Samsung has launched two new wearable devices in India, the Gear Fit2 Pro and the Gear Sport at a price of Rs 13590 and Rs 22990 respectively. The Gear Fit2Pro is a fitness tracking band while the Gear Sport is a smartwatch. Let’s unbox the two wearables and see what we get inside the box:
Samsung Gear Sport box:
Samsung Gear Sport smartwatch
Extra wrist straps
Charging cradle
Documentation
Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro
Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro
Charging base
Documentation
Both the wearables are compact and have different straps depending on the size of the consumer’s wrist which makes it ideal for everyone. Both the wearables can be connected to an Android phone via bluetooth and can be customised through the Samsung Gear app. The Gear Sport has a rotating bezel to interact with the watch which is much more intuitive than tapping on the tiny display.
If you are a swimmer, then the Gear Fit2 Pro can be ideal fro you to keep a track of your swimming performance as the Gear Fit2 Pro has a lot of features for swimming. It can eventrack a user’s stroke type, stroke count, and lap count.
Samsung has launched two new wearable devices in India today. One of them is a smartwatch and the other one is a fitness tracker. The pre-bookings for both the devices will start from the 4th of December and will be available to public on the 11th of December.
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is priced at Rs 13590 and will be available in Black, and Black/Red colour variants. The fitness tracker has a 1.5-inch curved display, a 5 atm water resistance rating and has features specifically made for swimmers, including ways for the wearable to track a user’s stroke type, stroke count, and lap count. It also has a continuous heart rate monitor.
The Gear Fit 2 Pro has built-in GPS, as well as an automatic workout detection feature.
The Samsung Gear Sport is priced at Rs 22990 and has a 1.2-inch circular screen with a 320 x 320 resolution and Gorilla Glass 3, a water resistance rating of five atmospheres, as well as a focus on nutrition, with the ability to monitor your calorie balance throughout the day. The Gear Sport has access to fitness programs, along with a way to help the user complete their weight loss goals.
The new smartwatch can also be connected to Samsung’s smart TVs via the Samsung Connect app, and will support the company’s Samsung Pay service with its NFC hardware. The Gear Sport will be available in Black and Blue and colour variants.
Samsung has launched two new wearable devices in India today. One of them is a smartwatch and the other one is a fitness tracker. The pre-bookings for both the devices will start from the 4th of December and will be available to public on the 11th of December.
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is priced at Rs 13590 and will be available in Black, and Black/Red colour variants. The fitness tracker has a 1.5-inch curved display, a 5 atm water resistance rating and has features specifically made for swimmers, including ways for the wearable to track a user’s stroke type, stroke count, and lap count. It also has a continuous heart rate monitor.
Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro
The Gear Fit 2 Pro has built-in GPS, as well as an automatic workout detection feature.
The Samsung Gear Sport is priced at Rs 22990 and has a 1.2-inch circular screen with a 320 x 320 resolution and Gorilla Glass 3, a water resistance rating of five atmospheres, as well as a focus on nutrition, with the ability to monitor your calorie balance throughout the day. The Gear Sport has access to fitness programs, along with a way to help the user complete their weight loss goals.
Samsung Gear Sport
The new smartwatch can also be connected to Samsung’s smart TVs via the Samsung Connect app, and will support the company’s Samsung Pay service with its NFC hardware. The Gear Sport will be available in Black and Blue and colour variants.
On September 12th, where all the attention was on the new bezel-less iPhone X, a new product grabbed a lot of eyeballs as well. The Apple Watch Series 3 was unveiled by Tim Cook at the Steve Jobs Theatre and its celular connectivity makes it an interesting option for iPhone users. It essentially means that you can use the Apple Watch even if you forget your iPhone at home thanks to the SIM card inside the watch. Let’s quickly unbox the Apple Watch Series 3 and see what we get inside:
Apple Watch
Extra pair of straps
Documentation
Charging brick
Magnetic charging cable
The new Apple Watch Series 3 has an improved heart rate sensor and a SIM card slot. This has resulted in a 0.2mm thickness increment which is commendable. The watch seems a little hefty but feels comfortable on the wrist. The Apple Watch we have has a gold colour accent.
