AT&T has today announced that it will be carrying the new Samsung Gear S3 Frontier. The Gear S3 Frontier is an LTE-enabled smartwatch which was just announced this morning and is due to be released into the American market. This is a smartwatch which is based around a 1.3-inch, circular, AMOLED panel with a resolution of 360 by 360 pixels, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass SR+. Under the screen there’s a dual core, 1.0 GHz Samsung Exynos chipset backed up by 768 MB of RAM and with 4 GB of local storage. As expected of a Samsung wearable device, the Gear S3 Frontier runs Tizen (2.3.2) rather than Android Wear and has a 380 mAh battery. While AT&T’s press release does confirm AT&T will carry the Gear S3 Frontier, it seems there are no pricing or availability information provided. Although AT&T has set up a microsite for potential customers to check back with, which can be accessed by heading through the source link below.
The Gear S3 Frontier is compatible with AT&T’s NumberSync technology, which is a means of sharing the one ‘phone number across more than one devices. AT&T explains in their press release that customers (providing they have the necessary hardware and are using the device in an AT&T coverage area) will be able to make and receive calls and text messages on the Gear S3 Frontier using their normal number even without their smartphone. By necessary hardware, AT&T have clarified that customers will need a HD voice-enabled device, which is what AT&T call their VoLTE service (Voice Over LTE, a means of carrying voice over a data connection). All of AT&T’s current smartphones feature HD Voice functionality.
The Gear S3 Frontier as sold by AT&T will also be able to manage the DIRECTV and home, even when your smartphone is not to hand: the new Samsung smartwatch can act as a remote control for the DIRECTV unit and will allow customers to search for and watch their favorite shows, change the channel and even set up the device to record television. The Gear S3 Frontier will also support the AT&T Digital Life application, meaning customers will be able to monitor their connected home from their smartwatch rather than their smartphone.