After being on display for some weeks in the Samsung Galaxy Studio pop-up store, Samsung has officially announced the arrival of two new fitness-oriented accessories: the Gear Sport smartwatch and the IconX 2018 wireless earbuds.
Both products were announced a few months back at IFA 2017. The Gear Sport is a slightly lower end version of the Gear S3, but retains the best bits of one of the best smartwatches in the market. The Gear Sport runs on the lightweight Tizen OS, and sports a similar set of hardware to the Gear S3: 1GHz processor, 768MB RAM, 4GB storage, built-in GPS, and a 360 x 360 circular display.
Samsung is also retaining offline Spotify playback on the Gear Sport, letting you store hundreds of songs into the watch’s storage, and syncing it with any wireless earphones you use so you don’t have to take your phone out when you go for a run.
What is different is merely its size: the Gear Sport is thinner and lighter than the Gear S3, and its display is marginally smaller at 1.2 inches (vs 1.3 inches). The watch bands are also smaller, using the 20mm bands insead of the 22mm ones on the Gear S3. They are still universal, allowing you to use any bands as long as they 22mm ones.
LTE and MST connectivity options are not present, but there is NFC, Bluetooth, and WiFi – these allow users to use Samsung Pay and control Samsung IoT devices using Samsung Connect. However, the Gear Sport is now water-resistant up to 5 ATM, and has a new swim tracking algorithm, allowing you to take the watch into the pool.
Meanwhile, the Gear IconX 2018 is an update to last year’s model. It builds on the existing things Samsung got right the first time, and promises to fix the biggest issue with the previous model: battery life. There’s also a new “Running Coach” feature, which gives voice feedback to motivate users in their run.
Bixby also makes an appearance on the Gear IconX 2018. A tap and hold on the earbud will enable Bixby voice commands, allowing you to easily control music, playlist, and even the connected smartphone.
The Samsung Gear Sport and Gear IconX 2018 will both be available in Malaysia from 1 December 2017. The Gear Sport will be available in Black and Blue colour options, and will retail for RM1,299. For every purchase of the Gear Sport from 1-31 December 2017, customers will receive two free Gear straps worth RM198 as well as a Limited Edition Watch Collector Box worth RM299 (while stocks last).
Meanwhile, the Gear IconX 2018 will be available in three colours (Black, Gray, and Pink), and will be sold at RM799.
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