The new and advanced heart rate sensor wherein the watch will notify an increased heart rate if you’re not active. In the new Apple Watch, the number will remain the same as your iPhone and you can perform tasks such as iMessage directly from your watch without having your smartphone connected to it. The Apple Watch Series 3 will also stream 40 million songs from the iTunes and the Music App. The Siri on the smartwatch will also be voice enabled for communication with the watch without looking at the screen. The display of the watch will act as an antenna and an electronic SIM card which is smaller than a nano SIM card. The smartwatch has a dual-core processor to carry out all the tasks. The smartwatch will run Apple Watch OS 4 out of the box and has a battery life of up to 18 hours, Apple claims. The new W2 chip inside delivers 85 percent faster Wi-Fi while also being 50 percent more power efficient, which will be crucial because of the cellular connectivity feature using up more battery than usual.
The Apple Watch Series 3 in India will be available in the GPS only variant and start at a price of Rs 29900.
Fitbit has officially unveiled the new ‘Ionic’ smartwatch with fitness and health tracking capabilities a price of US $299. The new smartwatch will directly compete with the Apple Watch Series 2 which starts at USD 369.
The new Ionic by Fitbit features built-in GPS for outdoor fitness tracking, water resistance up to 50 meters for swim tracking, an all-day heart rate sensor, NFC, and an app platform. The smartwatch is said to have 4+ day battery life on a single charge with sleep tracking capabilities. Fitbit says that the Ionic smartwatch has a SpO2 sensor which measures blood oxygen levels and could be used to discover sleep apnea in the future. Unlike the Apple Watch Series 2 that has a hidden mechanism to eject water, the Ionic’s unibody design prevents water from getting inside, making it water-resistant up to 50 meters.
The device has 2.5GB of onboard storage for syncing up to 300 songs for offline playback to Bluetooth headphones, and Pandora Plus or Premium subscribers can download stations for standalone playback as well. However, Fitbit has said that the battery will only last up to 10 hours during continuous music playback or GPS usage.
To stay on par with the Apple Watch, Fitbit Ionic also has contactless payment options. Fitbit Pay will work with American Express cards and select Visa and Mastercards in the US and Canada from supported banks. Ionic is also an app platform with Strava, Accuweather, Flipboard and more apps coming soon. The company has also announced a Fitbit SDK based on the company’s Pebble acquisition, so developers can create their own apps for the smartwatch. The device will feature smart notifications from popular apps like Twitter and Whatsapp as well as call and text alerts.
Both the Apple Watch Series 2 and the new Fitbit Ionic feature a touch display with a brightness of up to 1,000 nits for outdoor use, and the Ionic will let users swap bands to change the style. Similar to what Apple did with Nike and launched special edition Apple Watch Nike+, Fitbit will partner up with Adidas to launch a special edition version of Ionic next year.
There are rumours that Apple will unveil a LTE-enabled version of the Apple Watch on September 12 along with the iPhone 8. The Fitbit Ionic is up for pre-orders on the Fitbit website right now at a price of USD 299.95.
Going up against the likes of Apple and Tag Heuer, the luxury fashion brand, Louis Vuitton throws its hat in the smartwatch ring with the launch of the Tambour Horizon Android wear watch. An amalgamation of technology and high fashion, the pricey Tambour Horizon smart watch offers a level of exclusivity to a usually mass-market device. The 42mm Tambour Horizon smartwatch will be available in Black, Graphite and Monogram along with stainless steel watch cases and sapphire glass back buckles. All three models are water resistant up to 30 meters and includes 60 interchangeable strap options like white, baby pink etc .
Developed in collaboration with Qualcomm and Google, the LV smartwatch runs Android Wear 2.0. The 42mm case sports a 1.2-inch, 390 x 390 resolution AMOLED touchscreen display and is powered by a Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor to keep Google’s OS running slick alongside 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. The 300mAh battery is said to get you through a day’s use. It may not be the best workout companion as the Tambour Horizon does not include a heart rate monitor. Other interesting features are the ‘Vuitton City Guide,’ which is basically a tour guide on your wrist, and ‘my Flight,’ which gives you flight information.
