As expected, Samsung used its event in Berlin, where IFA 2016 is getting underway, to officially announce its latest smartwatch, the Gear S3.
As had been previously hinted, the Gear S3 comes in two variants, a classic model (the Gear S3 Classic), just like last year and another model that is a bit more rugged (it even has a military grade rating), the Gear S3 Frontier.
The 1.3-inch display of the two devices is protected by the newly-announced Gorilla Glass SR+. They also include out of the box support for Samsung’s mobile payments service, Samsung Pay since they have built-in NFC. For the first time, Samsung has also included support for Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) on its smartwatches so that they can be used to pay for items even at non-NFC terminals.
Other features like the memory and battery have also been bumped up while the rotating bezel that the Gear S2 packed has been retained. The rotating bezel’s functionality has been expanded to include the ability to accept and reject calls. The new watches also have a feature that we have so far been seeing in smartwatches for kids, SOS alerts for when one is in need of help can be set up to ping close relatives or emergency services.
They also have an Always On display and are water and dust resistant thanks to their IP68 certification
The Gear S3 Frontier will even have an LTE variant through which users can use mobile data and make calls without having to pair the Gear S3 with their smartphone.
Samsung Gear S3 specifications
| Size | 46 x 49 x 12.9mm |
| Display | 1.39-inch 360 x 360 pixels (278ppi), Super AMOLED |
| Processor | Exynos chip clocked at 1GHz |
| Memory | 768MB RAM; 4GB onboard storage |
| Operating System | Tizen 2.3.2 |
| Battery | 380mAh |
| Network | 3G/LTE (Gear S3 Frontier only) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi b/g/n, NFC, MST, A-GPS/Glonass |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Barometer, Heart Rate Monitor, Ambient light |
The Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier can be paired with any Android device running on Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) or later versions and with at least 1.5GB RAM.
Pricing for both devices starts at €400.
