Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Galaxy Gear Neo Smart Watches Launched at MWC

Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear smart watch back in September at IFA and today, the manufacturer is coming to MWC with its new Galaxy Gear 2 and a lighter version, the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo. Both the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo are now running Samsung’s OS Tizen, instead of Android, and they are both one millimeter thinner than the original Gear. The 2.0 Megapixel camera is now located in the watch body instead of the strap, and Samsung added an IrLED sensor so users can control their TVs and set top boxes via the Samsung WatchON Remote application.

The new dual core processor is a little faster at 1 Ghz than the previous one (800 mhz). We hope that the power consumption has been optimized since the battery is a little smaller (300 mAh vs. 315 mAh) probably to fit in the slimmer body. The display and the memory capabilities remain the same: a 1.63” super AMOLED featuring a 320×320 resolution, 512 MB RAM and 4GB internal storage.

Check out the gallery with the Galaxy Gear 2 photos

Another interesting addition is the heart rate sensor that will provide more data to improve the fitness applications available for the watch. Additionally, heart rate monitoring allows for more accurate sleep monitoring, a feature that will probably drive a lot of the growth in the wearable devices market. Basis is one of the few smart watches with a heart rate monitor, and the company released its advanced sleep analysis feature at CES in January. In fact, Samsung added a downloadable Sleep & Stress feature to the software.

Samsung decided to turn the new Gear 2 into a wearable music player, thanks to its standalone music player with Bluetooth player. Users will be able to go running outdoors listening to music without the need to carry their smartphones.

On the design side, besides the slightly more compact body, from the product shots we have received from Samsung, we can tell that the chassis looks pretty much the same, and the straps are now textured. The Galaxy Gear 2 will come with Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange strap color options, and the Galaxy gear 2 Neo will get Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange options. The Gear 2 is slightly heavier (68g) than the Gear 2 Neo (55g), and lighter than the original Gear (73g). The Galaxy Gear Neo does not have a camera.

Featured applications include: Banjo, BMW, CNN , Conde Nast, Expedia, eBay, Evernote, Feedly, GARMIN, Glympse, GM (Onstar 4GLTE), iControl, Line, Path, Paypal, RUNTASTIC, Volkswagen, Weather Channel, Under Armour(Map my fitness).

Both the the Galaxy gear 2 and the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo will be available in April, no word on the pricing yet and no information regarding smartphone models compatibility.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the new Gear 2, I really love the original Gear’s product design although, after trying it for a while, I found it  less comfortable to wear than other smart watches such as the Sony SmartWatch 2 or the Pebble. I really hope that the new product will be more wearable, the slimmer body indicates that it should be the case.
The Gear is definitively better on the display side than those two other products, and it is the only one (except for the upcoming Pine watch) that offers an embedded camera.

Below the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo photo gallery

Specifications highlight

• Display: 1.63” Super AMOLED (320 x 320)
• Processor: 1.0 GHz Dual Core Processor
• OS Tizen based wearable platform
• Camera: Gear 2 : 2.0 Megapixel Auto Focus (1920×1080, 1080×1080, 1280×960) – Gear 2 Neo : None
• Video Codec: H.264, H.263, Format: 3GP, MP4, HD(720p, @30fps) Playback & Recording
• Audio: Codec: MP3/AAC/AMR/Vorbis, Format: MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG
• Camera Features: Auto Focus Camera, Sound & Shot, Location Tags, Signature
• Fitness Features: 1. Heart Rate sensor – 2. Pedometer – 3. Exercise Standalone Modes: Running, Walking, Companion Modes: Cycling, Hiking – 4. Sleep & Stress (Downloadable)
• Music Player with Bluetooth® Headset and Speaker
• WatchON Remote: Remote Controller via IrLED Sensor
• Basic Features:
• – Bluetooth Call, Camera, Notification(SMS, E-mail, Apps)
• – Media Controller, Schedule, Smart Relay, S Voice, Stopwatch, Timer, Weather
• More Features(Downloadable):
• – Calculator, ChatON, Flashlight, Quick Settings, Voice Memo
• Changeable Strap: 
• – Gear 2 : Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange
• – Gear 2 Neo : Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange
• IP67 Certified Dust and Water Resistant
• Noise Cancellation
• Featured App: Banjo, BMW, CNN , Conde Nast, Expedia, eBay, Evernote, Feedly, GARMIN, Glympse, GM (Onstar 4GLTE), iControl, Line, Path, Paypal, RUNTASTIC, Volkswagen, Weather Channel, Under Armour(Map my fitness) Samsung Services
• Bluetooth v4.0 LE 
• IrLED Sensor
• Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate Memory
• RAM: 512MB
• Storage: 4GB Internal Memory
• Dimension Gear 2 : 36.9 x 58.4x 10.0 mm, 68g
• Dimension Gear 2 Neo : 37.9 x 58.8 x 10.0mm, 55g Battery
• Battery, standard Li-ion 300mAh
• Typical Usage 2~3 days, Low Usage up to 6 days

Eliane Fiolet
Categories: Breaking, Cellphones, Gadgets
Tags: galaxy, galaxy gear, galaxy gear 2, MWC, MWC 2014, Samsung, Wearable Tech