilla Glass SR+ - Samsung says it's almost as tough as
sapphire. The company also had impressive displays of how the watches handle
extreme temperatures - from the freezing cold of dry ice to the scorching light
of heat lamp.
What's the difference between Gear S3
classic and Gear S3 frontier, you ask? Well, frontier is the sportier watch,
available in black and only with rubber bands. It's the only one of the two to
have an option for 3G/LTE connectivity.
Classic only gets Wi-Fi/Bluetooth and
comes in silver, with leather bands. But both watches use the same materials
for the case and glass and are equally durable. Pricing and launch info are
unclear, all we heard so far is "Q4."
