Samsung unveils new Gear S smartwatch that can make and receive calls

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd today unveiled what it said was the first smartwatch capable of making and receiving calls without a mobile phone nearby, in the South Korean firm's latest effort to find a new growth driver. The "Gear S" is the Samsung's first smartwatch able to make stand-alone phonecalls with built-in 3G.

It is essentially a wrist-mounted smartphone, which is not something new to the industry. Samsung’s latest effort is Tizen-powered, like its Samsung Gear 2 and Gear Neo devices, and also has built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, in addition to its cellular radio.

According to Samsung, the new Gear S smartwatch will feature a "chic, circular design" with customizable screen options. The smartwatch will come with changeable straps as well as a number of wearable optimized features, such as widgets and combined notification boards.

The Gear S features a 2” AMOLED display (360x480), a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, Bluetooth 4.1, 802.11n Wi-Fi, A-GPS/Glonass support, and IP67 water/dust resistance. Since the Gear S can make phone calls, it also has a SIM card slot and can connect to 2G/3G cellular networks. Interestingly, the Gear S’ battery is a piddling 300 mAh, which is even less than the G Watch R’s 410 mAh.

"Samsung is leading this exciting and rapidly developing wearable category through progressive innovation," said JK Shin, CEO and head of IT & mobile communication at Samsung Electronics. "The Samsung Gear S redefines the idea of the smart wearable and the culture of mobile communication. It will let consumers live a truly connected life anywhere, anytime."

Samsung is also launching the Gear Circle headset alongside the new wearable, which offers Bluetooth connectivity, as well as a vibration motor to provide silent notifications, and a mic for chatting as well as receiving voice commands.