Samsung to launch standalone SIM-enabled smartwatch as early as June?

Samsung may launch its standalone smartwatch – which rumors and leaks have suggested will be called the Gear Solo – as early as next month, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal. According to WSJ, the Gear Solo will not only be able to make calls without needing a connection to a smartphone, but also feature things like GPS, Bluetooth, a heart rate monitor, and a camera. The probability of the watch having GPS might not be that high, however, as a Samsung official had earlier said that the battery technology for smartwatches doesn't allow for power-hungry features such as GPS, though it's possible the company has since found a way to get around the issue.

Of course, the fact that the watch is expected to run Tizen should also help battery life, as Samsung's in-house operating system has been found to be more frugal than Android in power usage (well, almost every other OS seems to sip less power than Android, though that's a different story.) Samsung is reportedly in talks with major carriers in the U.S., South Korea, and Europe about launching the Gear Solo (again, a tentative name) – the Gear Solo was found to be under testing in India earlier this month, which is a good hint that a market release could happen soon.

A standalone smartwatch isn't the only thing Samsung is said to be working on. Rumors suggest that a virtual reality headset compatible with Galaxy phones and tablets is also in the works, along with smart glasses that might combine a head-mounted display and a Bluetooth speaker, with a possible announcement in September.

Abhijeet Mishra - Editor-in-Chief

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First Samsung device: SGH-D500

Abhijeet's writing career started with guides for custom firmware for Samsung devices (including the original Galaxy S), and he moved to SamMobile in mid-2013 and worked up the ranks to Editor-in-chief. In addition to phones and mobile devices, his interests include gaming on both PC and console, PC hardware, and spending countless hours on YouTube watching videos on tech, movies, games, politics, and internet dramas.

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