Samsung Unveils Gear S3 Classic and Frontier Smartwatches

Samsung has announced the Gear S3 Classic and Frontier, the successors to last year's Gear S2. The new Gear S3 models come in two versions and feature a larger 1.3-inch display with a 46mm diameter casing. While the Gear S2 will remain available for those who prefer a smaller design, the Gear S3 brings several notable improvements.

The Gear S3 includes an Always-On display with 16 million colors and full support for Samsung Pay through both NFC and MT technologies. The watch is built from 316L stainless steel, offering resistance to corrosion even from salt water, and is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass SR+, specially designed for smartwatches. This glass provides scratch resistance similar to luxury cover materials, with 70% better impact resistance and 25% less surface reflection than alternative options.

Key specifications include dual-core Exynos processors, 786MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. The Gear S3 Classic weighs 57 grams while the Frontier model weighs 63 grams. Both run on Tizen 3.2.1 OS with iOS support currently in open beta. Connectivity options differ between models, with the Classic offering only WiFi, while the Frontier supports 3G/LTE in addition to WiFi.

The Gear S3 features an IP68 water and dust resistance rating and a 380mAh battery that provides 3-4 days of use, extendable to nearly a week with battery saver enabled. Both models will start shipping in the fourth quarter of this year, although specific pricing details have not yet been released.