The Galaxy Watch could be Samsung's best and boldest smartwatch yet — here's why.
It's been a hot minute since Samsung released the Gear S3, and while the Gear Sport did a nice job at holding us over for a while longer, it's time we get a proper sequel to one of 2016's best smartwatches.
The rumor mill suggests that this year will see Samsung release the successor we've been longing for, but instead of a traditional Gear S4, reports are coming out that the new gadget will be called the "Galaxy Watch" and use an operating system Samsung hasn't dabbled with since 2014.
What is the Galaxy Watch and why should you care about it? Here's everything you need to know!
The latest Galaxy Watch news
July 23, 2018 — Samsung accidentally lists the Galaxy Watch on its official website
I think this is about as official as we're going to get until the Galaxy Watch's unveiling.
A screenshot was recently sent in to CNET showing a search result on Samsung's website for "Wearables", and right next to the Gear S2, the unannounced Galaxy Watch popped up alongside it.
This is our very first look at the watch, and to not much surrpise, it follows a similar design language to the Gear Sport and Gear S3 with a circular display, metal body, and two physical buttons on the right.
The model shown here is a 42mm rose gold option, and seeing as how Samsung specifically calls this out as a Bluetooth model, it's likely we'll also see an LTE variant.
July 23, 2018 — Wireless Charger Duo pictured; will charge the Note 9 and Galaxy Watch simultaneously
Thanks to tipster Roland Quandt, we now have our first look at a new Samsung accessory called the "Wireless Charger Duo." As we can see from the retail packaging pictured below, the Wireless Charger Duo will not only be able to wirelessly-charge two phones at the same time, but will also support "Charging the Phone and Galaxy Watch."
This is the Samsung Wireless Charger Duo (EP-N6100) for the Galaxy Note 9. Charges the Galaxy Watch alongside the phone. pic.twitter.com/VnP10xAhvb— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) July 21, 2018
Not only does this further confirm the Galaxy Watch name, but Quandt's note about the Wireless Charger Duo launching alongside the Note 9 also reiterates an earlier report about the Galaxy Watch launching with the Note 9 on August 9.
All the big details
What's with this talk about Wear OS?
Almost all of Samsung's wearable products have used the company's own Tizen operating system, but with the Galaxy Watch, that could be changing.
Back in late May, it was reported that some Samsung employees had been seen wearing Gear watches running Google's Wear OS (previously called Android Wear). That rumor was put to rest a couple weeks later, but then on July 6, another tipster stated that the Galaxy Watch will, in fact, use Wear OS instead of Tizen.
While that may seem like a ball out of left field, this wouldn't be unheard of for Samsung. In 2014, one of the very first Android Wear watches to come out was the Samsung Gear Live.
However, on July 18, another report popped up claiming that Tizen will actually be the operating system of choice — not Wear OS.
We're still not entirely sure what's going to happen here, but a Wear OS watch from Samsung would be a huge win for the platform as a whole. Google needs big names to back Wear OS, and who better to support it than one of the largest companies on the planet?
When will the Galaxy Watch be released?
Samsung's yet to release any teasers or press invites for the Galaxy Watch, but according to the rumor mill, we'll see it announced alongside the Galaxy Note 9 on August 9.
Current rumors point to the Galaxy Watch launching on August 24.
Following the August 9 announcement, pre-orders for the Galaxy Watch will follow on August 14. From there, the gadget will officially launch on August 24.
Should that rumor turn out to be false, the next logical announcement will likely come during IFA in Berlin in late August / early September.
How much will the Galaxy Watch cost?
Now, most importantly, let's talk price.
As much as we loved the Gear S3, its price tag wasn't the easiest to swallow at the time at $349. However, compared to today's market, that's not really unheard of.
A Series 3 Apple Watch with GPS and LTE will set you back at least $399. If you get the model without LTE, you're still looking at a minimum of $329.
With that in mind, we'll probably see the Galaxy Watch sell for around $300 - $350 depending on whether or not it has LTE.
That's certainly not cheap, but if Samsung knocks it out of the park with its design and features, it should be able to hold its over (if not trump) what Apple's currently offering.
Android Wear
Everything you need to know about Android Wear 2.0
LG Watch Sport review
LG Watch Style review
These watches will get Android Wear 2.0
Discuss Android Wear in the forums!
Updated July 18, 2018: Updated Wear OS and release date sections to reflect current rumors/reports.
source: https://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-watch
date: Mon, 23 Jul 2018 18:53:00 +0000
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