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Today we got a look at three brand new Samsung devices: the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, and the Samsung Galaxy Gear. The latter of those – the Galaxy Gear – can be widely seen as the most unique. If you want to take a closer look, watch our hands-on video with the brand new Android smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Gear.
Let’s get something clear: smartwatches are NOT something new. Haven’t you kids ever heard of Dick Tracy? No? Okay, that’s understandable (showing my age there), but how about the LG Watch Phone announced only in 2008, before Android made a name for itself?
That’s right: above is the LG Watch Phone. Now here we are, 5 years later in a mobile-centric world on the cusp of wearable technology omnipresence, right? Based on the current status of Google Glass and what I’ve seen of the Samsung Galaxy Gear, we still might be a couple of years early. That being said — it’s still pretty cool.
Galaxy Gear Design
The biggest initial turnoff for me were certain elements of the Galaxy Gear’s design. As recently leaked pictures suggested, the Galaxy Gear was much more chunky and thick than initial rumors led tech enthusiasts to believe. Rather than a slick, sleek watch face, four screws rest in each corner, not even attempting to hide. It’s part of the the design, and one that gives the Gear a more industrial, less serious look.
In today’s society, watches have become more of a fashion statement than a utility; smartphones largely replace the need to wear a watch. So one would think a successful smartwatch would be fashion forward, right? Samsung attempts to accomplish this by offering an array of watch band colors and watch face colors which you can mix and match.
At first it seems more playful to me, like the bright colors offered with the Motorola Moto X. Samsung’s press release mentioned what they wanted to achieve, claiming the “Galaxy Gear embodies understated elegance. Its refined design, executed in, high-quality finishes, conjures images of luxury jewelry while still being understated enough to go well with any outfit.”
I didn’t initially get that feeling from most of the colors I first saw but a few color combinations did catch my eye. That being said, I think the overall design of the Galaxy Gear proves that, while wearable tech may be the next big thing, we’re clearly still in the newborn stages.
Galaxy Gear Hardware
The Galaxy Gear has an interesting set of specs. Let’s cut to the chase, lay them out, let you digest, and then I’ll discuss.
- 1.63-inch screen
- 1.9MP camera with auto-focus for photos and video
- Microphone for voice calls and audio recording
- 800 MHz Processor
- 4GB Internal Memory
- 512GB RAM
- 315 mAh battery
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Accelerometer and Gyroscope
- Dimensions: 36.8 x 56.6 x 11.1 mm, 73.8g
- Pre-installed apps optimized for Galaxy Gear including Evernote, eBay, Path, RunKeeper, and TripIt
Battery Life
Samsung is claiming 24+ hours of battery life for the Galaxy Gear which is a HUGE improvement over the 10 hours of battery life initially rumored. It’s absolutely essential that any smartwatch battery can easily last a full day on a single charge. Nothing would be more embarrassing than wearing a smartwatch whose battery dies, instantly becoming dumber than a dumb watch, akin to a bracelet.
Preferably a smartwatch would last much longer, but we’re always constrained to specific dimensions and factors, most notably the power struggle between battery capacity and size.
As battery technology improves and size of components improve, we’ll be able to fit longer battery life into a smaller frame. The same goes for wireless standards such as Bluetooth 4.0, finding ways to conserve energy while reading and transferring information from one device to another.
But 24 hours of battery life is respectable and much better than I initially expected.
Camera
The Galaxy Gear has a 1.9 megapixel camera, something they could have easily left off the device without hurting its functionality very much, but those key features are marketing tools and product sellers. People want the kitchen sink, Samsung delivers.
Considering your Galaxy Gear is continuously tethered to a full smartphone, chances are you’ll always have quick access to a presumably much better camera. So why not pull it out and use that instead? Other than creeper shots, I can see the camera being used for video calls, but I’m still not a regular video voice caller, and the awkward angle of the Gear’s camera would make things… difficult.
Lastly, does it matter if you’re a righty or lefty? These are questions we weren’t able to answer ourselves but we’ll reach out to Samsung for clarification.
The Display and Internals
The screen wasn’t gorgeous, but hey- it’s 1.9 inches and the SAMOLED’s battery savings really come into play with a device this small. While the internals are pitiful compared to your typical smartphone, take a step back and remember that it’s just a peripheral that connects to your smartphone. Your smartphone does all the heavy lifting.
Galaxy Gear Software
One of my main questions about, not only the Galaxy Gear, but smartwatches and wearable tech in general: does it do enough to justify buying and wearing another device? What the device can do is largely dependent on the software, so let’s discuss some of those features.
- Locks your watch when you’re not within a few feet of your phone
- Looking at e-mail on watch, open phone, and that same e-mail is already open
- Fitness apps for tracking runs, reps, etc..
