Samsung has launched a new smartwatch only five months following the launch of the Apple Watch. Once again, the two companies found themselves being compared against each other by none other than their respective loyal fans.
The new smartwatch from Samsung is now available for scrutiny under the watchful eyes of wearable fanatics who should be more aware this time of what they really want to see in a device. Dubbed Gear S2, the watch is touted as the first Samsung watch with a round display.
Meanwhile, the Apple Watch was released in April 2015, and in just a short period of time, the wearable showed an impressive record in terms of sales. According to Apple analyst Gene Munster, the Apple Watch sold more than 3 million units during the quarter and is expected to reach a whopping 14 million unit sales in 2016.
Let's have a closer look at each of the flagship smartwatches from Samsung and Apple.
Samsung Gear S2
Similar to the Apple Watch, the Gear S2 of Samsung also comes in three unique models. These include the Gear S2, the Gear S2 Classic and the Gear S2 3G. All are running on the company's Tizen-based OS.
The three models share a number of identical features which can make it a little tricky to choose one over the other. Some of these features include a 1.2-inch circular AMOLED display with a resolution of 360 x 360, 512MB of memory, 4GB internal storage, water and dust-resistance with P68 certification, wireless charging capacity and connectivity options such as 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC.
Both the Gear S2 and the Gear S2 Classic have a dual core Pega-W processor of 1GHz and a 250mAh Li-ion battery that delivers two to three days of battery life on a single charge. Likewise, the Gear S2 3G features a dual core MSM8226 processor of 1GHz and a 300mAh Li-ion battery that provides a battery life of 2 days.
All of the three models are equipped with sensors such as barometer, ambient light, heart rate, gyroscope and accelerometer. Other notable features include notifications, contacts, email, messages, S Health, S Voice, music player, Nike+ Running, gallery, weather, maps and navigation.
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is the company's first new product category since the iPad launched in 2010. It is also touted as the first new interface after the iPhone which was launched in 2007. Other notable "firsts" for the Apple Watch include the first post-iPod wearable, the first connected device through an iPhone 5 or iPhone 6, and the first to run a different variety of iOS.
The Apple Watch runs on an OS known as the WatchOS. It is equipped with a number of sensors such as ambient light, heart rate, gyroscope and accelerometer. Other important features include Force Touch,Siri, Apple Pay, taptic engine and 18 hours of battery life.
The Apple Watch comes in three distinct collections, which include the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition. Users can even customize their wearable by pairing it with a different band according to their taste and liking.
Unlike the Gear S2, the Apple Watch has a rectangular-shaped display that has been designed according to the company's patent filing.
Samsung is yet to announce the pricing details of the new Gear S2. In the case of the Apple Watch, consumers can choose from pricing options that range from $349 to $17,000.
