Samsung announces Unpacked event for August 13; may unveil Gear A smartwatch at event
Samsung Elect Co Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSNLF) has officially announced its upcoming smartwatch, Samsung Gear A. The soon-to-be-launched device is also called the Orbis, as it will be the first smartwatch to incorporate a round display. The company hasn’t revealed many features about the wearable gadget, however, since it has scheduled its “Unpacked” for August 13, we are inclined to believe that is when the device will be unveiled; alongside the Note 5.
The device caters to a niche market. Previously, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has successfully managed to penetrate the industry with the Apple Watch, which has become, by far, the most popular wearable technology globally. Apple has reportedly sold over 4 million units of the device and aims to sell even more after the launch of WatchOS 2 this fall.
Samsung has its work cut to regain some of its lost market share in the smartwatch market. That is one major reason behind the company's move to launch the Gear A. The gadget boasts a resolution of 360x360 pixels for its round display. Samsung has further revealed that the device will incorporate a rotating bezel on its side. While the functionality of the component is unclear, we believe it will function in a similar manner to the digital crown featured on the Apple Watch.
The device runs on Tizen OS 2.3.1. It is powered by an Exynos 3472 chipset with a dual-core processor and 768MB of RAM. The wearable will provide users with 4GB of internal storage and a 250mAh battery. In terms of connectivity, the wearable will have Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi 802.11n, alongside the usual sensors such as a heart rate monitor and GPS. These specs haven’t been confirmed by Samsung as yet, and the conjectures may change come August.
The impact of the launch, for Samsung as well as Apple, will be of interest. Apple has no plans to introduce a new iteration of its Apple Watch. However, it will take its product up a notch with the WatchOS 2. That device will allow applications to run directly on the device, as compared the first model which simply displays representations of apps that run on an associated iPhone.
More information about Samsung Gear A will be provided as the launch date approaches.
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