Samsung’s Smartwatch Launches And ‘Android Wears’ Apple

Samsung announced its latest smartwatch, the Samsung Gear S2, which is expected to be showcased in Berlin, Germany, in the next few days.

The watch, which features a round dial and runs on Samsung’s home-grown operating system, Tizen, would stand in competition with the Apple Watch and a range of other Android-powered devices that are gaining popularity in the market.

Upon release, the watch will be available in two different models, namely the Gear S2 and the Gear S2 classic, which will vary from a more sophisticated design to a relatively basic one for the classic model.

Much like the Apple Watch, the Gear S2 will feature at-glance notifications to check emails, calendar updates, news, and text messages. The smartwatch will also come equipped with an e-SIM with voice capability that will allow users to quickly perform functions without being close to their Samsung phone.

With its latest offering, Samsung seems to have taken a lesson from Apple Watch users’ complaints about charging it almost everyday. The smartwatch would come equipped with enough battery power to last two to three days.

Other than features like storing digital room keys and a health and wellness app, the new smartwatch would also support NFC-powered contactless mobile payments. In the press release, Samsung said it’s working with a range of partners across various industries to help boost merchant compatibility and acceptance.

While with the release, just like its other products, the smartwatch is expected to cause a stir among Samsung users, it now faces even tougher competition from Android Wear with Google announcing the rollout of compatibility with iOS devices.

Using an Android Wear app, which is now available on the iTunes Store, Android Wear users can now sync up their smartwatches and other devices with their iPhones to receive notifications and perform a range of tasks, according to the Google blog.

With the move, Google has just made a range of smartwatches, including those by Motorola and LG, among others, compatible. Thus tapping into a user base which doesn’t swear allegiance to either Android or iOS.

While an iPhone-compatible Android Wear won’t have as many third-party functionalities as an Apple Watch, it would, however, be able to provide access to Google-specific apps like Gmail, Hangouts, Google Calendar and Google Now, which is Google’s version of Siri.

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