The regular stainless steel model is available for $2,450, while the black variant will cost $2,900. Additional accessories include interchangeable watch straps and a battery charger with a Louis Vuitton cover for $235 and $140 respectively . It also features a sapphire crystal Louis Vuitton logo on the caseback. But for those looking for a mechanical option, the Louis Vuitton Escale Time Zone watch runs for $7,200.
Motorola has launched the Moto 360 sport in India through online website Flipkart. The smartwatch which retails for US $ 299 in the US has been launched for roughly the same price in India Rs. 19999.
The 45 mm smartwatch comes with a sweat and dustproof silicone strap and in only the black color for the Indian market. Its enhanced features are targeted at the fitness enthusiast community, however, it can be used as a regular Moto360 and will work Android and iOS devices.
The iP67 rating keeps the Moto 360 Sport waterproof and can be immersed in water for up to 30 minutes.
The pricing is appreciated as it does not jump much higher than the global pricing, however only the black color has been launched which is a bit of a letdown. We were really digging the Orange and White colors.
In what will come as the strongest indication of the Apple Watch 2 launch being close, the original Apple Watch as of now is being sold by re-sellers for discounts as big as $100. The Apple Watch which started retail last year, has seen its prices being slashed drastically in the past weeks, hinting at what could be an earlier than expected March launch for the next iteration of the smartwatch.
Earlier reports had hinted at Apple sticking to its plans of launching the next iteration of the smartwatch in September, while releasing a major OS update along with multiple bands for the current watch in March, but after today’s move that looks less of a possibility.
According to latest data by Juniper Research, the Apple Watch is by far the most loved smartwatch in the world, constituting over 50% of smartwatch shipment in 2015. The Watch, which was globally released in April 2015, has overtaken Samsung’s Tizen powered Gear S2 which was launched in November last year. With such aggressive sales the company will look to get more Apple Watches out of their inventory before next month’s launch.
A new patent granted to Samsung hints that the south Korea based tech giant may bring to the wearable-market a concept futuristic enough to put the Terminator to shame. Samsung plans to incorporate a new biometric user authentication system in its smartwatches and other wrist-based wearables of the future.
According to a new patent filed by Samsung, the company is toying with the idea of using advanced biometrics in its smartwatches of the future that will recognize you by your veins.
The patent talks about a system in which light sensors work in tandem with the camera sensors trace the user’s vein structure and simultaneously also detect the user’s pulse. Since vein structure and pulse are unique to individuals they will be used for identification when the user puts on the smartwatch.
The patent information indicates that the software could offer custom contact lists and ringtones upon identification of the user. Further uses of a smartwatch equipped with such high-level biometric tech could be the smartwatch being used like a key to open a car door or your house. It also could be used to authenticate a mobile payment, replacing the currently used fingerprint sensor or password sign-in.
The patent filing describes the tech as:
“A wearable device comprising: a sensor configured to capture a vein image of a user;…identify the user by comparing the captured vein image with at least one registered vein image; and in response to determining that the identified user has an execution authority for the selected function or application, execute the function or the application.”
Today’s HTC news is not about smartphones but smartwatches and tablets. Whispers and rumours have been floating about that HTC is set to join the growing list of brands to have their own smartwatches. That and a new tablet being spotted on GFXBench are what’s trending today.
Talking about the smartwatch first, HTC is said to be working on a proper smartwatch after having partially launched the HC Grip fitness band last year. We say partially because the band was launched as a part of an Under Armour Healthbox package that included a chest strap for heart rate monitoring, a smart scale and smart sneakers. The package was launched at CES earlier this month.
The rumor about a smartwatch in the works was revealed by popular leakster @evleaks. However, not much is known about the smartwatch at this time. Some past rumours have suggested that HTC’s smartwatch would use Android Wear as its platform and that the watch would sport a round display.
