South Korean consumer electronics giants, Samsung and LG officially unveiled two new smartwatches on Thursday (28 August) – S Gear and G Watch R respectively.
Samsung's new S Gear wristwatch flaunts a big 2.0-inch super AMOLED screen and run on the company's proprietary wearable platform Tizen.
One striking feature of the S Gear is that it can act as a standalone calling device without being paired to a smartphone. It comes with a SIM slot compatible with 2G/3G network and it can also take calls from the companion smartphone via Bluetooth with the ability to switch between two networks.
"Samsung is leading this exciting and rapidly developing wearable category through progressive innovation," said JK Shin, CEO and head of IT & mobile communication at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Gear S is said to redefine the idea of the smart wearable and the culture of mobile communication, where consumers can live a truly connected life anywhere, anytime.
On the other hand, LG G Watch R is a circular version of the recently unveiled G Watch. It sports a 1.3-inch plastic P-OLED display and ships with Android Wear OS powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 series CPU, 512MB RAM and 4GB memory.
"What we've noticed in the year of the wearable is that this is a category that can't be compared to smartphones and tablets," said Dr Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.
"Wearables are also accessories and consumers will want more than one to choose from. So we wanted to complement the modern design of the original G Watch with the classic look of the G Watch R. Customers can't go wrong with either device," he added.
Samsung has confirmed that S Gear will hit stores in select global markets in October, whereas LG G Watch would be available in key regions in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Price and actual release date details of these devices are said to be revealed during the local launch days.
Key Specifications of Samsung S Gear, LG G Watch R:
| Models | Samsung S Gear | LG G Watch R |
| Display | 2.0-inch super AMOLED screen with 360x480p resolutions | 1.3-inch P-OLED screen with 320x320p resolutions |
| OS | Tizen platform | Android Wear |
| Processor | 1.0GHz dual-core processor | 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 series CPU |
| RAM | 512MB | 512MB |
| Storage capacity | 4GB | 4GB eMMC |
| Battery | 300 mAh with Power saving mode; (under normal usage, smartwatch can last up to two days) | 410 mAh |
| Add-ons | 2G & 3G calling ability, IP67 dust-and-water resistant certifications, Samsung Gear apps, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth v4.1, A-GPS/GLONASS | IP67 dust-and-water resistant certifications, 9-Axis sensors (Gyro/Accelerometer/Compass), Barometer, PPG (Heart Rate Monitor) |
| Dimensions | 58.3 x 39.8 x 12.5 mm | Not disclosed |
