News
News Categories

Samsung Unveils Tizen-Powered Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo Smart Watches

By Sidney Wong - on 23 Feb 2014, 11:50am

Samsung Unveils Tizen-Powered Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo Smart Watches

 Left: Samsung Gear 2. Right: Samsung Gear 2 Neo. <br>Image source: Samsung

As expected, Samsung today announced its next generation smart watches - the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo.

If you've noticed, the Korean company ditched the Galaxy branding for both of these devices. This is because the the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are the first wearable devices to be powered by Tizen OS.

While both smart watches are compatible with a wide variety of Samsung devices, Galaxy smartphones and have access to an enriched app ecosystem, Samsung did not specify why it chose Tizen or whether there is app compatibility between the two generations of smart watches.

The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo may look identical in each other, but there are two key differences between them. The Gear 2 comes with a 2-megapixel camera while the Gear 2 Neo does not. Unlike the Galaxy Gear, Samsung shifts the position of the camera from the strap to the main chassis of the watch. Due to the lack of a camera, the Gear 2 Neo is lighter at 55g while the Gear 2 weighs 68g.

Both smart watches sport a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display (320 x 320 pixels). They are powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM and a 300mAh battery. They are also IP67 certified for dust and water resistance. 

Keeping the smart watches powered up is a 300mAh battery, which Samsung claims to provide two to three days of typical usage and up to 6 days of low usage. Pricing of the devices are not revealed yet,but the company states that they will be available in global markets from April. Here's a quick overview of the Samsung smart watches against the Sony Smart Watch 2:

Samsung Gear 2 vs Gear 2 Neo vs Galaxy Gear vs Sony Smart Watch 2
  Samsung Gear 2 Samsung Gear 2 Neo Samsung Galaxy Gear Sony Smart Watch 2
  Samsung Gear 2 Samsung Gear 2 Neo Samsung Galaxy Gear Sony Smart Watch 2
Launch SRP
  • From S$398
  • From S$298
  • From S$488
  • From S$288
Operating system
  • Tizen
  • Tizen
  • Android
  • Android
Processor
  • 1GHz dual-core Processor
  • 1GHz dual-core Processor
  • 800MHz Single-core Processor
  • Qualcomm M3 200MHz
Memory
  • 512MB RAM
  • 512MB RAM
  • 512MB RAM
Storage
  • 4GB
  • 4GB
  • 4GB
Display
  • 1.63-inch Super AMOLED / 320 x 320 resolution
  • 1.63-inch Super AMOLED / 320 x 320 resolution
  • 1.63-inch Super AMOLED / 320 x 320 resolution
  • 1.6-inch LCD / 220 x 176 pixels
Camera
  • 2-megapixel Autofocus, Macro mode
  • 1.9MP BSI, Autofocus, Macro mode
Connectivity
  • Bluetooth 4.0 LE and IrLED
  • Bluetooth 4.0 LE and IrLED
  • Bluetooth v4.0 + LE
  • Bluetooth 3.0, NFC
Sensors
  • Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Heart rate monitor
  • Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Heart rate monitor
  • Gyroscope, Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope, Accelerometer
Other Features
  • IP67 dust and water resistant
  • IP67 dust and water resistant
  • IP57 dust and water resistant
Battery
  • 315mAh
  • 315mAh
  • 315mAh
Dimensions
  • 36.9 x 58.4x 10.0 mm
  • 37.9 x 58.8 x 10.0mm
  • 36.8 x 56.6 x 11.1mm
  • 41.6 x 41.1 x 9mm
Weight
  • 68g
  • 55g
  • 73.8g
  • 48.4g (silicon strap), 122.5g (metal strap)

Source: Samsung Mobile Press

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.