On the tablet front there are some concrete facts. The alleged tablet was spotted on GFXBench with some key specs listed. The tablet called Desire T7 will be the first-ever tablet under the Desire series and will likely sport a 6.9-inch display with HD (1280 x 720) resolution.
The Desire T7 comes with a Spreadtrum SC8830 quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz. It is supported by a Mali-400 GPU and 1GB of RAM. There is 16GB of internal storage. The tablet is also listed to feature a 5MP primary and secondary camera and will run on Android 5.0 Lollipop.
While a lot of uncertainty looms over the smartwatch, you can expect an unveiling of the tablet at the MWC in February. HTC is also likely to mention the smartwatch at the event or would save it for March where the company will hold a separate event for the launch of the HTC One M10.
Samsung launched the Gear S2 smartwatch in India on Thursday. The launch sees company’s entry into the Indian smartwatch market, which isn’t so hot as of now. One of the reasons Samsung delayed the launch of the Gear S2 in India was due to license and the need for the right content. The Gear S2 comes with a starting price of Rs 24,300.
Manu Sharma, Director, Product Marketing, Samsung Electronics India, unveiled the devices at the event and spoke about the importance of the smartwatch trend in the country. Sharma was especially gleeful about the Gear S2 in India which has partnered with Samsung’s R&D Centre, Samsung Research Institute in Bangalore and other third party partners as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative to cater to the specific needs of Indian customers.
The smartwatch trend in India is still in its early stages. The wave hasn’t really caught on and consumers here aren’t sold on the usability and practicality of a smartwatch. Part of the reason behind this is the lack of any localized applications, tailor-made for the Indian consumer. Smartwatches, after all, is meant as a fitness device, among other things.
Samsung has tried to address this problem in a bid to attract the Indian customers by partnering with apps like Obino Gear Up that monitors and suggests ideal meals based on Indian food preferences along with exercise options. The meal suggestions come from an extensive Indian food database along wth relevant measuring indices like ‘katori’ (a bowl) ensuring enhanced tracking of diet.
Apart from this, the sensors in the watch like accelerometer, gyro sensor, proximity sensor, etc help monitor physical game-play for sports popular in India such as Cricket, Tennis, and Golf, as of now. “We are aiming at providing a differentiated experience altogether with our smartwatches, which consumers can customise as they want. Our main focus is to increase the use cases for Indian consumers,” said Sharma.
The goal as Samsung sees it, according to Manu Sharma, is to make the smartwatch the primary device, something you look at you reach for your smartphone. In order to do that, the smartwatch needs to have enough and more applications to convince users that looking at their wrists is far more practical and efficient than digging into their pockets. Having a smartwatch that has applications customized for the Indian audience is one way to go about it, which Samsung has achieved with the Gear S2. Is it enough for the smartwatch win over the Indian market? Only time will tell.
The smartwatch category seems to be heating up some more with every passing day. For the past couple of months, we have seen a number of manufacturers jump into this space, and sell to us wristwear for the future. While
While yestreday Samsung launched its much-awaited Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch to much fanfare, there was another launch which being equally as big for Indian customers still went under the radar a bit. Enter the Juxt.
Juxt is Indian watchmaker Titan’s foray into this growing market of smartwatches in India. This smartwatch will be sold in India and other markets as well at a starting price of Rs 15,995. The company also has plans of bringing different two more variants of the smartwatch to the market. The first will be Rose Gold Stainless Steel which will retail at Rs 17,995 and the other Titanium on sale for Rs 19,995.
The watch comes equipped with a Three piece body in stainless steel material and a beautiful OLED display, and is water resistant to 50m. It can connect both to your Android, and iOS devices. The watch can track your steps, connect to your social media apps and also gives you alerts on your watch for calls.
At the launch Titan’s CEO, S. Ravi Kant said, “JUXT is India’s most stylish smartwatch. It has been designed for those who are appreciative of classic watches, yet want smart capabilities in their timepiece.”
