Samsung Gear S3 coming to South Africa in November

Keeping track of the Samsung Gear S3 and other launches at IFA 2016? Have a look at our IFA portal right here.

The IFA 2016 announcements continue this week as the Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch was revealed today.

Available in outdoor-focused Frontier and more refined Classic variants, the Samsung Gear S3 specs are largely in line with other smartwatches. There’s a dual-core 1.0Ghz Exynos processor, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of storage and 1.3-inch 360×360 AMOLED screen (with Gorilla Glass).

Additionally, the watch packs IP68 water-resistance, the Tizen-based operating system of prior models and LTE connectivity (in the Frontier version only).

Introducing the Samsung #GearS3. https://t.co/WmsJHA2g4P pic.twitter.com/7qNVvfaoZo

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) August 31, 2016

Samsung also added a few new features to the rotating bezel control, such as accepting/rejecting calls and alarm snoozing.

The Samsung Gear S3 might buck the trend of shitty smartwatch battery life

In a rather interesting note, the Korean firm is touting a four day battery life for the Gear S3, thanks to the 380mAh battery and power-efficient innards. This is a far cry from the likes of the Moto 360 if the company can indeed deliver.

The company also used the opportunity to launch a new BMW Connected app for Tizen-based smartwatches. The app will alert users when it’s time to leave on trips, show fuel levels and help unlock their car.

Samsung Mobile South Africa confirmed a November launch window for the smartwatch.

“The Gear S3 will be available in our market around November, prices have not been confirmed as yet,” a representative told Gearburn in an emailed response to questions.

Like the idea of a Samsung smartwatch? Then you should read Andy’s Gear S2 review.