The stream of Samsung announcement
continues - after the two Galaxy Note20 phones and two Galaxy Tab S7 tablets,
there is also a new smartwatch - the Galaxy Watch3. It comes with the ability
to measure the blood oxygen levels (SpO2) and will also provide blood pressure
and ECG readings. The smartwatch comes in two sizes - 45mm and 41mm, with
respective screen diagonals of 1.4” and 1.2”. The panel is Super AMOLED with a
resolution of 360 x 360 pixels and has Gorilla Glass DX on top for protection.
The bezel will be able to rotate and used for some navigation in the OS.
On the inside we’re looking at an Exynos
9110 chipset with dual-core CPU at 1.15 GHz. It has 1GB RAM + 8GB storage at
its disposable and there’s also a version with LTE modem and eSIM. The Samsung
Galaxy Watch3 offers IP68 water and dust protection and is compliant with the
MIL-STD-810G standard for durability. The battery is 340 mAh or 247 mAh,
depending on the size, and comes with wireless charging, as well as the
standard one with magnetic circular pad.
Samsung stays loyal to its wearable OS -
the Galaxy Watch3 comes with Tizen 5.5. The company cautiously reminded in a
press release that while the watch will have a blood oxygen sensor, the actual
feature won’t arrive until later this year. The BP, ECG readings will be market-dependent
as they need to be authorized by local health authorities.
The wearable is said to be the ultimate
partner for training, and Samsung developed the software to offer real-time
feedback and Running analysis (also available later this year). The cardio
progress will be tracked by VO2 Max readings, tutted by some like the one
measure you should take into account when running. Another feature Samsung is
really proud of is its sleep management. It isn’t a new feature per se, but
with the Galaxy Watch3 it will bring new sleep score and more accurate insights
to help you get better rest.
All Galaxy Watch3 owners will have access
to over 120 different video workouts on Samsung Health that can be performed at
home since many people remain confined at home for the near future. Video can
be played on any device and Galaxy Watch3 will track it live, giving
step-by-step navigations. The Samsung Galaxy Watch3 integration with the Galaxy
Note20 smartphones include automatic reply options both for messages or
gifs/images, and will also offer hand gestures like clenching or unclenching
fist to receive a call, but that has to be turned on/off through the Labs menu
in the Galaxy Wear app.
The smartwatch will be available starting
August 6 in select countries, while Europe will get it on August 21. Both sizes
are available in Wi-Fi only or LTE + Wi-Fi variants in Mystic Silver color. The
41 mm Galaxy Watch3 will get the Mystic Bronze color option, as well as Mystic
Silver. The 45 mm will be offered in either Mystic Silver or Mystic Black, and
later this year will arrive an exclusive Titanium variant. Prices begin from
€ 429 for the 41mm Galaxy Watch3 and € 459 for the 45mm version, but those are
for the Wi-Fi only options. The ones with LTE are € 50 more each, or
respectively € 479 and € 509.
