Samsung Unveils Gear S2 Smartwatch with Tizen onboard

We got our first look at Samsung’s gorgeous looking Gear S2 at its Note 5 Unpacked event and finally, the South-Korean tech giant has unveiled a new version of their smartwatch but it comes with Tizen Operating System, not Android Wear.

Called the “Galaxy Gear S2”, this is the fourth smartwatch announcement since 2013 but this is the first one with a truly round-faced screen. It is incredibly thin at 11.4 mm and has a 1.2 inch circular screen which offers some brilliant viewing angles and has a pretty vivid display with a resolution of 360 x 360.

Where the S2 really stands out is its incredible design and completely round screen and also a rotating bezel. Placed around the circular screen the Gear S2 watch uses this bezel as a way for the user to interact with the software more easily, quite similar to the Apple Watch(which has a crown-like button on its side for navigating user interface). Another area where the Gear S2 differs itself from the other smartwatches is that Samsung has opted to use Tizen instead of Android Wear, the usual go-to option for smartwatch makers. It runs a custom interface and Samsung’s own apps. It also has some “at-a-glance notification” features so you can quickly check calendars, emails, news and reply instantly.

With a hugely-improved battery, the Gear S2 can easily last 2 to 3 days. Apart from that, this watch also comes with NFC which will be incredibly useful in replacing your credit cards/wallets as a payment-solution. There is also the usual range of sensors including accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate, ambient light and barometer. Samsung even pre-loaded it with S Health and Nike Run which let you keep 24-hour activity log with daily progress and reminders. As with most other watches, this one is also IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant so you don’t need to worry about spilling some water on it.

For now, Samsung is offering two versions of the Gear S2: Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic. The Gear S2 is the minimalistic and modern-looking watch and comes in a dark gray case with a dark gray band as well as a Silver case with a White band, while the Gear S2 Classic is more of a “traditional watch-like” watch with its leather band and black-finish. The Gear S2 itself has two versions, one comes with 3G for people with connectivity in mind and the other one is the normal version.

Source – Samsung