A Galaxy Gear 2 release date has been speculated about since CES 2014 in January. With Best Buy and AT&T dropping prices on the original Samsung smart watch, many are expecting an announcement to come at the MWC that kicks off in Barcelona on February 24th.
The Inquisitr reported following CES that Samsung was planning a barrage of device release dates in March and April, including the Galaxy Gear 2. While many have put their attention on the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Tab 4, the smartwatch reboot is expected to be the leader in the new wave of mobile technology. Since its release in September, the wearable device has dominated the market, shipping over 800,000 units in the first two months of sales .
The rumor mill is picking up again this weekend as Best Buy hosted a sale on their Galaxy Gear watches Friday. Although it was a holiday sale, many trend analysts saw the move as an attempt to clear inventory for the new wave of smartwatches. With prices slashed by 50 percent on the lime green, gold, orange and beige versions of the Galaxy Gear, customer could pick one up for only $149.99.
AT&T put a more permanent move into place. The phone company will take $100 off the price of the Samsung Galaxy Gear if customers also purchase a compatible device, such as the S4 or the Tab 3. Only available in stores, this deal appears aimed to bundle the hardware that will soon be replaced by more updated versions at the MWC.
As Samsung gets ready to host their own showroom style events in Barcelona, fans of wearable smart devices are hoping to see considerable upgrades to the watch. With rumors swirling about the Apple iWatch coming either late 2014 or early 2015, the South Korean mobile designer is hoping to flood the market with merchandise before their competitors get involved. But users want more than what they are getting.
The Galaxy Gear 2 is expected to feature an OLED display, which tends to work better outdoors, over the current AMOLED display. Also, the lack of compatible devices and poor notification systems have caused some to abandon the features that were supposed to be a selling point. Pricing is a major issue as well. The current $300 price tag has been regard by many as too steep.
With Google jumping face first into the mobile eye wear market and Apple’s coming movement into wearable devices, Samsung knows that the clock is running out. As they prepare to announce the release of the Galaxy Gear 2, consumers are rooting for an exciting reboot.