It’s interesting, but not surprising, how the smartwatch industry has evolved over the past few years from its early days. Pebble, while not the first smart watch, was the first smartwatch that supported both Android and iOS, which was a pretty big deal. Best Buy began selling the smartwatch in July of 2013 and sold out within just 5 days. The original Pebble smartwatch was fairly basic in its design, display, and function, but for being the first of its kind it was still an impressive feat.
After Pebble came to be, consumers and manufacturers alike really seemed keen on the idea of smartwatches. Just a couple of months after Pebble sales began, Samsung’s first Galaxy Gear smartwatch became available. In 2014, the first Android Wear smartwatches would begin shipping. In 2015, Apple released its first smartwatch, the Apple Watch.
Much like with the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, I felt that Apple sparked a widespread interest in smartwatches, more than any other manufacturer had before it. I would argue that Apple, as a brand, still has massive influence over which new gadgets people will take an interest in. However, I would also argue that such influence doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple ultimately has the best product. The Apple Watch has its strengths, but so does Android Wear, Pebble, and the main topic of this article, Samsung's Gear.
The new Gear S3 has been making headlines recently for more than just the fact that it’s new and made by Samsung. In fact, there are two main reasons why people may be more interested in the Gear S3 than they were for previous Gear smartwatches.
The first major feature is the addition of Samsung Pay. The only other smartwatch on the market right now that supports any type of mobile payment is the Apple Watch, which only supports Apple Pay. Android Wear smartwatches, on the other hand, have yet to implement anything Android Pay-related (now may be a good time to mention that Samsung’s Gear smartwatches run on Samsung’s Tizen OS and not Android Wear). Although Android Wear and other smartwatches, such as Fitbit, are stated to eventually support NFC payments, it looks like this year the only two options will be from Apple and Samsung.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Gear S3 supports one of Samsung Pay’s best features, MST (which stands for magnetic secure transmission), which essentially mimics the magnetic strip traditionally seen on most debit and credit cards and allows Samsung Pay to work with almost all card reader terminals, barring the company, card type, and region are also supported.
The second headlining feature of the Gear S3 is the fact that one version, the 4G LTE Frontier edition, will continue to work seamlessly without having a phone nearby (as long as it is paired with a compatible Android phone) using your mobile data plan. Battery life is also expected at 3 days, which is pretty good when you compare the Gear S3 with other smartwatches in its same league.
The Gear S3 still has its shortcomings. The Gear will work with compatible Android phones that aren’t manufactured by Samsung, but users with compatible Samsung devices will ultimately get the best experience out of a Gear. Limitations on non-Samsung smartphones may include calls, messaging, email, and Wi-Fi sync. Notifications, apps, and Samsung Pay will keep full compatibility regardless. Also, some may be bummed at the fact that Google services, including Google Now (a major feature of Android Wear smartwatches), aren’t available on the Gear since it doesn’t run on Android.
Despite all of that, I think the Gear S3 brings a lot to the table and looks like an excellent upgrade for the Gear line. It has taken me a while to become comfortable with the idea of NFC payment with phones, but I think that NFC (and MST, in Samsung’s case) payment would be an even better experience with a smartwatch – and it’s even cooler that Samsung Pay appears to work as a standalone app on the Gear, so even those with non-Samsung smartphones can take advantage of its features and frequent promotions.
The Galaxy Gear S3 officially hit shelves yesterday, starting at $349.99. Costlier than the $299.99 we’re used to seeing, but ultimately seems like it’s worth the extra dough.
Readers, what are your thoughts on the Gear S3? Is the addition of Samsung Pay or the option to have a smartwatch that works without your phone nearby enticing enough for you to pick one up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!