The feds help leak new info about Samsung's upcoming smartwatch
Last month, we showed you some leaked photos of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. That was followed by a pair of renders, one showing the device wearing a dressy watch face and the other giving us a more sporty look at the wearable. Now, we pass along some more information about the timepiece that was published by the FCC (via Droid-Life). Besides the photos, illustrations of the back of the watch show that it will carry the model number SM-R830. It also revealed that the device will be offered with a 40mm aluminum case and a second variant will feature a 40mm stainless steel case.
The images also reveal that the display on the watch will be protected by Gorilla Glass DX+ and it will sport a military protection rating of MIL-STD-810. The photos give us a limited live look at the UI of the Galaxy Watch Active 2, but one picture alerts us to the fact that the wearable will come with 4GB of storage as previously rumored. It also will supposedly be equipped with 768MB of memory and a 237mAh battery. A 44mm LTE variant is expected to come with a 340mAh battery. With water resistance down to 5 atmospheres (ATM), the timepiece can be worn on a dive down to 165 feet. The watch will be available in black, silver and gold and will probably be powered by the Exynos 9110 chipset with Samsung's own Tizen OS pre-installed.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 will have two features found on the Apple Watch Series 4
Some cosmetic changes have been made to the sequel, including a new look for the back of the watch. In addition, the round back button is now oval and a red ring around the power button differentiates the LTE version from the Wi-Fi model (which is expected to have 1.5GB of RAM). The 44mm version could sport a 1.4-inch AMOLED display with a 1.2-inch screen on the smaller model.
Image from FCC documentation related to the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 will reportedly come with an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor that will alert the wearer if his heart is beating abnormally. This could help diagnose someone with atrial fibrillation (AFib), which can lead to blood clots, heart failure, strokes, and death. This happens to be the big breakout feature on the Apple Watch Series 4 and has already saved some lives. However, Samsung's watch will probably launch without this feature enabled; FDA approval for the ECG monitor on the Galaxy Watch Active 2 isn't expected until the middle of next year.
Another feature that Samsung is taking from the Apple Watch is the latter's fall detection system. When a person wearing the Apple Watch has a hard fall, it will "tap" his wrist, sound an alarm and display an alert. The user can contact emergency services or dismiss the alarm. But if the watch doesn't detect any motion from the wearer, it will automatically call emergency services and send a text message to the person's emergency contacts with his location. It isn't certain that the fall detection on the Galaxy Watch Active 2 will work exactly like the one on the Apple Watch.
Leaked render of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
We expect to see the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 unveiled during the company's next Unpacked event that will be held on August 7th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The timepiece will join the Galaxy Note 10 line and the Galaxy Tab S6 tablet. Interestingly, the watch will be unveiled only six months after the launch of the OG Galaxy Watch Active. The latter was priced at $199 when it was released back in February alongside the Galaxy S10 series of handsets.
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