Samsung launches new Gear S3 smartwatch

Sparing no effort, Samsung has finally succeeded in cracking into the huge market that is mostly covered by Apple’s Smart watch. After a successful Gear S2, Samsung has launched the next iteration of the series, Gear S3 smartwatch. And let me tell you, it's huge!

Though S2 was fairly normal sized, the S3 is big. Moreover, the company hasn’t launched it in multiple sizes either. That means you only have a single size for your hands. Sorry people-with-small-wrist.

Samsung is offering two variants- the Classic which is the standard one with a silver finish and subtle bezel and the second one is Frontier which is the tougher variant and comes with IP68 waterproofing and military-level durability. With a deep gunmetal finish and a significantly more prominent bezel, the Frontier is definitely the flashier of the two.

Frontier and Classic feature the same, 1.3-inch AMOLED display. Aiming to create a difference between both the variants, Samsung packs an optional LTE variant with Frontier.

Notably, Gear S3 series of watches are the first to utilize Corning’s ultra scratch resistant Gorilla Glass SR+. The watch deploys the industry-standard 22 mm watch straps for easier customization. And the watch display is, always on.

It packs 380mAh of the battery, which can easily survive for three or four days when fully charged. You also get Samsung’s home-made Exynos processor that has been combined with 768 MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage for apps and other user data.

You can use the watch case to accept or reject calls by spinning the bezel. The same action can also be applied to respond to notifications as well. The Gear S3 also supports BMW Connected, letting you monitor and control features on your dashboard. Also, the Gear S3 supports Apple’s iPhones. Samsung is literally helping you to enjoy the true essence of connected devices.

Speaking at the IFA event, Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, and Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics said, "Samsung Gear S2 achieved meaningful progress in the smartwatch category with a personalized watch face and a versatile rotating bezel that provided an intuitive smartwatch experience."

"Now with the new Gear S3, we expand our Gear collection and introduce not only a great smartwatch but a great watch. With smart capabilities and sophisticated, elegant design, the Gear S3 marks a significant addition to our smartwatch portfolio," said Lee.

There are thousands of watch faces available to download. However, the number of applications on the Gear S3 is still limited as Samsung is still sticking to its Tizen software instead of Google’s Android Wear.

Integrating Samsung Pay with Gear S3, you can tap your watch to a payment terminal to make payments. Basically, press and hold the back button to launch the service, choose out of the cards stored on your phone and tap the watch to a payment terminal. Just like that.

However, hoping to sell more S2 series, Samsung is not letting go of the S2 just yet. We might see some upgrades by the company pulled off from S3 into S2 series.