Samsung Unveils Galaxy Gear 2 Smartwatch

Samsung is kicking off Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014 with a bang by revealing its new Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch. Alongside the Galaxy Gear 2 is the Gear 2 Neo, another smartwatch which so far appears to be very similar to its companion.

The unveiling of both smartwatches comes just one day before Samsung is expected to announce its flagship Galaxy S5 in the Unpacked 5 event on Monday.

Samsung’s first Galaxy Gear smartwatch was viewed as a failure by many members of the tech media due to its short battery life and a variety of flaws. However, smartwatches are becoming much more useful throughout the industry and the Galaxy Gear 2 appears to exemplify the market-wide improvements that we have seen in the past few months.

Both of the smartwatches unveiled during MWC 2014 will go on sale sometime in April and will be sold as companion devices for Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones. The 1.63-inch devices are capable of making calls, taking photos, and monitoring certain health statistics.

The location of the camera on the Galaxy Gear 2 has changed, instead of being built-in to the watchstrap, it is now included in the main part of the smartwatch. How this will actually affect taking pictures with a device that is meant to be on a user’s wrist has yet to be seen, but the 2-megapixel sensor included in the camera is not expected to take amazing pictures.

Technical specs are currently being provided for the Galaxy Gear 2 but the Gear 2 Neo is being kept under wraps, at least for the time being. Inside the Gear 2 is a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 512 MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal memory. All of these internal components power a Super AMOLED 320 x 320 display.

Samsung’s Linux-based Tizen operating system will be found on both of its second generation smartwatches.

The Gear 2 will go head-to-head with other smartwatches, some of which are fitness-oriented, but others (like the Pebble smartwatch) will put up a fight against Samsung in the market. Smartwatches are just now beginning to take off and while some were released in 2013, this year is expected to be a much bigger year for the industry.

Even though the Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo have been announced prior to the larger Unpacked 5 event on Monday, Samsung still has a lot to show off. Current rumors and reports are suggestions that during MWC 2014, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S5 and possibly other Galaxy smartphones as well.

(Image Credit: Samsung)