Samsung Officially Announces Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic, With NFC Mobile Payments, and More

Samsung just made its new round smartwatches, the Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic official ahead of press events at IFA in Berlin. We now know specs, battery life, operating system, the differences between each, what the bezel does, how you will navigate around the UI, and also that it will have NFC for mobile payments. Ready to learn?

The Gear S2 Classic was “made for users who prefer a more timeless watch design, offering an elegant Black finish with a matching genuine leather band.” It’s the black watch in this post. The regular Gear S2 is “ideal for those who are on-the-go and have an admiration for minimal and modern design.” It’s the white watch picture above and below. 

In terms of specs, they each have 1.2-inch circular Super AMOLED displays (320×320, 302ppi), 1.0GHz dual-core processors, run Tizen wearable platform software, IP68 dust and water resistance, 4GB storage, 512MB RAM, NFC, heart rate monitor, WiFi (b/g/n), and have 250mAh batteries that are said to last from 2-3 days on a single charge and can be wirelessly charged. (Full specs)

There is also a 3G version of the Gear S2 that has a 300mAh battery. This model incorporates the “first-ever e-SIM with voice capability,” so you can do all sorts of tasks without being tethered to a phone.

As for the NFC chips included, Samsung says that this technology “will enable mobile payments,” similarly to how the Apple Watch works, but didn’t exactly say the words “Samsung Pay” along with their statement. The wording strikes me as if mobile payments with their watches won’t be happening until far in the future.

The watches are equipped to send you notifications, allow voice input, and include apps for Nike+ Running and S Health, outside of the standard Samsung S software.

Samsung said that they are working with a bunch of developers and partners to deliver additional watch faces and watch bands. Watch bands for the Gear S2 can be easily swapped with a simple click.

Samsung didn’t announce when they would be available or how much they will cost, only that they will be on display at IFA.

Samsung Comes Full Circle with Introduction of Samsung Gear S2

August 31, 2015

Latest Samsung Gear features a versatile circular design for an intuitive, convenient, and enjoyable mobile experience

SEOUL, Korea – September 1, 2015 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch, the company’s latest offering as a result of many years of progressive innovation in the wearables category.

The Samsung Gear S2 comes in a versatile, circular design with an intuitive, custom UX and advanced features that enable users to enhance, personalize and bring more fun to their mobile experience.

The Gear S2’s unique rotating bezel, along with the Home and Back buttons, ensures users will have a quicker, more precise method to comfortably access notifications and applications.

Introduced in two different options – the Gear S2 and the Gear S2 classic – Samsung designed the Gear S2 to appeal to two distinct consumer preferences. The Gear S2 classic is made for users who prefer a more timeless watch design, offering an elegant Black finish with a matching genuine leather band. The Gear S2 is ideal for those who are on-the-go and have an admiration for minimal and modern design.

“For the past several years, Samsung has pioneered and advanced the wearables category, bringing brave new concepts to the smart wearables market,” said JK Shin, CEO and Head of Samsung’s IT & Mobile Business. “The Samsung Gear S2 reflects Samsung’s most progressive innovation. It is the perfect complement for any occasion, easily taking you from day to night, from work to workout—and ensuring that you get more out of every moment in your day, by making it smarter and ultimately more personal and fun.”

A mere 11.4-millimeter thin, the Samsung Gear S2 brings a light and compact design to your wrist. It offers an incredibly vibrant viewing experience for a smartwatch, thanks to its 1.2-inch circular screen and its 360 x 360 resolution (302 ppi). The applications on the Gear S2 can be viewed with amazing clarity so that users don’t miss notification pop-ups. Also, with the latest Tizen OS and an optimized 1-GHz dual core processor, the Samsung Gear S2 can perform tasks easily and efficiently.

Users can stay connected with at-a-glance notifications to check calendars, e-mails, news and can even send important texts directly from their wrist. Users can choose the Gear S2 with 3G connectivity which incorporates the first-ever e-SIM with voice capability, to perform quick functions without being closely tethered to their phone.

New fitness functions on the Samsung Gear S2 will encourage consumers to stay healthy and active. The 24-hour activity log lets users view daily activity progress and patterns at a glance. It will also send reminder updates to motivate users to stay on track with their fitness goals.

For the ultimate convenience, the Samsung Gear S2 comes with NFC technology which will enable mobile payments without the need for a wallet. Samsung is working with a wide selection of partners across different industries to expand the usability of wearables and streamline consumers’ mobile lives in a variety of ways, including smart car keys, residential room keys, and remote controls to manage a connected home.

All of these connected features will be supported by a battery that can last up to 2-3 days, allowing consumers to stay connected without the hassle of constantly having to recharge. To charge, simply place the Samsung Gear S2 on the wireless charging dock right out of the box.

The Samsung Gear S2 reflects Samsung’s commitment to openly collaborate with developers and partners to bring increased customization and applications to its devices. Samsung is working closely with partners to offer a range of watch faces and watch bands so that users can have a variety of ways to express their personal style and mood. Users can easily change the band with one click, and change the watch face for a more personalized and sophisticated Gear experience depending on the time, place or occasion.

A variety of apps optimized for the Gear S2’s circular user interface will be available at launch. Through open collaboration with developers and partners, Samsung is continuing to enrich its wearable ecosystem and provide users with a more optimized and unique smart wearable experience.

The Samsung Gear S2 will be available in a Dark Gray case with a Dark Gray band and Silver case with a White band. The Samsung Gear S2 classic will be available in a Black case with a Leather band.

The Samsung Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic will be showcased for full media hands-on and more applications will be demonstrated with partners at Tempodrum, Berlin on September 3.