Samsung just announced the availability of their Tizen-driven Gear 3 smartwatch in Canada. It will be available online at Samsung.ca, Samsung Experience stores, and Best Buy for $469 and only in black, although other colors may soon surface. The Gear S3 comes in two models – the ‘Classic’ and the more rugged looking, ‘Frontier.’ The Gear S3 measures a rather large 46 mm wide, 49 mm tall and 12.9 mm thick, but the Classic does only weigh in at just 57 grams and the Frontier 63 grams. It is running Samsung’s own Tizen, version 2.3.2, out of the box – there is no Android Wear, but you will find no trouble locating apps for your Gear S3. The device seems to be a hot seller for the Christmas holidays, so you may want to jump on them quickly. In the US it is already showing as back ordered until after Christmas.
The Samsung Gear S3 is mostly a refinement over the Gear S2, but the Gear S3 does have a few new features. The display is a Super AMOLED display which measures 1.3-inches and makes use of a 360 x 360 resolution, which works out to 278 pixels-per-inch (PPI.) Both devices feature an always-on display and a rotating bezel. They are using an Exynos 7270 dual-core processor clocked at 1.0 GHz with 768MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory. A non-removable Li-Ion 380 mAh battery powers the Gear S3, and it uses wireless charging. Smartwatches were designed to monitor ‘things’ and the Gear S3 has its share of sensors. You have an optical heart rate sensor, a barometer, accelerometer, Gyroscope, and ambient light sensor, A-GPS and GLONASS are supported. The Gear S3 provides NFC and Magnetic Secure Transmission connectivity, allowing you to use Samsung Pay at practically any credit card station, even those old models that must swipe your card.
The Gear S3 also comes with WiFi 802.11 b/g/n as well as Bluetooth 4.2 to connect to either your smartphone or your wireless headphones. It is IP68 certified for dust and water-resistance as well as MIL-STD-810G for ruggedness. Samsung claims the 380 mAh battery will be good for 3-4 days of usage on a single charge and there is an included wireless charger. With the built-in microphone and speaker, you can answer or initiate a phone call. Customize your watch face, choosing from thousands of striking colors and designs. Moreover, you can easily swap out the standard 22 mm band for one that you like better.