Samsung sneakily announces the Gear S2 smartwatch, rotating bezel confirmed

Samsung has surprised the tech world by spontaneously announcing its Gear S2 smartwatch.

The Tizen-powered timepiece (take that, Android Wear) was very briefly shown off during the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ launch, but now we’ve got some more details to sink our teeth into.

For starters, the previously rumoured rotating bezel is now confirmed. It’s a fresh take on smartwatch interaction (standing out from the digital crown on the Apple Watch), and it also has a Home and Back button for navigation too.

The 11.4mm-thin Gear S2 packs in a 1.2in 360 x 360 display (302ppi) and is powered by a 1.0GHZ dual-core processor and 4GB of internal memory.

Samsung’s promise of a three-day battery life falls short of the Pebble Time’s seven-day offering, but it’s still better than every Android Wear smartwatch we’ve seen so far, and outclasses the Apple Watch’s stamina too.

Two models of the Gear S2 will be available at launch – the Gear S2, and the Gear S2 classic, the latter of which sports a traditional leather band.

There’s no word on prices or release dates for the time being, but we’re hoping for more info and a wrists-on at IFA in Berlin, so stay tuned.

Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.