Juxt is launched in collaboration with HP, and it is expected this collaboration will help Titan to make an international presence in the markets like the United States, U.K and Canada. Titan will use HP’s distribution network to sell its smartwatches outside the country, starting with the above three, but later plans to expand to six-seven more countries.
Samsung unveiled the Gear S2 at IFA Berlin last year. The smartwatch has been launched slowly in select countries for the past few months and has now launched the smartwatch in India along with the Gear VR headset.
The new smartwatch comes with a 1.2-inch screen with a 360x360resolution (302ppi). To power the device, Samsung has used 1GHz dual-core processor and provided the option of 3G Connectivity. The Gear S2 runs on the company’s very own Tizen OS and uses a rotating bezel, along with the Home and Back buttons, for navigation. Samsung has also added NFC for mobile payments.
Perhaps, the highlight of the device would be the fact that the company claims it lasts upto 2-3 days on a single charge. Since a wearable is an extra ‘smart’ device that you need to carry around, a long-lasting battery is a necessity. You can rotate the bezel to navigate through the device.
One of the exciting announcements is that the smartwatch has been announced in two variants – Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic. Other than the design, the only major difference between the two is their size. The Classic has been built smaller and lighter than the Gear S2.Titanium and Rose Gold version for S2 Classic will be available later on. For its timeless design, we’re leaning towards the Classic which comes with a black dial and a leather band.
Furthermore, The Gear S2 will be iOS compatible later this year. As of now, the wearables can only work with an Android device.
Specs
Samsung Gear S2
Display
1.2-inch, Circular Super AMOLED, 360×360, 302ppi
Processor
Dual-core 1.0 GHz
OS
Tizen-based wearable platform
Storage Memory
4GB Internal Memory
RAM
512MB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth® 4.1, NFC
Battery
250mAh Li-ion
Misc
IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant, Wireless Charging
Price
Rs. 24,300 for Gear S2 and Rs 25,800 for Gear S2 Classic
The pricing is Rs.24,300 for Gear S2 and Rs 25,800 for Gear S2 Classic, and they are available on Flipkart as well as in offline retail stores like those of Chroma and Reliance.
Samsung unveiled the Gear S2 at IFA Berlin last year. The smartwatch has been launched slowly in select countries for the past few months, and will now come to India this week. Samsung India has sent out media invites for the launch event on the 21st of January.
The new smartwatch comes with a 1.2-inch screen with a 360x360resolution (302ppi). To power the device, Samsung has used 1GHz dual-core processor and provided the option of 3G Connectivity. The Gear S2 runs on the company’s very own Tizen OS and uses a rotating bezel, along with the Home and Back buttons, for navigation. Samsung has also added NFC for mobile payments.
The Samsung Gear S2 Reflects Samsung’s Most Progressive Innovation. It Is The Perfect Complement For Any Occasion, Easily Taking You From Day To Night, From Work To Workout
Perhaps, the highlight of the device would be the fact that the company claims it lasts upto 2-3 days on a single charge. Since a wearable is an extra ‘smart’ device that you need to carry around, a long-lasting battery is a necessity. One of the exciting announcements is that the smartwatch has been announced in two variants – Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic. Other than the design, the only major difference between the two is their size. The Classic has been built smaller and lighter than the Gear S2. For its timeless design, we’re leaning towards the Classic which comes with a black dial and a leather band.
Furthermore, The Gear S2 will be iOS compatible later this year. As of now, the wearables can only work with an Android device.
The event will also see the launch of the Gear VR headset. The Oculus-powered virtual reality headset is compatible with a number of Samsung smartphones including the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5.
Specs
Samsung Gear S2
Display
1.2-inch, Circular Super AMOLED, 360×360, 302ppi
Processor
Dual-core 1.0 GHz
OS
Tizen-based wearable platform
Storage Memory
4GB Internal Memory
RAM
512MB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth® 4.1, NFC
Battery
250mAh Li-ion
Misc
IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant, Wireless Charging
The original Moto 360 was met with a lot of hype, and quite rightly so as it was the device that kicked off the Android Wear trend. While the first iteration was met with a lot of praise, finding a lot of things to love about it and a few faults as well, the second generation Moto 360 builds on its predecessor and improves where it needed to.
