Apple has taken the wraps off the much-anticipated "Apple Watch," but many are wondering just how it will compare with other smart watches on the market.
Samsung took the wraps off the Gear S a while ago, with the device to finally go on sale in October. This is Samsung's sixth offering to the smart watch world. How does the Apple Watch compare with a seasoned smart watch professional?
Design
As far as design goes, the Samsung Gear S and the Apple Watch couldn't be more different. The Samsung Gear S is rather bulky and makes use of a curved display with one single button underneath it. The wristband of the device is almost as wide as the watch itself and looks somewhat like an extension of the device.
The Apple Watch, on the other hand, is very concentrated on design. The Apple Watch has a rectangular design with what Apple is calling a Digital Crown on the side to scroll through screens and zoom on pictures and maps.
Customizability
Because of the fact that watches are meant to be worn, customizability is an important factor. Apple has gone above and beyond any other smart watch on the market with an extremely customizable design. Buyers have a choice between two sizes, in three different material choices, along with a host of wristband options.
While the Gear S does have a number of options as far as color goes, it is nothing compared to the Apple Watch.
Software
The software being used on the two watches is also different. Samsung is running its own Tizen OS on the Gear S while Apple's Watch OS is used on the Apple Watch.
It seems as though Apple has been careful to put functionality at the forefront of the Watch's operating system and users are easily able to scroll through different functions. The home screen, like in iOS, shows all the apps available to the user. On Watch OS, apps are shown in a mosaic, and users can zoom in or out to show more or less apps. More information about Watch OS should be released in the coming days.
Tizen is very similar to an operating system that would be found on a smartphone. For example, users can scroll down from the top of the screen to show things like battery status, connectivity, and so on, much like in full screen mode on an Android device.
Health
Health is much more an important factor on the Apple Watch than it is on the Gear S. In fact, Apple has released a number of versions of its device, with one specifically tailored to health and fitness. The device can track things like heart rate, distance and so on, as you would expect from a smart watch. Despite this, it seems as though most of the functionality related to health will come from third-party apps. Tizen is a little less health-centered, but has a number of health features nonetheless such as S Health and can also track things like heart rate.