- Provides quick access to current time
- More apps coming soon
Galaxy Gear Smartwatch vs. Real Watch
As a longtime watch wearer myself, you’ll see that I’m definitely not opposed to having heavy metal strapped around my wrist just to tell the time. While the Galaxy Gear is surprisingly small, there’s still a good amount of bulk over your traditional watch. Given this is a first generation device, we’d imagine that by the second iteration we’ll see Samsung going with their flexible AMOLED displays, or some new battery technology to slim the Gear up a bit. As it stands, it was still a little too chunky for me, but your tastes may differ.
Galaxy Gear Alternatives and Competition
With Qualcomm also officially announcing a smartwatch of their own — the Qualcomm TOQ — and rumors of a possible iWatch and Wimm-made Nexus watch on the horizon, needless to say, the Galaxy Gear wont have a shortage of competition. While many early adopters may LOVE the first Samsung smartwatch, chances are that in 1 or 2 years, they’ll be dramatically improved across the board in areas that left me wary: style, hardware, software, and beyond.
Pricing is another factor and at $300, I’m not so sure having easy access to your email and camera is worth shelling out the extra dough. It remains to be seen if offerings from rival manufacturers will be able to beat Samsung’s initial pricing.
Of course, we’ll be sure to give you guys a full rundown of the Gear in the coming weeks, in the meantime you can discuss this Galaxy Gear with other Android users like yourself in our own Galaxy Gear forum. Now that you’ve read my initial impressions, how do you feel about the Samsung Galaxy Gear?
Ugly
Versions 2 or 3 should look marvelous.
i think this one looks great… as good as it can be before going bendy which will really rock!
Gear details @ http://viralbond.blogspot.in/2013/09/samsung-galaxy-note-3-has-arrived.html
Can I call Kitt to come pick me up with this watch? you know… like Michael Knight?
Is it waterproof? No. Guess we will have to wait for the Galaxy Gear Activ.
Or pick up the Omate TrueSmart. Much better smartwatch in my opinion.
Extremely disappointed in v1.0 and way below “leaked” specs. Hopefully v2 is released in 4-6 months. But looking at this, it’s not going to be general-public-worthy until v3 or 4, sighs…
Some people are way too picky.
In 2 years you will understand he was right
I think that I still prefer the hot watch or the meteor watch better.
wow, that lg watch is really 5 years old? damn… where have you been lg.
my thoughts exactly…they were way ahead of EVERYBODY at one point…with capacitive touch screens too…
That way to expensive in my opinion. Like our phones don’t cost enough. I couldn’t justify this purchase. But, it does peak my interest.
Jesus that’s an ugly “watch.”
really? i think the phone looks great. I mean compared to whats out there now the gear has to be the best looking for sure. it has handsdown the best specs too. a battery that lasts 25 hours is good enough for me. A very good start. It’ll only get better from here.
The specs are nothing compared to the Omate TrueSmart. Check it out.
Pebble-killer. Nothing more.
Has lower resolution camera, slower processor, less RAM, fewer sensors, lacks the Play Store, not waterproof, requires a phone to make calls and it will cost the same. Well at least it’s a Samsung right?
It looks like garbage. Cheap plastic from samesung.
Butthurt much phakeman?
phakeman , y u do dis?
512 GB Ram…?? Wow… ;)
My eyes are set on the new neptunepine
Great version 1…. the competition are scratching their head. The size constraints are the limitation currently. Fully autonomous watches will have battery life of 6 hours max. As a specialized accessory to the phablets it makes so much more sense. It can be used whilst driving to make calls !!!
For $300 it would have to be a stand alone device to replace my phone with s4 type specs. As it is now it’s a pebble with a microphone for 2x the money. Was interested but pass.
Does the reviewer not realize that that metal plaque at the bottom of the watch and making it much thicker is just a clamp to keep it from being stolen?
Clamp or no clamp on the bottom, if someone attempts to steal your watch while you wear it, you have more important issues at hand. But if your watch is on your writing hand and is bulky on the bottom it is worthless. Just another way Sammy is narrowing down their already small pool of potential customers. Do they not have anyone with common sense who works there?
I still like the Pebble over this one.
At least the Pebble you can use with nearly any phone. A nice way to limit your customer base Sammy! But I don’t like the fact that either needs a phone for full functionality.
In the quick video hand-on I noticed that a lot of the added bulk was due to the silver security device attached to the bottom of the watch. Has anyone actually messed around with one of these WITHOUT a security device attached? It seems to add a lot of bulk since it the Gear looks much sleeker in the promo shots.
Apologists will chastise me for calling this what a reasonable person can easily see- A beta.
This is a pretty big disappointment. Statistically, how many people are actually able to use this watch since you must own specific Sammy phones…? And they that is if they actually want it. They might have a flop on their hands here and are following a bit too close to Apple’s rule book.
Although there is a nice stand-alone and/or connected watch on Kickstarter right now from a company called Omate. It is actually a proper Android phone with all the bells and whistles in a tiny watch package. Google play store, Sapphire glass, takes a SIM and SD card, waterproof, quad core processor, and a bunch of other fairly high specs. Search for “Omate” at the kickstarter site.