Exclusive: Samsung’s next smartwatch is codenamed Solis, runs Tizen

The Gear S2 is the closest the industry has gotten to a perfect smartwatch. Samsung took a fair amount of time developing the Gear S2, opting to make things as good as possible instead of rushing out the door yet another smartwatch to add to its repertoire. Well, the company isn’t done yet – we have learned that the company is working on a new smartwatch, codenamed Solis.

The literal meaning of Solis is sun in the Spanish language, which is as good a hint as any that the smartwatch will have a circular display (the Gear S2 was codenamed Orbis, which means orbit, see what Samsung is doing here?). Well, not that Samsung would ever go back to rectangular displays for their smartwatches – no one wants their smartwatch looking like someone strapped a mini computer to their wrists, and a classic watch-like design and the rotating bezel for navigation are a great match.

The model numbers for Solis will be SM-R760, SM-R765, SM-R770, SM-R765V, and SM-R765S (the last two should be carrier variants). We can also confirm that the smartwatch will run Tizen (sorry, Android Wear fans) and come with an updated user interface. We don’t have any specs for the upcoming watch yet, but we can only assume it will be better than the Gear S2 in many aspects. A larger display option would certainly be great to see, as the Gear S2’s 1.2-inch display can be a tad too tiny when you have to use the touchscreen instead of the rotating bezel.

What do you think Samsung should offer with their next smartwatch? A larger display, longer battery life, more functionality, or something else? Sound off in the comments, and rest assured we will be bringing you more information on what could be the Gear S3 as and when we get new details.