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More bling for your wrist: New Samsung Gear S2 classic 18K gold, platinum vs. the competition
When Apple launched its Apple Watch, it not only bolstered the nascent smartwatch market, but also created a new “luxury” category of smartwatches with the 18-karat, solid gold Apple Watch Edition.
In answer to Apple’s high-end bling smartwatch, we’ve seen LG Electronics, Inc. offer its 24-karat, gold-plated Watch Urbane Luxe in limited edition. And now rival Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has also thrown its hat into the luxury smartwatch market.
Earlier this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Samsung unveiled two new editions of its all-black Galaxy Gear S2 classic smartwatch released in 2015: one cased in 18-karat rose gold and another in platinum.
Under the hood, the new Gear S2 classic editions are identical to the less-bling version, and Samsung said it will also include NFC technology to offer Samsung Pay, the company’s new mobile payments solution, in the U.S. early this year.
Apple has Mickey Mouse, Samsung has Snoopy and Charlie
Samsung is also expanding its range of watch straps and watch face options. The company has partnered with designers and artists, including Colombo, on new watch straps, and Peanuts characters and artworks from Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeremyville and Burton Morris.
Granted, someone who buys a high-end luxury smartwatch may not fancy Snoopy staring back at him from his wrist, but you never know. It will surely appeal to wearers of other Gear S2 editions.
Gear S2 will be iOS compatible
Although it provided very little detail and no expected date, Samsung said that its Tizen-based wearable platform will be iOS-compatible soon. This means you’ll be able to pair your Gear S2 smartwatch with your iPhone – assuming you’ve opted not to stick to the Apple ecosystem.
Pricing and availability
The new Gear S2 classic will be available beginning February in a rose gold case with an ivory genuine leather band and in a platinum case combined with a black genuine leather band.
Samsung has not revealed pricing for the new Gear S2 classic editions, but given that the Apple Watch Editions starts at $10,000, we expect an equally hefty price tag for Samsung’s precious metal offerings.
For those interested in the technical specs, we’ve compared those below:
|
Gear S2 classic |
Apple Watch Edition |
LG Watch Urbane Luxe |
|
| Watch face shape |
Round |
Rectangular |
Round |
| Finish |
18K Solid Rose Gold or Platinum |
18K Solid Rose Gold or Yellow Gold |
24K Gold plate |
| Dimensions |
39.9 × 43.6 × 11.4mm |
38 × 33.3 × 10.5mm / 42 × 35.9 × 10.5mm |
45.5 x 52.2 x 10.9mm |
| Weight |
42g |
40g/48g/53g |
66.5g |
| Display |
1.2”, Circular Super AMOLED, 360×360, 302ppi |
Retina Display with Force Touch |
1.3-inch POLED capacitive touchscreen, 320×320 pixels |
| Network & connectivity |
Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC |
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 |
GSM / HSPA / LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Processor |
Dual core 1.0 GHz, 512MB of RAM |
Apple S1, which is a “customized application processor that — together with memory, storage and support processors for wireless connectivity, sensors and I/O — comprise a complete computer in a single package.” |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 1.2GHz with 512MB of RAM |
| Memory |
4GB |
8GB |
4GB |
| Sensors |
Heart rate monitor, GPS, accelerometer, gyro, barometer |
Heart rate sensor, accelerometer, ambient light, gyroscope |
9-Axis (gyro, accelerometer, compass), PPG (heart rate monitor), barometer |
| Battery |
250mAh, up to three days use on single charge |
Up to 18 hours use on single charge |
410mAh |
| Operating system |
Tizen-based wearable platform |
watchOS |
Android Wear |
| Price |
TBA |
Up to $17,000 |
$1,200 |
Images via Samsung
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