Gear be gone – Samsung announces the Galaxy Watch

After many years of the “Samsung Gear” range of smartwatches the flagship wearable for the Korean giant will now carry the flagship mobile brand name “Galaxy” as Samsung today announce the new “Galaxy Watch”

A traditional looking watch with round face not dissimilar to previous Gear watches, the Samsung Galaxy Watch hits at a few pain points for smart watch owners.

Design

Keeping with their circle face design, the Galaxy Watch looks ultra traditional, while benefiting from the smart notifications, health tracking and rotating bezel for navigation.

Battery Life

Sick of charging every day?  The Galaxy Watch will get you 80 hours of usage with standard notifications and connectivity, and for the low user that might stretch to seven days.

On the smaller 42mm model – created for those looking for something less bulky – that will get you to 120 hours.

Design

As mentioned, the Galaxy Watch comes in two sizes, 46mm and 42mm – aimed squarely at the female market the smaller version comes in two colours, Silver and Rose Gold.

Bands are standard 20 and 22mm watch bands, making customisation easy and affordable.

Connectivity

Built-in eSIM.  Yep, connectivity all day long with or without your smartphone.

Health and Wellbeing

Samsung are calling this a “true holistic health experience” with a stress management tracker which can detect high levels of stress, to an advanced sleep tracker which monitors all levels of sleep and helps you adjust sleeping habits.

For the gym junkies the Galaxy Watch now features 21 new indoor exercises taking the total to 39 workouts.  So your bench presses are covered.

Going Deep!

The Galaxy Watch’s has a certified military-level durability with Gorilla Glass DX+ and a water resistance rating of 5 ATM putting it on the wrists down to 50 meters.

What the boss says

“At Samsung, we have a long history of providing consumers with choice, while maintaining innovation within our products, and we are excited to continue the proud heritage of our Galaxy line with our wearables,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. “The new Galaxy Watch was designed for all lifestyles to help meet consumer needs, such as more efficient battery life to stay connected longer, and better wellness tracking to help users maintain their goals – we are delivering them with connected experiences, all at the touch of a wrist.”

In Australia

The Galaxy Watch hits Australian stores on October 4th, with both the Bluetooth and eSIM/Cellular models available here – no details yet on telco partners.

Starting at $549 for the 42mm Bluetooth, $599 for the 42mm Cellular, while the 46mm model comes in at $649 and $699 for Cellular.

Garry McGregor, Vice President of Samsung Australia’s Mobile Division, said “The Galaxy Watch is a beautifully crafted timepiece that delivers on both style and functionality.

“The network connectivity of the cellular Galaxy Watch will give people the freedom to leave both their phone and wallet at home while staying connected through voice and data, along with the benefits of Samsung Pay.

“Samsung Pay was the first mobile wallet in Australia to integrate with all of the ‘Big Four’ banks, Galaxy Watch users can tap and pay transactions on-the-go.

“The cellular model provides a true e-SIM experience so customers can also use their Galaxy Watch when roaming overseas, which we believe sets our smartwatch apart from our competitors.”

Trevor Long travelled to New York city for the Note 9 launch as a guest of Samsung Australia.