Thursday, August 15, 2013

Samsung Upstaging iPhone 5S Intro with Smartwatch, Note 3

SamMobile reports that Samsung plans to reveal its Android-powered smartwatch along with the Galaxy Note III during the UNPACKED Episode 2 pre-IFA event on September 4. This combo is expected to upstage Apple which purportedly will introduce the iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone 5C on September 10. The Samsung smartwatch will reportedly be called the Galaxy Gear, AKA the SM-V700.



The wearable device will supposedly serve as a companion accessory for Samsung's Galaxy-class phones, and possibly feature a flexible OLED display. A patent design registered on May 31 shows a control panel at the bottom of the screen providing touch-based back and menu buttons, a possible power button, speaker and microUSB port. A microphone may be mounted just above the control panel on the right side of the screen. The watch band looks to be stainless steel by default.

The reveal is scheduled to take place just days before the start of the IFA electronics convention in Berlin which takes place September 6 to September 11. Sony is also reportedly holding its own pre-IFA event in September as well to showcase a number of products ranging from HDTVs to laptops, and possibly the company's Sony Lens G and its new flagship phone, the Sony i1 "Honami." There's speculation that Sony may even introduce the Xperia Z Ultra which is scheduled to ship in the UK just days after the conference.

As for the Samsung event, the Galaxy Note III is expected to make an appearance as previously stated, featuring a huge 5.7 inch 1080p AMOLED screen, a 13MP camera, 3 GB of RAM and supposedly Android 4.3. Samsung actually hinted to the 3 GB aspect back in July when it announced the mass production of 3 GB LPDDR3 mobile DRAM.

"With a full line-up of package dimensions, Samsung’s new ultra-slim memory solutions will enable thinner smartphone designs and allow for additional battery space," the company said. "With the increased mobile DRAM capacity, users can enjoy seamless high-quality, Full HD video playback and faster multitasking on their smartphones."

The new phone will also ostensibly have several configurations for multiple regions including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip and the Exynos 5420 chip. So far everything is merely rumor, but we expect additional information to roll out within the next several weeks, so stay tuned.

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