Samsung today took the wraps off of its new Gear S3 smartwatches, the Frontier (above) and Classic (below), and T-Mobile has confirmed that it’ll carry the Frontier this year.
Both Gear S3 models feature 1.3-inch 360×360 Super AMOLED displays, which is larger than the 1.2-inch display found on the Gear S2 watches. The round displays on the Gear S3 are covered with Gorilla Glass SR+ and feature rotating bezels, which you can use to do things like accept or reject calls and snooze an alarm.
The Gear S3’s case measures 46 x 49 x 12.9mm, which is a bit larger than the Gear S2’s 42.3 x 49.8 x 11.4mm case. There’s a lot of stuff packed into that larger case, though, including a 1GHz dual-core processor, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, and a 380mAh battery (larger than the Gear S2’s 250mAh battery) that Samsung says will last up to four days on a single charge.
Also inside the Gear S3’s stainless steel 316L case is Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, GPS/Glonass, NFC and MST for Samsung Pay, a heart rate monitor, an ambient light sensor, and 4G LTE connectivity. The Gear S3 includes a built-in speaker, too.
The Gear S3 runs Tizen — specifically, Tizen-based Wearable Platform 2.3.2 — and supports devices running Android 4.4 or higher with 1.5GB of RAM or more.
Finally, both of the Gear S3 watches are compatible with standard 22mm watch bands, and they’re both IP68-rated for dust and water resistance.
T-Mobile has confirmed that it’ll carry the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier, which is the sportier of the two watches, this fall. Expect pricing and exact availability closer to release.
The Gear S3 looks like a large smartwatch, sporting a case that’s both larger and thicker than the Gear S2’s. That size could turn some folks off, but if you don’t mind it, then the Gear S3 looks to be chock full of features. Some of the more notable new features of the Gear S3 include more RAM for improved performance, a bigger battery, a built-in speaker, and MST support for using Samsung Pay with your wrist.
So what do you all think of the Gear S3? Anyone going to spring for Samsung’s new smartwatch later this year?
Source: Samsung