Samsung to Add iOS Support to Gear S2 Smart Watch Later This Year

[KPOM]

Well here's the Huawei, which is the exact same height as Watch. Apple chose to limit the size of the display and go with a thick bezel, which from what I've read is purely a design decision -- form over function. Though there are certainly some power advantages over limiting the area of the display like that. Also, Apple chose to go with a rectangle, which no matter how much of the surface area the display encompasses at the same size, the display will never be significantly larger than the round. And as long as Apple keeps such a thick bezel, the round will always have a larger display.

Every designers dream, to be mistaken for another brand. ;-)

I personally think Apple made the right decision to go square. It has strong brand identity with Apple and their other rectangular products. It's easier for developers to embrace, and design for until Apple gets all the kinks worked out. However, that does not in any way suggest that Apple won't ever offer a round variant.

The bezel is a design decision, but it is not strictly form over function. Apple could have chosen to use a display with a thinner bezel, but then the watch would have had to be thicker, all else equal. Note also that the round display above has lugs that add to the overall length.

 

[Mac 128]

The bezel is a design decision, but it is not strictly form over function. Apple could have chosen to use a display with a thinner bezel, but then the watch would have had to be thicker, all else equal. Note also that the round display above has lugs that add to the overall length.

What's that assumption based on? The Huawei has a larger display, and is actually thinner. As for the lugs, that's how round and square watches have been designed for years. the lugs on traditional watches are designed to be part of the band, so they curve around the wrist without necessarily adding any length. There certainly isn't any useable space inside them. The 42mm Huawei sits on the wrist like any other traditional 42mm watch, which is one of the most common sizes of traditional watches.

If anything Apple crippled the 42mm watch by making it mimic the 38mm watch, which crams everything that's inside the 42mm case into the 38mm case, only sacrificing battery life. The 42mm has longer battery life as a result. It also has a larger functional display, showing more lines of text per screen. Using your argument, Apple could have easily had a smaller bezel on the 42mm watch without making it a mm thicker (assuming you're correct and they would otherwise have to make the watch thicker to reduce the bezel on the 38mm).

 

[Rogifan]

Don't know about functionality, but in person the Samsung 's look like a cheap $20 Casio... As usual.

I'm still not convinced I'm going to use any smart watch at all, but the Apple Watch imho is still much better

Obviously taste is subjective but I just don't get the appeal of the Gear S 2. Is it just because it's round or people think the rotating bezel is clever? To me on looks alone this is fugly, much more so than Android Wear watches. And it looks way bigger and bulkier than my 38mm Watch. And honestly you could say that any round smartwatch looks 'geeky' when not displaying a faux analog watch face. Hence why most Android Wear PR shots show them.

 

[KPOM]

What's that assumption based on? The Huawei has a larger display, and is actually thinner. As for the lugs, that's how round and square watches have been designed for years. the lugs on traditional watches are designed to be part of the band, so they curve around the wrist without necessarily adding any length. There certainly isn't any useable space inside them. The 42mm Huawei sits on the wrist like any other traditional 42mm watch, which is one of the most common sizes of traditional watches.

If anything Apple crippled the 42mm watch by making it mimic the 38mm watch, which crams everything that's inside the 42mm case into the 38mm case, only sacrificing battery life. The 42mm has longer battery life as a result. It also has a larger functional display, showing more lines of text per screen. Using your argument, Apple could have easily had a smaller bezel on the 42mm watch without making it a mm thicker (assuming you're correct and they would otherwise have to make the watch thicker to reduce the bezel on the 38mm).

I said "all else equal" for a reason. Bezels aren't solely for decoration. That's where they hide the electronics that drive the display. In recent years, it's been possible to fold the electronics under the display, which makes it thicker. Huawei and others have made different design decisions. It also likely uses a 21nm design process enabling a smaller chip. Plus, it has more total area to work with because it extends out.

Until recently 42mm was considered to be a large watch. 38mm was the traditional men's watch size. My guess is Apple made the 42mm mimic the 38mm (and not the other way around) because it wanted both to look the same and have the same general dimensions. The 42mm gets a significantly bigger battery as a result (one that could last 2 days for many people, but which Apple doesn't advertise). I'd also guess that the 38mm outsells the 42mm, as it's a better size for most women and a significant percentage of men. The reason the 42mm displays more text is that both displays have the same DPI (meaning they are cut from the same panels).

 

[Mac 128]

I said "all else equal" for a reason. Bezels aren't solely for decoration. That's where they hide the electronics that drive the display. In recent years, it's been possible to fold the electronics under the display, which makes it thicker. Huawei and others have made different design decisions. It also likely uses a 21nm design process enabling a smaller chip. Plus, it has more total area to work with because it extends out.

Until recently 42mm was considered to be a large watch. 38mm was the traditional men's watch size. My guess is Apple made the 42mm mimic the 38mm (and not the other way around) because it wanted both to look the same and have the same general dimensions. The 42mm gets a significantly bigger battery as a result (one that could last 2 days for many people, but which Apple doesn't advertise). I'd also guess that the 38mm outsells the 42mm, as it's a better size for most women and a significant percentage of men. The reason the 42mm displays more text is that both displays have the same DPI (meaning they are cut from the same panels).

That's what I stated -- Apple had to design the watch based on the 38mm dimensions, and with the 42mm made a decision to maintain the relative bezel dimensions, strictly based on form and NOT function.

Regardless, even if Huawei were to make the same compromises as Apple in terms of limited battery and screen display area, in order to offer a 38mm watch; back to your original point about the comparison between a current round watch having more display area over an Apple Watch being unfair, it's clear from your own follow up that it's just not true.

You're saying Apple made specific choices to reduce the screen size to avoid making the watch thicker, which may or may not be true, and Huawei using a common and traditional round shape gains some extra internal space to spread out the same electronics Apple may be using while able to be thinner and have a larger display. Based on those technological limitations, then how is the comparison unfair? If Apple can't technically offer a display capable of equal area as Huawei, then it's perfectly fair -- if rectangular watches currently limit the amount of display area over round, given the constraints of similar sized cases.

So, if someone wants a watch display larger than what Apple currently offers, their choices are limited -- buy a larger rectangular watch (which Apple doesn't offer yet, and may have a much more limited market), or buy a round watch of the same size.

Maybe one day Apple will have technology to push their display to the edges, without sacrificing thickness and size, and when that day comes, the result will essentially be parity for display area on a rectangular watch with the same height as a round watch diameter. And even then, one could reasonably presume the round watch would benefit from the same technological improvements allowing them to be even thinner and more compact, thus retaining the edge over rectangular. For now the argument is moot and fair. It's one thing to debate theory, but theory doesn't satisfy a person's needs today.

Now a true square edge-to-edge watch would be something else altogether, though I'm not sure how attractive that would be.

 

[Chloec]

it's normal....you can use iTunes in windows not only Mac

 

[mi7chy]

Obviously taste is subjective but I just don't get the appeal of the Gear S 2. Is it just because it's round or people think the rotating bezel is clever? To me on looks alone this is fugly, much more so than Android Wear watches. And it looks way bigger and bulkier than my 38mm Watch. And honestly you could say that any round smartwatch looks 'geeky' when not displaying a faux analog watch face. Hence why most Android Wear PR shots show them.

That's not the Galaxy Gear S2 though but the rumored lower cost fitness tracker. It's kind of on the ugly side but not as bad as Apple watch.

http://www.sammobile.com/2016/01/17...-activity-tracker-sm-r150-revealed-in-images/