It appears, according to a new leak, that Samsung might be dropping what is perhaps the most iconic feature of its smartwatches — the rotating bezel.
The company is poised to unveil a lot of new devices later this February, including a refresh of its wearable lineup. However, unlike its predecessors, it won't have the classic rotating bezel that's used for navigation.
Galaxy Sport Skipping The Rotating Bezel
Leaked image renders from 91mobiles reveal the alleged new wearable device, purportedly called the Galaxy Sport. Based on the name, it is safe to assume this is the model Samsung would be aiming at outdoor enthusiasts, much like the Galaxy Watch before it.
Unlike the previous iteration, however, the upcoming new Galaxy Sport the bezel around the screen is missing from the picture, suggesting that Samsung has dropped the feature from its forthcoming wearable device. This rotating bezel is used to navigate through menus and selections, similar in fashion to the click wheel found on older-generation iPods.
That bezel is still considered to be one of the most clever user interfaces out there, particularly for smartwatches because their screens are small and it is often hard to select exactly what a user wants purely by using the touchscreen.
Tizen OS
Instead of a rotating bezel, the Galaxy Sport will allegedly have two circular buttons with a round dial to control most of the watch's main functions. It is safe to assume that because of this, Samsung has updated Tizen OS to be more adaptable to an interface that doesn't incorporate a rotating bezel.
As for the smartwatch itself, details are scant. For instance, it is not yet certain which activities the Galaxy Sport will be able to track. It will most likely be capable of tracking the same if not more activities the Galaxy Watch did, though. The new watch will most probably have all the things the Galaxy Watch had as well, including a sleep monitor, a step counter, an activity tracker, a heart rate monitor, and GPS.
As for the specs, rumors say it will come with the new Bixby Reminder feature. It will also be Wi-Fi compatible, have 4 GB of RAM, and support mobile payments via NFC. All rumors must be taken with a grain of salt, of course.
In any case, the unveiling date isn't too far off, anyway. More details will likely surface as Samsung's Unpacked event inches closer. Make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more.
