Samsung has created a buzz in the smartwatch industry. It introduced the Galaxy Gear back in September 2013 for the Galaxy Note 3 and has then gone on to produce three smartwatches – the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, and Gear S – as well as a smart fitness band dubbed the Gear Fit (no, the Gear Fit is not a smartwatch) in addition to the Android Wear Gear Live. That’s five smartwatches and one fitness band, if you’re counting.
It was a natural expectation at MWC 2015 to see a new smartwatch with the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, but no such luck. Samsung refrained from a new smartwatch release, to the surprise of many.
When interviewed about the failure to launch a new smartwatch, Samsung’s Executive VP of Mobile Marketing, Young-hee Lee, said that the company has now decided to break with its year-old tradition of simultaneous smartphone/smartwatch releases: We’ve been introducing more devices than anybody else. It’s time for us to pause. We want a more perfect product, Lee said.
A patent application submitted by Samsung last May matches Lee’s statement. The application reveals a round smartwatch with a rotating bezel ring that serves as the navigation tool for this new smartwatch along with a crown-shaped power button. New details give the device object and image recognition, in addition to a barcode register for products that can then be purchased through Samsung Pay (Samsung’s new mobile payment system) and gesture controls, as a portion of the software experience.
The Orbis watch takes utility to a whole new level, letting you use the device as not only a wrist wearable but also a keychain, necklace, and armband, among others, while also providing the luxury look and feel that some consumers mandate for wrist jewelry. And yes, the Gear 2 camera that departed quietly in the Gear S will return in the Orbis smartwatch.
The Orbis smartwatch looks to be a premium smartwatch in every way, but there’s nothing more perfect than perfect. With that said, the Gear S will definitely have both Android and iOS users drooling over it until this Fall’s Orbis announcement.
Samsung is the number one smartwatch vendor in the world.