Samsung to unveil new smartwatch with round form factor at MWC 2015?
Alexandra BurlacuSamsung is reportedly working on a round-shaped smartwatch of its own, and may unveil the gadget at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 trade show in March.
Most smartwatches currently available on the market come with rectangular form factors, and Samsung's Gear gadgets make no exception. The company has launched several smartwatches so far, both Android and Tizen-powered, and all of them are rectangular.
Wearable devices gained significant ground in 2014, with smartwatches front and center. Motorola stirred lots of waves with its Android Wear-powered Moto 360 smartwatch due to the gadget's classical form factor with a round face, unlike the other rectangular smartwatches populating the scene at the time.
LG then took a page out of Motorola's playbook and launched a round-shaped smartwatch of its own, introducing the LG G Watch R - with the "R" standing for "Round."
It seems that consumers prefer a smartwatch that looks more like a traditional watch than a futuristic device, and round smartwatches have apparently stirred more interest. Samsung is reportedly ready to join the party with a round smartwatch of its own, which may officially debut at MWC 2015 in early March.
The purported smartwatch comes with model number SM-R720 and is internally referred to as "Orbis," SamMobile reports.
The publication further indicates that Samsung's upcoming smartwatch will likely come with Tizen on board rather than Android Wear, which powers most smartwatches currently available on the market. Samsung already has Tizen-powered smartwatches, however, and it would not be a great surprise if its next wearable gadget ran Tizen as well.
If this report turns out to be accurate, "Orbis" may come as the company's first smartwatch to sport a round form factor, moving away from the rectangular design Gear smartwatches have sported so far. SamMobile has a good track record when it comes to the accuracy of its Samsung-related leaks, and this claim sounds plausible enough. On the other hand, without any official confirmation from Samsung itself, it's best to take this news with a grain of salt.
If Samsung does indeed plan to introduce a new smartwatch with a round form factor at MWC 2015, more information should become available shortly. We'll keep you up to date as soon as we learn more, so make sure to check back.
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