Samsung releasing three non-Android smartwatches

Earlier this week, at Mobile World Congress, Samsung unveiled three new smartwatches: the Gear 2, the Gear 2 Neo, and the Gear Fit. Building off of last year’s Galaxy Gear, these devices are fundamentally designed to cover as many use cases as possible. Samsung is obviously angling to gain an early lead in the smartwatch market by ditching Android, but can it really compete against the likes of Google and Apple?


Gear 2

The Gear 2 effectively serves as Samsung’s flagship smartwatch. As the name implies, this is the direct successor to the original Galaxy Gear. Of course, this model has dropped Android in favor of Tizen, and the “Galaxy” moniker is gone as well.

With a redesigned 720p camera, a built-in heart rate sensor, a 1GHz CPU, and a replaceable strap, this is clearly the deluxe model. We don’t know the price quite yet, but the current Galaxy Gear is retailing between $250 and $300, so expect something in that ballpark. This is clearly aimed at the high-end market, and will likely serve as the benchmark against which other smartwatches are judged.



Gear 2 Neo
For the most part, the Gear 2 Neo looks just like the Gear 2, so why does it exist in the first place? Largely, the Neo is a reduced price model: it’s lighter, it lacks a camera, and it will certainly launch at a lower price point come April.

If Samsung can drop the price down below the $200 line, it could potentially reach a much larger audience. In addition, some industries and public venues frown on wearable tech like Google Glass. The fact that the Gear 2 Neo doesn’t ship with a camera actually defangs some of the worries regarding stealth video recording.

Gear Fit
As if we didn’t already have enough fitness gadgets, Samsung’s third smartwatch is all about exercise. It eschews Tizen and Android in favor of Samsung’s own real-time OS, and features a much slimmer form factor. It doesn’t have a camera or a mic, but it does sport a heart rate sensor, gyroscope, and accelerometer for fitness tracking. It connects with your other devices over Bluetooth 4.0, and can display notifications, but it’s strictly designed to aid your workout.

Because it’s smaller and more focused, it’ll probably end up being the cheapest of the three. Other products, like the Nike+ FuelBand and Fitbit Flex, are in the $100 to $150 range. It’s safe to assume that Samsung will be targeting roughly the same price to remain competitive.
(Source : http://www.extremetech.com/. Article by Grant Brunner)


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