Samsung Gear S4 (Gear Sport) rumor review: specs, features, price, release date and all we know so far
Samsung will officially announce a brand new wearable device on August 30th at the IFA tech conference in Berlin, Germany, and chances are that it will be a new smartwatch.
Is it time for the Samsung Gear S4 and what would it look like?
First, the name: it might not be the Gear S4. Samsung unveiled the Gear S3 exactly one year ago at IFA 2016, but one year after that launch, it seems more likely that its next generation smartwatch will be named "Samsung Gear Sport".
Details about it have surfaced in Korean media and the Gear Sport looks a lot like the Gear S3: it features a round display, the Samsung SM-R600 model number and it will run on the latest version of Samsung Tizen operating system, Tizen 3.0. It has also already passed FCC certification, which is one important step before a device's market release.
In case you were wondering, the Korean text below the watch says:
- Gear Sport (SM-R600) *Coming soon
- Comfortable casual smartwach / 5 ATM water resistant
Features: one for swimmers
Obviously, the 5 ATM water pressure resistance is the big feature with the new Gear Sport. 5 atmospheres is the pressure of water at around 50 meters (165 foot) of depth, which means you will be able to swim and shower with your new Samsung smartwatch without worrying about damaging it. The company has also just recently shown its new Gear Fit2 Pro fitness bracelet with a dedicated swim workout app, and we expect the same detailed measurement for swimmers to be available on the Gear Sport.
The bottom of the phone clearly shows a heart rate monitor will be present, and as most smartwatches aimed at the sports crowd, we expect to see a GPS on board as well.
Last year's Gear S3 came in an independent, LTE-connected model and we also expect the upcoming Gear Sport to feature a similar independent model that you should be able to use fully without your phone around.
Next up, the Gear Sport will most likely run on the latest Tizen 3.0 operating system and feature the familiar rotating bezel for interaction. Tizen 3.0 features the Vulkan API for smoother graphics performance and adds a ton of other performance improvements, so we expect it to run even smoother on the new smartwatch. We do not, however, expect to see a major redesign in the way you operate the watch in terms of menus.
Final words
Last, but not least, Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh has confirmed that the new Gear smartwatch will be officially uncovered on August 30th at IFA 2017, which is about a week or two before Apple's expected fall event when the company is expected to announce its new Apple Watch Series 3.
The expected price for the Gear Sport should be roughly in line with the Apple Watch pricing: Apple's wearable costs $400 for the 42mm model, and we expect a $300 to $400 price for the Gear Sport. These two will certainly be the hottest wearables of the fall season, and we'll keep an eye on both and keep you updated with the latest news as they come in.
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