With just a few days left until IFA 2015, the upcoming Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch is once again teased, this time by an exec working for the South Korean tech giant. But will the round, Tizen-powered wearable compete against rival Apple Watch?
Samsung Design America head Dennis Miloseski recently gave the Gear S2 a "test drive" and posted the smartwatch's photo on Instagram providing everyone with a closer look like never before.
A photo posted by Dennis Miloseski (@papanosio) on Aug 25, 2015 at 6:37am PDT
Unlike in the first press pictures, "the display looks slightly recessed," according to Wareable. The website noted however that "taking photos of gadgets with screens is difficult" but complemented the smartwatch's deep black watchface.
Android Authority's Robb Triggs also noticed the metal frame surrounding the display "which certainly looks rather nice."
"We can also spot a couple of buttons on the side of the Gear S2, perhaps to assist with navigating through the OS, which I'm assuming will be Tizen rather than Android Wear," he added.
Miloseski's Instagram pic follows Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch teasers released last week. Like the one before it though, the latest teaser didn't reveal much else about the wearable device.
The device, known internally as "Orbis" and the Gear A previously, is expected to come with a 1.2GHz Exynos processor, a 450MHz Mali-400 GPU, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 250mAh battery, as Franchise Herald reported previously.
For connectivity, Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi in another variant are said to be included along with sensors such as a GPS, gyro, barometer, accelerometer and heart-rate sensors.
But will the rumored Gear S2 specs be enough to compete with its main rival the Apple Watch?
If it does run on Tizen OS, effectively making it solely compatible with Samsung devices, The Motley Fool said the Gear S2's success "depends on sales of Samsung's phones, the growth of Samsung's digital ecosystem (Samsung Pay, S Health, Tizen) and its ability to fend off Android Wear rivals that are compatible with Samsung phones."
"Unless the Gear S2 offers something unique that [its rivals] don't already offer, it probably won't stand out in the crowded smartwatch market."
IFA 2015 kicks off on September 2 so the world won't have to wait much longer to find out if Samsung's Gear S2 smartwatch can hold a candle against its Android Wear and iOS rivals.
