The rumors of Samsung releasing a smartwatch with phone capabilities built in just got a little more real, as The Korea Herald is reporting the device will be called Gear Solo.
When Samsung launched its first Galaxy Gear smartwatch alongside the Galaxy Note 3, the device initially only worked with the company's new phablet and later supported the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3. Many believed Samsung rushed the device to market in an attempt to beat both Apple and Google in releasing a smartwatch.
Samsung crippled the device by only allowing it to work with a few Samsung smartphones and the biggest criticism by far was its poor battery life. Samsung claimed users would get "about a day of use on a full charge", but when reviewers got their hands on the Galaxy Gear, many reported the smartwatch only lasted a couple of hours before it needed to be charged. The device's limited capabilities, bulky design, poor battery life, and high return rate sent Samsung to rethink its smartwatch strategy.
Samsung didn't take long and followed up by announcing the Gear 2 when it unveiled the Galaxy S5 in February. The new smartwatch dropped the Galaxy name since it no longer ran Android and was now running Samsung's own Tizen OS. Its battery life saw an improvement from "about a day" to "2 to 3 days of typical usage and up to 6 days of low usage." While the Gear 2 still only works with a few select Samsung smartphones, an upcoming model will not have to rely on a smartphone since it will have phone capabilities built in.
The Korea Herald is reporting that Samsung will release a USIM-embedded Gear Solo. The Gear Solo will use a Universal Subscriber Identity Module module and built-in radios that will allow the device to make and receive calls without relying on a smartphone. The smartwatch is expected to be announced in the coming weeks and will launch in Korea on SK Telecom. There was no mention of its expected price or what kind of battery life users can expect from the wearable.
The publication spoke to a Samsung official who declined to comment on the Gear Solo, saying, he was not authorized to talk about products that have yet to be officially released, which sounds like a confirmation of its existence.
