Samsung is famous for offering a multitude of solutions with the belief that there’s not a single product that can cater to the entire market. Be it colour tweaks, specs modifications or even physical size, the array of smart phones released over the years should give you an idea. Mobile World Congress 2014 saw the release of new wearables from Samsung; the Gear Fit, Gear 2 Neo and the Gear 2. Let’s take a closer look at Samsung’s three announced wearables.

SAMSUNG GEAR FIT

Essentially a fitness band that is also capable of notifying the user about incoming calls, messages, emails, S-apps and 3rd party apps so there’s not need to constantly check the smartphone. Samsung claims the Gear Fit can be used as a standalone device. I’m not a big fan of Samsung mobile devices and it’s good to know the Gear Fit need not be tied to a Samsung mobile device. The Gear Fit is available in orange, black and mocha grey. Read more here.

Features:

• 1.84″ Curved Super AMOLED (432 x 128)
• Pedometer, Exercise, Heart rate, Sleep, Timer, Watch functions.
• Changeable straps.
• IP67 Dust and water resistant. (Immersion in water up to 1m for 30 minutes)
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Accelerometer, Heart rate, Gyroscope sensors
• 210 mAh that typically last 3-4 days and up to 5 days on low usage.
• 23.4 x 57.4 x 11.95 mm, 27g.

SAMSUNG GEAR 2 NEO and GEAR 2

The Gear Neo and Gear 2 are similar save for one feature, the Gear 2 has a camera. Both smart watches run on the Tizen based platform. The watches are companion devices which i’m assuming connects to mobile devices. Receiving notifications from your mobile devices on the smart watch, making calls, dust and water resistant are some of the capabilities of the Galaxy Gear series of smart watches. Because of the multitude of features, it seems like there’s very little you can’t do with these two nifty smart watches. The Gear 2 Neo is available in Wild Orange, Charcoal Black and Mocha Grey. The Gear 2 is available in Gold Brown, Charcoal Black and Wild Orange. Read full details here.

Features:

• 1.63” Super AMOLED (320 x 320) with customisable homescreen background, font and clock face.
• 1.0 Ghz Dual Core Processor
• Tizen platform
• Camera for Gear 2: 2 Megapixel Auto focus (1920 x 1080, 1080 x 1080, 1280 x 960), video functions
• Music player with Bluetooth headset and speaker. Offers standalone music capability with bluetooth connectivity to head phones. (Imagine going on a long run, listening to your favourite tunes on a bluetooth ear phones connected to your Galaxy Gear 2 or Gear 2 Neo, WITHOUT your mobile device. Liked)
• Pedometer, Heart rate, Sleep and Stress (Downloadable).
• Exercise functions. Standalone modes for exercise include running and walking. Companion mode for exercise include cycling and hiking.
• Controlling the TV throught the WatchON Remote via IrLED Sensor.
• Bluetooth 4.0, IrLED
• IP67 Dust and water resistant. (Immersion in water up to 1m for 30 minutes)
• Changeable straps
• Accelerometer, Heart rate, Gyroscope sensors
• 4 GB Internal memory with 512 RAM
• 300 mAh that typically last 2-3 days and up to 6 days on low usage.
• Gear 2 : 36.9 x 58.4x 10.0 mm, 68g
• Gear 2 Neo : 37.9 x 58.8 x 10.0mm, 55g

The wearables tech scene is undergoing a massive shake up with the entry of big companies like Samsung, Sony and LG. With the rumoured iWatch and Google smart watch appearing in the news every now and then, it remains to be seen how the early players like Fitbit, Nike and Jawbone will react. The products of 2013, some released barely 6 months ago, seemed ancient compared to what’s about to be released. Look at the recalled Fitbit Force with the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2. Fitness tracking? checked. Music, smart phone notifications, camera, heart rate sensors, Bluetooth connectivity… I could go on and on. You get the drift. Samsung has upped the ante by a Galaxy. This is an exciting time for us consumers. According to Samsung, the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will be available globally from April onwards. There’s no word on the release of Gear Fit yet.