DHAKA: Samsung has presented its new Gear S3 smartwatch ahead of the Ifa consumer electronics show in Berlin.
The watch will be available in two formats, the more rugged, outdoor S3 Frontier and the S3 Classic, which resembles a traditional wristwatch, reports telecompaper.com.
The same as the Gear S2, the new models feature a round face with rotating bezel to control the watches. The screen is slightly bigger at 1.3 inches, while the resolution remains 360 x 360 pixels.
The Gears S3 maintains the 'always on' screen and offers a greater 16 million colours, compared to 8 million on the Gear S2. It also features the new Corning Gorilla Glass SR+, specially designed for smartwatches and wearables.
Samsung said it conducted research among users of the previous Gear S2, which was launched at last year's Ifa, to see what kind of improvements they would like. While many liked the long battery life, design and dust- and water-proof elements of the Gear S2, a significant group saw a need for hands-free use (29%), controlling other connected devices (26%) and GPS (22%).
As a result, Samsung has added a GPS receiver to the new models, as well as a speaker and microphone. With the last two components, users can control the device hands-free, such as for answering phone calls on a connected smartphone.
There are also a great deal more sensors on the new watch, to measure altitude, air pressure, speed, heart rate and light and help users track their life and environment.
The Gear S3 comes with a 380 mAh battery, which Samsung says offers 52 percent more capacity than the older model. The same as the Gear S2, it can be charged wirelessly.
Other specifications include the Tizen 3.2.1 operating system, a 1 GHz dual-core processor and expanded memory of 768 MB. Internal storage is 4 GB, and the device supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. In addition, the Gear S3 offers support for the Samsung Pay mobile payments service.
Samsung also announced a new app for BMW owners. With the BMW Connected app, users can get alerts when it’s time to leave for their next trip, check their fuel level, unlock their BMW and other functions.
This is one of the first apps available from opening up the Samsung Knox Tizen Wearable SDK to third-party developers.
The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier and Gear S3 Classic will be available from the fourth quarter for a recommended retail price of EUR 399.
AT&T was among the first carriers to say it will offer the Gear S3. The company said it will offer later this year the Gear S3 Frontier with integrated LTE.
The smartwatch will also integrate with AT&T's DirecTV and Digital Life services, allowing users to control their TV and smart home services from the watch.
BDST: 1845 HRS, SEP 01, 2016
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