Samsung announces the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, Tizen-powered smartwatches

February 22, 2014

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Gear 2_Gear 2_Neo_together

That was quick. Right after the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo leaked this morning (and tonight), Samsung has made both smartwatches official in Barcelona. While they look strikingly similar to the original Galaxy Gear, there have been some changes inside and out. But the biggest change is that Android is no longer under the hood. Samsung's very own Tizen is. What does this mean for device compatibility? Well, Samsung says that it will work with various Galaxy devices right away. Despite not running Android, Samsung has announced CNN, Weather Channel, and Garmin among others have created an app for their Tizen-powered smartwatches. A dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz is running the show here.

What's the difference between the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo? The latter will not have a camera and the weight of the smartwatch will be lighter than its camera-featured sibling. With typical use, both smartwatches should get 2-3 days on a full battery. Light use will net around 6 days. The Gear 2 will be available in Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange and the Gear 2 Neo has Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange color options. As of now, pricing is still unannounced for both devices.

Hit the break for the official press release.

Samsung Offers Unmatched Freedom and Style with the Next Generation of Gear devices

February 23, 2014

The stylish Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo offer consumers increased connectivity, customization, and control

Barcelona, Spain – February 23, 2014 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today introduced the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo designed to take the freedom, convenience and style of wearable technology to the next level. The Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo offer consumers enhanced connectivity and a completely integrated approach for the most personal wearable experience.

“Samsung continues to lead innovation in the wearable market by creating devices that are completely integrated into the lives of consumers through extended connectivity features, stylish customization options and a robust application ecosystem,” Said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics. “With the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, we have enhanced everything consumers love about the Gear to offer unparalleled smart freedom in their everyday life.”

The next generation of mobile freedom

Samsung achieved a significant improvement as a leading smart wearable provider with Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. Both devices offer a lightweight design with premium finishes that reflect modern trends.

A Camera is equipped to a main body instead to strap, making the Samsung Gear 2 a sleek and sharp smart companion. Consumers are now available to express their mood or coordinate with their outfit with modern and sophisticated strap color options including Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange for Gear2 and Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange for Gear2 Neo. The home screen background, clock face and font are also customizable to reflect their personal taste.

The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are essential companion devices, allow users to accept or ignore incoming calls and messages, and providing instant notification options based on a user’s activity and habits.

Both devices act as an extension of a consumer’s daily life, offering users more control of their lives with standalone features, such as controlling electronic products such as TV, settop box through WatchON Remote application in their own home with an embedded IrLED sensor. The addition of a standalone music player with Bluetooth headset means people can leave their smartphone at home and still enjoy their music on the go.

Both devices also offer personal fitness coaching in real time, allowing users to develop a customizable fitness routine and monitor their heart rate in order to improve their overall well-being.

Finally, the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo let users connect to a wide variety of Samsung devices and access an enriched application ecosystem as the first wearable powered by Tizen based wearable platform. Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are compatible with more than dozens of Samsung Galaxy smartphones at launch.

Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will be available around the world starting from April. Full details and product images are available at www.samsungmobilepress.com or m.samsungmobilepress.com.

Samsung Gear 2 Product Specifications:

Camera
Display	1.63” Super AMOLED (320 x 320)
AP	1.0 GHz Dual Core Processor
OS	Tizen based wearable platform
	Gear 2 : 2.0 Megapixel Auto Focus (1920×1080, 1080×1080, 1280×960)
	Gear 2 Neo : N/A
Video	Codec: H.264, H.263Format: 3GP, MP4HD(720p, @30fps) Playback & Recording
Audio	Codec: MP3/AAC/AMR/VorbisFormat: MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG
Camera Features	Auto Focus Camera, Sound & Shot, Location Tags, Signature
Additional Features	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 Color Options: – 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
Samsung Services	Samsung Apps
Connectivity	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	Standard Battery, Li-ion 300mAh Typical Usage 2~3 days, Low Usage up to 6 days

Justin Herrick Author

Born and raised in New Jersey, Justin is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University where he studied marketing with a focus on digital marketing. He's very talkative and enjoys discussing anything from technology and sports to video games and television. As for Justin's current device rotation, he carries around the Google Pixel and Nexus 9. In the rare case that his phone or tablet is not in his hand, he is either flicking through cards on his Moto 360 (2015) or typing away on the Microsoft Surface Book. Justin is patiently waiting for the day that Google replicates the Galaxy Nexus with modern day specifications.

6 comments

bob says:

February 23, 2014 at 12:42 AM

This will fail just as the gear 1 did because they forgot one thing. It looks fecking ugly

Reply
1n50mniac says:

February 22, 2014 at 10:18 PM

No problem with it not running android….just curious how tizen will fair. 2 to 3 days est. battery life is bad still, that’s one to two days improvement from the gg. I’m waiting to hear the price tag, if they go 300 bucks again and 250 for the NEO, it will flop again.

Reply
1. Justin_Herrick says:
  
  February 22, 2014 at 11:45 PM
  
  2-3 days doesn’t seem that bad. When compared to the display on a Pebble smartwatch, it’s understandable. E-ink vs Super AMOLED.
  
  Reply
1n50mniac says:

February 22, 2014 at 9:51 PM

This is crap….the first watch was crap, now they release it with the same crappy battery, and running their tizen OS. No thank you Samsung! Will wait for the pebble 2 whenever that is announced…

Reply
1. Justin_Herrick says:
  
  February 22, 2014 at 9:54 PM
  
  I mean the switch to Tizen almost had to happen. They have to do *something* with it, right? At least the camera design has changed.
  
  Reply
2. Jared Peters says:
  
  February 22, 2014 at 10:14 PM
  
  I think it’s kind of unfair to say it has the same crappy battery as the original Gear, since we haven’t seen it in real-life tests. Tizen might be great on the battery, or whatever processor is in it might be incredibly energy efficient. Can’t really say just yet.
  Also, the Pebble doesn’t run Android, either.
  
  Reply