Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note9 at the Galaxy Unpack event held in New York City and later announced the fourth generation of its smartwatch lineup, the Galaxy Watch. The Galaxy Watch (also known as the Gear S4) is the successor to the Gear S3 unveiled in September 2016.
Samsung announced two variants of the Galaxy Watch, one with 42 mm size and another of 46 mm. The 46 mm variant comes with a 1.3-inch display while the 42 mm variant comes with a 1.2-inch both having a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels.
The main highlights of the Galaxy Watch are its Circular Super AMOLED panel featuring Full Color Always On display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ and the rotating bezel on top. Other features in the Galaxy Watch are – a WPC based wireless charging, 5ATM + IP68 water resistant, and MIL-STD-810G certified military-grade protection.
The Galaxy Watch runs on Samsung’s Tizen-based operating system version 4.0 which is a newer as compared to its predecessor. It offers various sensors that monitor your heart rate, step counts, sleep cycle, and other fitness activities. There’s a new stress management tracker that detects high levels of stress automatically and offers breathing exercises.
The difference in the two variants is the battery capacity. The 42 mm offers just 270 mAh battery whereas the 46 mm has bigger 472 mAh battery. Samsung claims that the 46 mm variant with 472 mAh battery can offer 80+ hours with typical usage and up to 168 hours with low usage. The 42 mm variant with 270 mAh battery delivers 45+ hours with typical usage and up to 120 hours with low usage.
Samsung also introduces a Wireless Charger Duo that charge two devices at a time.
The Galaxy Watch is powered by a dual-core Exynos 9110 SoC running at 1.15 GHz. The LTE variant has 1.5 GB of RAM while the Bluetooth variant comes in 768 MB of RAM both with a 4 GB internal storage.
Connectivity options include 3G/LTE network, Bluetooth V4.2, Wi-Fi b/g/n, NFC, GPS (A-GPS/Glonass), and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) support for mobile payments using Samsung Pay. Just like the Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch, there’s a built-in speaker.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch (46 mm) is priced at US $349.99 (~Rs 24,153) and Samsung Galaxy Watch (42 mm) is priced at US $329.99 (~Rs 22,774). The 42 mm Galaxy Watch comes in one color i.e. Silver while the 46 mm has two color options – Midnight Black, and Rose Gold.
It will be available from 24th August 2018 with pre-orders starting on 10th this month. The LTE variant will soon be available later this year.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Specifications
- Display: 1.2-inch (42 mm) or 1.3-inch (46 mm) Circular Super AMOLED Full Color Always On display, (360 x 360 pixels resolution)
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass DX+, MLD-STD-810G certified military-grade durability, 5ATM + IP68 water resistant
- Software: Tizen OS Version 4.0
- CPU: 1.15 GHz dual-core processor, Exynos 911 SoC, 14nm FinFET
- Memory: 1.5 GB RAM (LTE), 768 MB RAM (Bluetooth)
- Storage: 4 GB onboard
- Battery: 270 mAh (42 mm), 472 mAh (46 mm)
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Barometer, HRM, Ambient Light
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.2, GPS (A-GPS/Glonass), NFC, MST, Microphone
- Cellular: 3G/LTE network
- Compatibility: Android 5.0 or later, iPhone 5 and above, iOS 9.0 or above
- Dimensions: 46 mm x 49 mm x 12.9 mm (46 mm variant), 41.9 mm x 45.7 mm x 12.7 mm (42 mm variant)
- Weight: 63 grams (46 mm variant) without the strap, 49 grams (42 mm variant) without the strap
- Strap (interchangeable): 22 mm in Onyx Black, Deep Ocean Blue, Basalt Grey colors (46 mm variant), 20 mm in Onyx Black, Lunar Grey, Terracotta Red, Lime Yellow, Cosmo Purple, Pink Beige, Cloud Grey, Natural Brown colors (42 mm variant)
Samsung Galaxy Watch Price & Availability
- Price: $349.99 (~Rs 24,153) for 46 mm, $329.99 (~Rs 22,774) for 42 mm.
- Availability: From 24th August 2018, pre-orders starting on 10th August. The LTE variant will soon be available later this year.
