News & Reviews:   Samsung Galaxy Gear 2

Samsung revealed quite a lot of new devices recently including the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Samsung Gear Fit. Just in case you haven't seen everything there is to see about them, Samsung have also released some official highlight videos as well. Check out the videos in this article.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, Galaxy Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit smartwatches and smartband were recently revealed at the MWC 2014 with many hoping that the pricing would be somewhat more affordable than the previous Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. As it turns out, pricing could actually be the same or higher, but with a wider range to choose from this time around. Rumours from Sam Mobile indicate that the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 could cost 299 Euros (RM1343), while the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo and the Gear Fit could go for 199 Euros (RM894) each. With the original Samsung Galaxy Gear already costing RM999, this dashes our hopes of a more affordable smartwatch alternative, but the price could change when it comes to Malaysia. No specific Malaysia release dates were mentioned but we'll find out soon enough (probably with the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch in Malaysia).

Apart from overseeing Google's Android and Chrome developments, Sundar Pichai was also seen going about at the Mobile World Congress 2014 recently. He made a number of interesting comments, one of which is that the Samsung Galaxy S6 would be running Android and not Tizen, which is Samsung's own home-grown mobile operating system. So far, Samsung have already put Tizen in their Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo and Samsung Gear Fit smartwatches and smartband with a possible Samsung Tizen smartphone expected soon. According to Sundar Pichai though, there is no cause for alarm as there is supposedly no tension going on between Samsung and Google. With the Samsung Galaxy S5 only just announced recently, a year-long wait is quite a while for such a claim to stay valid, so do take this with a grain of salt.

Showing off more Samsung curved displays is the Samsung Gear Fit, which appears to be the company's entry into the growing list of health tracking smart bands. Like the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch the Gear Fit also displays notifications and incoming calls or messages but does away with any camera feature. While it offers a pedometer, timer, heart rate sensor, accelerometer and other health tracking the Gear Fit does have a fairly sensitive wide and narrow 1.84-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with very nice colours. As usual, it can be used as a bluetooth companion device but can also operate on it's own as a health tracking smart band. The Gear Fit is also IP67 certified so it can take some rain, dust and rough weather with ease.  The full tech specs of the Samsung Gear Fit can be seen below:

• 1.84” Curved Super AMOLED (432x128)
• Supports Bluetooth v4.0 LE
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Heart Rate
• 23.4 x 57.4 x 11.95 mm | 27g
• 210 mAh battery (Typical Usage 3~4 days, Low Usage up to 5 days)
• IP67 Dust and Water Resistant

At the ongoing MWC 2014, Samsung revealed their next generation smartwatches the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo. Major differences with the original Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch include the fact that both new smartwatches are running Tizen, Samsung's mobile operating system and the fact that the camera has been moved to the chassis and not the strap. A new IrLED blaster lets you control your TV and other devices. Both smartwatches have more or less the same tech specs and features except that the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo doesn't have any camera. Check out the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Galaxy Gear 2 Neo tech specs below:

• Samsung Galaxy Gear 2
• 1GHz Dual Core Processor
• 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display (320 x 320 pixel resolution)
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB storage
• 2MP camera (auto focus, 720p at 30fps video recording)
• 36.9 x 58.4x 10.0 mm | 68g
• 300 mAh battery
• Supports heart rate sensor, pedometer, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, IrLED sensor, Noise Cancellation
• IP67 Certified Dust and Water Resistant
• Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange

At the ongoing MWC 2014, Samsung revealed their next generation smartwatches the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo. Major differences with the original Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch include the fact that both new smartwatches are running Tizen, Samsung's mobile operating system and the fact that the camera has been moved to the chassis and not the strap. A new IrLED blaster lets you control your TV and other devices. Both smartwatches have more or less the same tech specs and features except that the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo doesn't have any camera. Check out the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Galaxy Gear 2 Neo tech specs below:

• Samsung Galaxy Gear 2
• 1GHz Dual Core Processor
• 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display (320 x 320 pixel resolution)
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB storage
• 2MP camera (auto focus, 720p at 30fps video recording)
• 36.9 x 58.4x 10.0 mm | 68g
• 300 mAh battery
• Supports heart rate sensor, pedometer, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, IrLED sensor, Noise Cancellation
• IP67 Certified Dust and Water Resistant
• Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange

The Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch offers the most amount of features around but one of the main reasons it didn't really take off in Malaysia was it's RM999 price tag. Recently Samsung cut down the price of the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch in India down to $120 (RM397), with the original initial pricing set at an even higher $365 (RM1208). Samsung has not given any official announcement on a global cut-down in pricing for markets like Malaysia yet but since India got it, China, Malaysia and other Asian markets will probably follow soon after. The price cut is also indicative of what could be coming as well, as many are expecting the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch or S Band bracelet to be revealed in 2014. No specific Malaysia release dates just yet, but we're expecting it to come in or after the end of February 2014.

While Samsung's Unpacked invite all but announced the coming of the Samsung Galaxy S5, it still didn't offer much in terms of tech specs or features. Rumours have cropped up from Eldar Murtazin who says he knows the exact details. According to him, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will have a 5.24-inch display with 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution (2K display) which would give it a world's first record with 560ppi pixel density. Other features include a 3200 mAh battery, 32GB / 64GB storage, a 16MP rear camera, 3.2MP front camera and two versions with either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 or Samsung Exynos 6 processor and chipset. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to arrive with a companion S Band bracelet and not a Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch. Last but not least, do take this rumour with a healthy dose of salt, as Eldar Murtazin has been wrong about the Galaxy S5 before.

Samsung's Lee Young Hee, Executive VP of the Mobile Division certainly likes to drop plenty of teasers for Samsung products in his quotes with this one concerning the next Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Confirming that the still unnamed smartwatch which could turn be named the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 would be unveiled with the Samsung Galaxy S5 by April, he said:

“When we release our S5 device, you can also expect a Gear successor with more advanced functions, and the bulky design will also be improved. Health-care related functions will be the most inherently tied functions to future wearables. We see a very big potential from there.”

The first generation Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch really didn't wow us despite it currently being the most feature-filled consumer smartwatch available. It cost too much, lasted just a bit more than 24 hours and still had to rely on your smartphone to use most of the apps. So when rumours that Samsung could be coming out with a 2nd version surfaced we're still a bit skeptical about the whole Samsung smartwatch thing. As it is, rumours are saying that the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and another wearable to be called the Samsung Galaxy Band could be revealed at MWC 2014 in February. Tech specs and features are very limited but the Galaxy Gear 2 is expected to have a flexible screen while the Galaxy Band would be a health tracker much like the Nike FuelBand. No details on pricing or Malaysia release dates but if they do get revealed at MWC 2014, we'll probably see them in Malaysia sometime in 2014. For now, check out the whole bunch of flexible display tech from Samsung's own Display group below. Do watch out for a FuelBand like bangle smartwatch in the video.