Samsung launched a trio of wearable devices at the Mobile World Congress earlier this week: Two smartwatches called the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo and a fitness tracker called the Gear Fit. The Tizen-based devices come with more functionality and a new design. While Samsung touted a lot of hardware details, it failed to mention when these devices would be hitting store shelves. Not to worry though, as we have on good authority that the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit will be available from week 14 of 2014. That indicates a likely global rollout that begins on or after March 31, 2014.
While our insider source was able to give us the availability date, there was no mention of the price these devices will carry. It has been rumored that Samsung was looking to price the Gear 2 at a lower price point to the original Galaxy Gear, but there isn’t any official confirmation of the same. According to the timeline provided to us, the three devices will be unveiled a week before the Galaxy S5 becomes available globally.
Hardware wise, there isn’t as much of a difference from the Galaxy Gear to the Gear 2. The screen size, resolution, size of RAM and internal memory are all the same. There is a faster 1 GHz CPU on the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, but otherwise hardware isn’t a differentiator. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo differ in the fact that the Gear 2 comes with a 2 MP camera that is embedded onto the watch face. The Gear Fit on the other hand is a fitness tracker that comes with a curved AMOLED screen and a bevy of sensors that include real-time heart monitor that tracks your vital information on the go. All three wearable devices garnered quite a lot of attention, with the Gear Fit winning the “Best Mobile Device” accolade by the GSMA yesterday. What are your thoughts on the new line of wearables? Are you interested in getting any of the devices? Let us know below.
