Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smart watches officially announced with IR Blaster and Heart Rate sensor

UPDATE: Both Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo can still make voice calls with a built-in speaker phone in the watch body.

The new smart watches from Samsung are now official with the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. After releasing Galaxy Gear smart watch last year with the Galaxy Note 3, the 2 new wearable devices promise better connectivity and integration with the smart phone experience.

In the previous Gear, the camera is integrated on its fixed strap and in the new Gear 2, it is now moved to the main body giving more flexibility and options to swap watch straps to suit any occasion. Colour wise, the Gear 2 offers Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange and the Gear 2 neo offers Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange. The Gear 2 Neo is the basic version among the 2 and lacks an integrated camera.

The new smart watches no longer come with built-in speaker phone call feature, so voice calls are now handled more discreetly via Bluetooth headset. On the plus side, the new Gear is now water proof with the rating of IP67. That means you can now take it for a swim as it can withstand being submerged under water up to 1 metre for 30 minutes.

Both models also come with built-in IR LED which can be used as a universal remote control for your home AV electronics. For music lovers, the it also as an independent music player which allows you to play music over a Bluetooth headphone without the need of being connected to your smart phone. With health and fitness being a main focus, there’s also a built-in heart rate monitor as well as seen at the back of the device.

In terms of OS, the new smart watch will be running on Tizen and this is a reason why “Galaxy” brand is now dropped from its latest Gears. The choice of running Tizen could probably offer performance and better battery life. We are not sure yet but probably it could be used with non-Samsung device.

The screen for both Gears feature a 1.63″ Super AMOLED display that pushes 320×320 pixels resolution which is similar to the original Galaxy Gear. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will be globally available beginning April 2014.

Head after the break for press images of the new Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo.

Gear 2 Neo and Gear 2

Gear 2

Gear 2 Neo

For side by side spec comparison of the Samsung Gear Smart Watches, check out our comparison post here.

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