The announcement is now reported to have been delayed until much later this year, around September. SamMobile, citing unnamed sources, say that the Samsung Galaxy Gear A smartwatch is under development as codename “Orbis” for launch in the third quarter of the year and that “there is a lot of discussion” regarding when exactly to release the device.
Samsung is now believed to be intending to launch the device at the IFA electronics show later this year alongside the next generation of its popular Galaxy Note phablet range. This information is not confirmed but SamMobile points out that Galaxy Gear watches traditionally launch alongside flagship phones so it is definitely feasible that the Note 5 and Gear A will come together at one event.
The Gear A will be a unique product and will break from Samsung smartwatch design tradition to use a circular display, akin to that used on the Motorola Moto 360 and the LG G Watch Urbane. Its also believed to include a “rotating bezel ring” for users to control the device with. This feature could be used in a similar way to Apple’s “Digital Crown” on the Apple Watch but exactly how it works is not known.
Launching the new Galaxy Gear later in the year will enable Samsung to keep developing it for longer, adding new features and ironing out any annoying bugs. It also allows the smartwatch market to settle down a little after the saturating impact of the Apple’s Watch launch. Samsung likely believes that launching a smartwatch in the next couple of months would lead to it not being noticed beneath the wealth of media reports on the Apple Watch.
The September timing could also be beneficial for another reason. It is only a few months before the Christmas holiday season but still long enough for retailers to begin offering attractive deals on Note 5 and Galaxy Gear A combo packages, potentially leading to increased sales over the holiday period. Clearly, Samsung is determined to make as big a splash as it can with the elusive Gear A and its “rotating bezel ring.”
