Samsung’s Gear S2 3G smartwatch taking 50% of all sales in Korea
Samsung announced its Gear S2 smartwatch at IFA 2015 last month, and the device just landed in the US within the last two weeks. While it’s too early here to assess Gear S2 sales (simply because the 3G-connected model isn’t yet available in the US), we do have some new sales numbers from Korea, Samsung’s home country.
According to The Korea Herald, the Gear S2 3G smartwatch model is outselling the other two variants (Gear S2 original and Gear S2 Classic) 2 to 1. Half of all Gear S2 sales (2,000 Gear S2s) are coming from strong demand for the 3G-connected model, which allows users to make phone calls and send text messages without the need to pair it with your smartphone via Bluetooth. There is the original Gear S2 and the Gear S2 Classic model, both of which rely on Bluetooth in order to get texts and phone calls on your wrist. The Gear S2 models all feature a 1.2-inch, Super AMOLED display, a dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, and have a circular shape with a rotating bezel that serves as the navigation tool for Samsung’s Rotary UI. Samsung’s 2,000-a-day sales are twice as strong as demand for its Gear S sales in 2014.
The Gear S2 Classic is having its share of success, with many stores reporting outages or scarce inventory. The Gear S2 Classic sports a retro-style design, with a genuine leather band available instead of the usual Sci-Fi band that accompanies the original Gear S2 model.
The Gear S2 is Samsung’s answer to the Apple Watch, which features a crown on the side of the watch that can be used to zoom in on the display. Samsung’s rotating bezel is one of the hottest new design features on a smartwatch since the company reinvented the smartwatch category back in 2013. The Korean manufacturer borrowed the idea from old divers watches that became famous in the 1950s, where rotating bezels allowed divers to set the time for their trips underwater. While few consumers would even know about old divers watches today, Samsung has taken an old-school concept and spun it into a contemporary favorite. A little inspiration from the past can often go a long way.