Samsung's newest smartwatch upsizes the experience of its predecessor while introducing a few new tricks of its own. Here's what we found after spending some time with it.
At an event held in New Delhi today, Samsung introduced not one but two new smartwatches – Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier. Both variants are almost identical barring a few differing specifications and design . The company has priced both devices at Rs 28,500 in India, and both models will go on sale starting 18 January. We got to spend some time with them -- here are our first impressions.
Design
In terms of design, the Classic and Frontier variants are quite different. While the Classic might be evocative of a regular watch with a leather strap, the Frontier offers a rugged look with a weather-resistant silicone band. Sadly both might appear to be unsuitable for skinny hands (like mine) owing to their largers bezels. The Gear S3 Classic and Frontier are both big devices compared to the Gear S2, which is smaller and noticeably sleeker.
For Samsung’s Gear S3 Classic smartwatch, you could almost mistake it for just a regular analog watch. Even though it looks stylish, it is decidedly understated. The Frontier, on the other hand, which is a tad heavier than the Classic, feels like a manly watch. There are two buttons on the side of both variants, which provide a way to access the menu and go back, just like in the S2.
Agreed that the company has opted for a bigger 380mAh battery and a more capable chipset (a 1GHz dual-core Exynos 7270 processor,) but personally I'd have liked a little more style and flair on my wrist.
The favourite part about both these smartwatches is definitely its rotatable bezel, a carryover from the Gear S2. It is intuitive and very easy to get accustomed to. However, the bezel control could be a problem -- though your fingers don’t obstruct the screen, you might have to go back and forth to stick to your required app as the smoothness of the bezel makes it easy to miss scrolling onto an app on the first try.
Also, every action requires a tap on the screen, so be ready for plenty of fingerprints. Both Gear S3 variants are compatible with standard 22mm watch bands, which means you can have a blast with customizations.
Display
The Gear S3 comes with a 1.3-inch super AMOLED full circular display running at a resolution of 360×360 with a pixel density of 278 ppi. It is also layered with Corning Gorilla Glass SR+ for extra protection. The display is sharp and bright, just like Samsung smartphones. All colours on screen are dynamic, indicating that readability would not be an issue even in direct sunlight. Lastly, Samsung offers the Always-On Display feature – a low-power option that continuously displays key information on the Gear screen even when the display is inactive.
Tizen OS
Samsung Gear S3 variants run on Tizen OS 2.3.2. The company appears to have nicely optimised the smartwatches to offer a seamless experience: swiping to the left will bring up your notifications, while doing so on the right offers access to various customisable widgets. You can long press the clock app and it will offer various customisation options. And of course, you can scroll using the rotating bezel to check out more app icons. The company has made the OS fairly simple to learn and use.
Battery
Compared to the Gear S2 that had a 250mAh battery, Gear S3 has a larger 380mAh battery which should offer additional juice on the run. Samsung claims that the device will offer ‘up to four days’ of battery life on a single charge. But according to experience, real-life numbers in this area are often significantly different -- we took it with a pinch of salt.
Conclusion
Samsung has made a great-looking smartwatch. However, it isn’t really revolutionary. If you are looking for something to just pass time with, the Gear S3 does impart a unique style and geeky statement. But it's not likely to hold your attention for long.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "latest smartwatches, Samsung, Samsung Gear S3, review, Wearable Technology")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}