Overview
The Moto 360 2nd Gen was unveiled at IFA Berlin last year and was launched in India early September. The smartwatch comes with new design language and customization options including Moto Maker, which, however, is not available in India yet.
42mm (left), 46mm (right)
The Moto 360 2nd Gen starts at a price of Rs 19,999 for the 42 mm variant and Rs 23, 999 for the 46 mm option. The smartwatch is available on Flipkart and Amazon.
Build Quality and Design
Moto 360 2nd Gen (Left) Moto 360 1st Gen (Right)
The Moto 360 2nd Gen’s new design language is pretty great. The smooth metallic edge is complemented with thin, refined aluminium bezels. The watch has a firm, strong build and the added nubs give it a better shape and rigidity and gives the device a more watch-like feel to it. The nubs also make changing the straps easier and the lugs are pretty simple to unclasp the band as well. The crown has shifted up a bit to the 2 o’clock position and the top sports the ‘M’ logo.
The Moto 360 2nd Gen is available in three different sizes – a 42 mm male and female version and a male-only 46 mm model. The difference between the male and female version is that the latter attaches itself to a thinner 16 mm strap while the former is compatible with a 20 mm strap only. The 46 mm variant is compatible with a strap that measures up to 22 mm. While the size of the straps differ, the models are all 11.4mm thick, which feels just right without looking too bulky.
The button moves to the 2 o’clock position
Size isn’t the only point of variation the Moto 360 offers; it comes with a variety of bands to pick from – metal, leather and silicon. However, the silicon version will not be arriving in India any time soon. The smartwatch also comes with gold, rose gold and silver cases and bands. The leather on the 42 mm variant looks elegant on both men and women, while a metallic strap for the 46 mm model looks great on larger wrists.
Display
The 42 mm and 46 mm variants have a 1.37 inch and 1.56 inch LCD display, respectively, and both come with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The 46 mm version comes with a 360 x 360 pixel resolution and 233ppi, while the 42 mm version has a display resolution of 360 x 325 and 263ppi.
The Moto 360 has received a lot of polarising opinions regarding the display. The popular opinion of it being the first round smartwatch without actually having a fully rounded display stays with the 2nd Gen as well. This is because the screen has a flat-tire like band on the bottom that houses the sensors.
Though many felt the band a little distracting, Motorola has decided to stick with it, and it has come to become something of a defining trait for a Moto smartwatch. After a while with the Moto 360, you tend to grow used to the little band and it really doesn’t feel like an issue. The band also allows Motorola to keep the bezels thin, which is what adds to the look of the device.
The display is quite bright but the LCD screen lacks the vibrancy of an AMOLED display. The light sensor which helps to dim and brighten the screen allows just the right amount of brightness under both light and dark conditions without hurting the eyes. Outdoor visibility is questionable. There’s a ot of glare on the display under sunlight, but you’ll be able to see it just fine when facing the watch directly to yourself.
Hardware and Performance
The Moto 360 Gen 2 is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, an Adreno 305 GPU and comes with a 512 MB of RAM space with a 4GB internal storage on board. Connectivity options include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The watch also supports a GPS connectivity, however, it only comes with the Sport range (which unfortunately isn’t available in India yet).
One of the concerns people had with the first iteration was that the device came with a slower OMAP 3 chip, but the second generation rocks a quad-core SD400 processor, and needless to say, there are some differences when using the device. The interface on the 2nd Gen is a lot snappier with very little lag.
Specs
Moto 360 2nd Gen
Display
Men and Women 42mm: 1.37-inch 263ppi (360×325)
Men 46mm: 1.56-inch 233ppi (360×330)
Corning Gorilla Glass 3, backlit LCD
Watch Case Dimensions
Mens:
46mm diameter by 11.4mm high
42mm diameter by 11.4mm highWomens:
42mm diameter by 11.4mm high
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 with 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU (APQ 8026)
Adreno 305 with 450MHz GPU
Performance of the Moto 360 2nd Gen is pretty smooth, however, it isn’t the smoothest smartwatch out there. The Moto 360 falls just short of the Apple Watch and Samsung’s Gear S2, but given the price of the Moto 360, we can’t be greedy.
