Last year, Samsung decided that Android Wear is not that impressive and they can do better. Thus, the predecessor of the Gear S3, Gear S2 was born! A really sleek smartwatch, with a rotating bezel and, most important, running Tizen, the manufacturer’s own operating system! The tech community received the wearable very good, so we weren’t surprised when, a few days ago, the new generation was unveiled!
At a first look, we were totally impressed by the two new smartwatches launched by Samsung. Yes, smartwatches, as the Gear S3 was released in two versions, Classic and Frontier, the only differences between them being the materials used for the strap, the weight and built-in LTE, present on Samsung Gear S3 Frontier’s spec sheet.
Under the hood
Speaking about the specs, one of the major differences we noticed is the size. The new Gear S3 is noticeably bigger than its predecessor, measuring 46.1 x 49.1 x 12.9 mm, which, for some users, might be a bit chunky. However, the display got bigger too, measuring now 1.3 inches, while the resolution of the always-on display is still 360 x 360, resulting in a smaller pixel density, but you will barely notice it.
The smartwatch is available in silver or dark grey, the finish continuing to the rotating bezel, first spotted on the Gear S2, used for controlling the interface of the watch. It comes with 22mm watch straps, available in various colors and made from various materials, so you can personalize it with ease. Oh, and it’s also IP68 rated, so there shouldn’t be any problems if you take if for a shower…
Ok, so in a nutshell, we’re big fans of the way the Samsung Gear S3 looks, as it can easily go as a regular watch, even worn with a more formal outfit. And this is a very big plus in our book! But let’s see what’s under the hood…
It’s powered by a dual-core chip, clocked at 1.0 GHz, alongside 768MB of RAM and 4 gigs of internal storage. Some of the features it comes with are Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi (or LTE, depending on the model), NFC, MST, GPS/Glonass, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer and an ambient light sensor. Basically, everything a high-end smartwatch needs.
Battery of the Gear S3
One of the most important aspects and maybe the one we were very curious about is the battery. Since the smartwatch is bigger, it automatically means that the battery capacity has improved too. To be more specific, we’re talking about a 380 mAh power pack, which can provide up to four days of battery life, if the always-on display is turned off. Turn it on and you’ll get half of the time, which still isn’t very bad. It can be charged wirelessly and in just 15 minutes you can get 10 hours of operation. Yeah, Samsung nailed it from this point of view, 5/5 stars!
Apps on Titizen
Finally, let’s talk a bit about Tizen. We know, some of you might have second thoughts, considering that Tizen OS 2.3.1, the operating system used by the Samsung Gear 3, is relatively new and, compared to Android Wear, it doesn’t support so many apps. The truth is that there are 10,000 apps on Tizen now, Samsung claims. Most likely, you will find everything you need in the app store, so you don’t need to worry about a lack of apps. For us, it’s great, simple as that.
Conclusions
In a nutshell, we believe that the Samsung Gear S3 is the best smartwatch money can buy right now. It has an excellent build, great specs and, most important, the battery doesn’t need to be charged every night. And let’s not forget about the way it looks, a very important aspect that most people consider when deciding upon a wearable.
What do you think about Samsung’s latest smartwatch? Would you buy it? Let us know, in the comments section below!