It’s only been a few months since Samsung took the wraps off of its new Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit wearables, but according to a new rumor, Ol’ Sammy’s already got a new smartwatch in the works.
According to the WSJ's “people familiar with the company’s plans,” Samsung is prepping a new Tizen-powered smartwatch that will be able to function as a standalone phone. The device will allegedly be able to make and receive calls without being paired to a smartphone, though it’s not known if the user will need to actually hold the watch up to his or her mouth to conduct a call.
In addition to having telephony support, this rumored Samsung smartwatch will be able to perform other typical smartwatch functions like taking photos and handling email. The device will also purportedly include GPS, Bluetooth and a heart rate monitor. Samsung is reportedly planning to introduce its new smartwatch between June and July.
Most smartwatches that are currently on the market must be paired with a smartphone before they can do anything related to calling, so this standalone smartwatch will be unique in that respect and will likely garner quite a bit of attention if and when it launches as a result. We’ll have to wait until the device launches to see how it actually performs, but if it works well, the watch could be a nice option for folks that want to lighten their load when going out but still want to be reachable by others.
Would you be interested in a smartwatch that can make phone calls?
