Last year, trusted tech brands such as Apple and Sony hoped their respective smart watches would woo consumers. Instead, they faced a widespread drop in wearable tech sales and speculation over whether smart watches were merely a passing fad. But with new products on the horizon, will 2017 be the year that buyers finally put their faith in intelligent wrist assistants? That remains to be seen, but Samsung has certainly made a convincing case with its newest release, the Gear S3.
The watch, equipped with a built-in speaker, allows users to make or answer calls even if they’ve left their smart phones at home. Athletes may take interest in another incorporated feature, a GPS system. This provides the navigational guidance that many have come to rely on while rendering it wholly unnecessary to lug around a phone in a backpack or tummy-hugging exercise belt.
To answer calls, read messages and open apps, one merely has to turn the Gear S3’s bezel. The watch also includes an altimeter, barometer and speedometer, as well as a heart rate sensor. Perhaps the most impressive feature, though, is the fact that the battery lasts about four days, or so Samsung says.
For those who still want to keep their phone on hand, especially for lengthy calls that could be cumbersome on a watch, fear not – the device is compatible with smart phones that run on Android 4.4 and higher.