Smartwatch Battle: Moto 360, Gear S2 Announcements & What to Know!

As we approach bigger screen sizes for our smartphones, the attention is now being shifted towards getting a new kind of device on you – quite literally. The next generation of smartwatches is just on the horizon and these bring along marked improvements over their predecessors.

First up, is the Moto 360 v2. Parent company Lenovo made a post via its Weibo account, announcing that “It’s Time” for a new Moto smartwatch. The new Moto 360 will be unveiled on 8th September at an event held in Shanghai. The event announcement confirms the new placement of the lone physical button on the smartwatch, shifting from the previous 3 o’clock position to a 2 o’clock position. The event announcement does not shed any more light on what to expect, but rumors and leaks have given us a decent idea of what should be expected at the September event.

For starters, the new Moto 360 will come in two different sizes, S and L. The Moto 360S will have a 1.37″ circular display, a 42mm body and 20mm bands, while the Moto 360L will have a larger 1.55″ display, a 46mm body and 22mm bands. The models sport thin bezels just like their predecessor, but still have a “flat tire” design like the original.

Apart from the sizes, the Moto 360 will be available in a wide variety of color options for the body as well as the band. Nothing official is known on the matter, but it can be guessed that the smaller sized model will be marketed towards women while the larger will be marketed towards men. From the leaks, we can see that a few neutral options also exist, so Moto plans to keep all bases covered.

 

   

Along with the two Moto 360 options, we have also been hearing about another variant —  the Moto 360 Sport. This variant is allegedly built around the needs of an active outdoors person. Leaks claim that the sport variant will come with a “Hybrid Display” optimized for outdoor use, and will feature a GPS sensor along with a barometer and a 3ATM limit for water resistance (Water resistance is tested in measurements of atmosphere (ATM), where each ATM denotes 10m of static water pressure). Unfortunately, the Moto 360 Sport variant will come in November, as per leaks.

 

Moving on from the Moto 360 v2, we have Samsung’s Gear S2 to keep future competitors on their toes. After making brief appearances during the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 unveiling, the Gear S2 has been made official through a press release.

The newest additions to Samsung’s increasing smartwatch portfolio come in the form of the Gear S2 and the Gear S2 Classic. The Gear S2 Classic will be available in a black case body with a leather band, thereby mimicking a “timeless watch design”. The regular Gear S2 will be available in a dark gray case with a dark gray band, and with a silver case with a white band.

As far as specifications are concerned, the Gear S2 features a 1.2″ circular Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 360×360. The device will feature 4GB of internal memory, 512MB of RAM and a 250 mAh Li-ion battery. Sensors on the device include an accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, ambient light sensor and a barometer. Also, the Gear S2 features a rotating bezel, creating another medium of interaction with the device.

The Gear S2’s unique rotating bezel, along with the Home and Back buttons, ensures users will have a quicker, more precise method to comfortably access notifications and applications.

In the connectivity department, the devices come with WiFi b/g/n support, along with Bluetooth and NFC. The inclusion of NFC is a curious addition, pointing heavily that the device may be used to further the cause of Samsung Pay. The Gear S2 also comes with a 3G variant that incorporates e-SIM with voice capability, allowing users to perform quick functions without being closely tethered to a phone.

The Gear S2 looks like a solid smartwatch with one caveat: Tizen OS. The Gear S2 will not run on Android Wear, preferring Samsung’s own OS over Google’s offering. This will likely limit the app ecosystem, thereby making the future support of the device questionable. No details regarding pricing and availability have been revealed so far, but the smartwatches will be made available for full media hands-on at Berlin on September 3, so stay tuned for more coverage!

The Moto 360 v2 and the Gear S2 present interesting choices in the ever increasing market segment of smartwatches. Needless to say, there shall be more of them coming soon.

What do you think about the Moto 360 v2 and the Gear S2? Will you be looking to upgrade from an existing smartwatch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Read on for related coverage:

• Samsung Gear S2 Forums Now Available!
• @upleaks Leaks Moto 360 Sport & Motorola Bounce
• Sunday Debate: How Will Lenovo Affect Motorola’s Future?
• Comparison Picture of Moto360 Vs Moto360S

Cover Image Credits: ComputerWorld

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