14 DAY TRIAL // As you probably already know, Samsung recently pulled the curtain off its latest wearable endeavors, the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit. And compared to the original Galaxy Gear, the Korean tech giant is going about these new products in a slightly different manner.
For starters, the company has dropped the Galaxy branding, most importantly to highlight the new wearables aren't based on Android anymore, but on its own Tizen OS, which is an experimental platform Sammy has been working on for a while now.
Earlier this month, we told you the alleged pricing specifications for the new wrist-mounted devices have been leaked online, but we didn't manage to get a confirmation as to whether they were accurate or not.
But now the South Korean electronics giant has announced the pricing for the Gear 2 smartwatch and Gear Fit health-centric band in Taiwan, during an event.
ePrice shows the rate for the Samsung Gear 2 has been set at $294 / €213 while the Gear Fit will cost around $196 / €142. Earlier this month, when we told you the alleged pricing specs of the two wearables appeared on-line, we also speculated the Gear 2 will probably come with a $299 / €218 while the Gear Fit will sell for $199 / €145.
It appears our suppositions turn out to be correct. Back when it was first launched into the wild, the Galaxy Gear had a similar price tag, but as you might well know, sales for the device didn't exactly skyrocket. Hasn't Samsung learned anything from the previous experience?
Apparently not, because last November Samsung stepped in and claimed otherwise. According to them, the Galaxy Gear was a success, having sold 800,000 units since the device made its debut in September 2013.
It remains to be seen if the Tizen-based Gear 2 and Gear Fit will manage to draw customers in, as expected. Also bear in mind, Sammy is in for some avid competition.
Just this week, Google released the Android Wear, an OS especially designed for wearables, plus the Android Wear SDK, to invite developers to start building apps supporting the platform.
And the first companies planning to release smartwatches running the OS have already been made public. LG will roll out the G Watch smartwatch in Q2 2014, while Motorola will introduce its Moto 360 this summer.
So now customers looking for a wearable, might be a little hesitant to pick up a Samsung smartwatch/band, knowing two new interesting models are in the pipe-line.