Battery life is good too and an improvement over the first Moto 360, but that’s not saying too much. One of the main problems with smartwatches has been the battery, or the lack therof. Luckily, the Wi-Fi feature helps conserve battery life just a little more.
With the Ambient Mode that leaves the display on and dim continuously turned on, the smartwatch lasts a full day. Consequently, with the Ambient Mode turned off, the smartwatch can go on for a day and a half (for the 42mm 300mAh variant) on a single charge. The wireless charging is zippy too, powering up the Moto 360 to about 50% in under an hour.
42mm: 300mAh – Up to 36 hours of use with Ambient Mode off and up to 9 hours with Ambient Mode on (both on basic daily usage)
46mm: 400mAh – Close to 2 days with Ambient Mode off and 11 hours with Ambient Mode on (both on basic daily usage)
Features
The new Moto 360 is compatible with Android devices as well as iOS due to Android Wear’s move into the Apple Store. This gives the Moto 360 an edge over the Apple Watch as the latter is pricier and works only with iOS. The pairing with iOS is pretty seamless and the watch displays your phone’s or tablet’s notification and messages to which you can voice reply. You need only download the Android Wear app on your iOS device and reset your Moto 360 to begin pairing.
The Moto 360 has a unique feature called Live Dial, which allows its users to set dials on their home screens. Other than a bunch of options provided by Motorola, users can also use their own pictures as the watch-face. There are a number of dials available and you can use your paired smartphone or tablet (including iOS) to set the faces for your watch.
The smartwatch also supports the Moto Body software, that keeps a tab on calories burnt and bpm stats with the help of an optical heart rate monitor. It is packed in with a 400 mAh and 300 mAh battery for the 46mm and 42mm versions respectively. Both variants will come with a charging dock station.
Additionally, the watch is rated at IP67 which means it can be soaked in 1 m (3.3 ft) of water for half an hour. With a leather strap, however, we stress caution and would advise keeping the smartwatch away from water at all costs.
Conclusion
The Moto 360 2nd Gen is a great Android Wear device and a starting price of Rs 19,999 keeps it in the affordable range. The fact that it is iOS compatible makes the watch a strong competitor for the pricier Apple Watch. Changing the straps is easier and the display is sharper. However, there are some cheaper smartwatches out there like the Asus Zenwatch 2, which comes with an AMOLED display and Sony Smartwatch 3. But for those who want a smartwatch that looks like a watch, then the Moto 360 2nd Gen is worth spending a few extra bucks on. indeed, it is the most elegant looking rounded smartwatch currently in the market.
The Moto 360 2nd Gen does feel more like a watch this time around with a solid build thanks to the added nubs, and the customization options here are quite extensive. Furthermore, the upgraded processor makes the Moto 360 pretty snappy to work with. There aren’t too many noteworthy apps here but there’s enough to make it smartwatch-worthy. The design is a big win and it is worth considering just for that. Another noteworthy point is that the Wi-Fi option here will help conserve battery life and you won’t have to leave Bluetooth on all day.
According to latest data by Juniper Research, the Apple Watch constitutes for 50% of smartwatch shipment in 2015. The Watch, which was globally released in April 2015, has overtaken Samsung’s Tizen powered Gear S2 which was launched in November last year.
Gear S2
Android Wear-powered smartwatches constitute only a total 10% of total smartwatch shipment from last year. However, the research also added that keeping Apple aside, the market is dominated by cheaper, products like those by Martian and Razer.
Apple Watch
Things look good for Apple, which is important for the company which is all set to hold an official event in March. We expect to see the second-gen version of the Apple Watch there. Even though Gear S2 and Moto 260 Second Gen seemed like they could offer some strong competition to the Apple Watch, Apple has managed to maintain its dominance in the realm of wearable tech.
