Samsung’s Gear S4 series of Tizen-powered smartwatches will include two models and three color options, one of which will be entirely new, with the company once again opting to cater to both athletes and those on the lookout for more fashionable wearables with a broad range of variants, SamMobile reports, citing unidentified sources. The 2016 lineup consisted of the Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier, though it’s still unclear whether Samsung will be sticking with those monikers this year, with the latest report only claiming that both will be offered with LTE capabilities, or at least one of their versions will be. The three color options planned to be made available on day one are Black, Silver, and Gold, as per the same report.
Samsung has a long history of refreshing its handsets and wearables with new colors following their commercialization so the fact that only a trio of colors is expected to be offered at launch doesn’t mean the firm won’t introduce more versions at a later date. The Gear S3 series has been revamped by the original equipment manufacturer on numerous occasions, with its last limited edition launching over a year since its market debut. Samsung is said to have started full-fledged Gear S4 development earlier this year, with the upcoming products possibly being identified by the model numbers SM-R800, SM-R805, SM-R810, and SM-R815. Only one of the two main models is said to be getting the Gold treatment, with the color in question being a first for the firm’s premium smartwatch family.
While recent rumors pointed to the possibility of some models running Google’s Wear OS, formerly known as Android Wear, that isn’t expected to be the case any longer. The Gear S4 lineup is presently rumored for a fourth-quarter release but with the vast majority of Samsung’s previous smartwatches debuting at IFA, the upcoming wearables may also end up making an appearance at this year’s iteration of the Berlin, Germany-based trade show. Samsung traditionally has a strong presence at the annual event but is understood to be launching its next Galaxy Note-series smartphone earlier this year, meaning it won’t be left with much other options for taking the spotlight at the industry fair.