Samsung has unveiled its Gear S3 smartwatch in two versions: Classic and the more masculine Frontier. The new watches join the older Gear S2 in the line-up rather than replacing it. These are larger devices with 1.3in circular screens and 46mm casings, and as before there’s a rotating bezel. RAM has been ramped up, as has battery capacity, with the new watches expected to last three- to four days depending on your usage. Both are IP68 waterproof, while the Frontier also fits the MIL-STD 810G spec and has optional LTE. Samsung Pay is properly implemented in both watches. Read on for full details.
How to re-watch Gear S3 live stream
Samsung unveiled the Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier at a launch event in Berlin on Wednesday 31 August. You can re-watch that video below.
Samsung Gear S3 UK release date: When is the Gear S3 coming out?
Gear S3 UK release date: October 2016
Samsung’s Gear S3 Classic and Frontier will be available in the UK from October. We will update this article when an exact date is known. MobileFun has now confirmed it will be selling both smartwatches at £349. You can buy the Gear S3 Classic here, and buy the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier here. The Gear S3 will be in direct competition with the Apple Watch Series 2 announced alongside the new iPhone 7 on 7 September. Also see: Best activity trackers 2016.
Samsung Gear S3 new features and specifications
Both Classic and Frontier are circular smartwatches with 1.3in (360×360, 278ppi) Gorilla Glass SR+-protected AMOLED displays, 22mm straps and the rotating bezel seen in the Gear S2. They are pretty tough, with IP68-rated dust- and waterproof protection, though the Frontier is designed to be the more rugged of the two. There is some difference in weight, but both the 62g Frontier and 57g Classic measure 46x49x12.9mm. The Gear S3 runs Tizen 2.3.2 on 768MB of RAM and 4GB of storage, and both Classic and Frontier support Bluetooth 4.2, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, NFC, MST, GPS and GLONASS. Only the Frontier comes with optional LTE. There’s a 380mAh battery, which charges wirelessly, plus an array of sensors including accelerometer, gyro, barometer, HRM and ambient light. Read next: Best smartwatches 2016. Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter. Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
