Samsung Gear A set to come packed with tech, round screen and rotating bezel
Wearables are now a solid part of the mobile technology category and Samsung was rumoured to launch a round smartwatch at MWC 2015 codenamed the Orbis which is liekely to arrive as the Samsung Gear A. Unfortunately, that device was a no-show at Samsung press event. It did, however, unveil the Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and a new Samsung Gear VR headset. Here's what we know about the Samsung Orbis, including rumoured release date and specs. Read: The best smartwatches of 2015.
Samsung has launched a number of smartwatches and activity trackers including one of the first Android Wear devices. This year, the Korean giant is rumoured to introduce a smartwatch with a round face to rival the likes of the Motorola Moto 360 and LG G Watch R called the Gear A, codenamed Orbis.
Samsung Gear A smartwatch: Release date and price
According to SamMobile, which had an exclusive on the Orbis, Samsung's circular smartwatch was supposed to be announced at MWC 2015 back at the beginning of March in Barcelona. We now know the Gear A was a no-show at MWC, but with the Apple Watch being officially unveiled on 9 March, we expect the Orbis to launch sometime this year.
The latest rumours suggest that the Orbis, or Gear A, will arrive at CTIA (cellular telephone industries association) in which takes place on September 9-11. Those are the same dates as IFA 2015 where Samsung normally announces new mobile products with the Galaxy Note 5 expected this year so we could also see the Gear A, too.
If you like the sound of the Gear A already, then you might want to get saving as the site suggests it could cost more than the Gear S which costs £329. However, that does not require a smartphone to work fully so we expect the Orbis to be cheaper and more in-line with rivals such as the Moto 360 and G Watch R which cost around £200.
Samsung Gear A smartwatch: Design and specs
The main design aspect of the Gear A is the circular display making it look more like a regular wrist watch. Samsung has effectively confirmed this by releasing an SDK for the next Gear watch. "We are collaborating with our global partners to provide a better Samsung Gear
experience for users. We welcome more developers to join us on this journey." said Samsung.
Samsung Gear A apps
The site shows various round interfaces including CNN, Yelp, FidMe and apposter. Developers can get early access to the SDK by applying but it more interestingly implies that the Orbis/Gear A will use Samsung own Tizen operating system rather than Google's Android Wear.
Like the Apple Watch, Samsung's Orbis will use a crown shaped power button but won't offer the same functionality as its fruit flavoured rival. Instead, a rotating bezel ring around the edge will be used by the user – exactly what it will do is unclear but we assume it will be used to navigate through menus and quickly scroll through numbers when, for example, setting an alarm (some of the apps above on the SDK site give a hint at how it will work). The crown, meanwhile, will supposedly wake the screen, launch S Voice with a double tap and send an emergency message.
Samsung Orbis smartwatch
As the patent shows, the Gear A could use a display which divides up the display like a pie chart to show the schedule for one day.
There are various rumours on the specs including a built-in camera and sensors for object, image and barcode recognition. The usual heath related hardware such as a heart rate monitor and the Gear A might even be usable as a key for your car and a remote for your TV. Samsung is likely to use its own Exynos 14nm processor inside the Orbis and it will also have wireless charging.
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