Why is Samsung Gear S3 less attractive than Gear S2 when released?

Don’t get me wrong. The Gear S3 in overall is an upgrade compared to the previous generation S2. Here are some of notable improvements of the Tizen-powered smartwatch:

1. Larger battery capacity: 380 mAh which promised to give standby time up to 4 days, compared to 250 mAh on Gear S2 which can last between 2-3 days with normal use.
2. Gorilla Glass SR+ which should be more damage resistant compared to Gorilla Glass 3 on S2.

Those two factors are the only things that I consider as positive upgrades. Of course they keep all the essential features that made the S2 a solid product in the smartwatch category. Always-on display, rotating bezel, wireless charging, and interchangeable bands, they are all still there on Gear S3.

Now here’s why I feel the new release of Gear S3 feels like an unworthy upgrade:

1. Larger size
   OK, this is very subjective matter. But for me personally, one of the biggest decision factor to get the Gear S2 because it was one of the most compact smartwatch out there, while still packing a lot of functionality. At 49 x 46 x 12.9 mm, the Gear S3 is about 15% larger than Gear S2 Classic which measures at 39.9 x 43.6 x 11.4 mm.
2. Heavier
   Thanks to the larger size and increased battery, the Gear S3 Classic weighs 57 g. Gear S2 Classic weighs just 42 g, that’s 26% lighter. To be fair, the extra weight may help to give a more premium feel. But for me it is unnecessary because the built and finish are pretty much the same.
3. Lower PPI (pixel per inch)
   Still related to the increased size. While the screen is about 15% larger, Samsung did not make any attempt to increase the screen resolution. Both Gear S2 and Gear S3 have the same display resolution of 360 x 360 pixels. This means lower PPI for Gear S3 at 278 ppi, compared to 302 ppi on Gear S2.

What should they have focused on: software

The Samsung Gear S line has so much potential to grab wider market, if only they put their priority and meet their promise in terms of software development. Yes, I am talking about Gear Manager for iOS to allow iPhone users to connect and manage Gear S2/S3 and enjoy its full potential. It has been almost a year since they released a statement to make iOS version of its Gear Manager app.

iPhone users have been anxiously waiting for its official release, but as of today it is still stuck in a closed beta status. Instead of trying to refresh the hardware with “half-baked” upgrades, Samsung should have allocated its resources to get the iOS app into the public first.

Is Gear S3 a good buy?

At $350 retail price, in short and very personal opinion, I would have to say no. Unless you just want to have a bigger model and using a small(er) watch is against your style. The larger battery life is not a huge deal either. Smartwatch is designed to be charged daily anyway. A 4 days battery life is probably only beneficial if you are going on a short trip and don’t want to bother bringing the wireless charger with you.

On the bright side, with the Gear S3 already available in the market, it’s time for the sellers to clean up the stock for older Gear S2 which means selling them at discounted price. Samsung Gear S2 is now sold at $250 and the Gear S2 Classic at $300. At this price range, it would make a perfect holiday gift.

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There are so many good things about Samsung S7 and S7 Edge, most of them answer the customers’ critics from their predecessors:

Bigger battery

I have no problem with my S6 Edge and it has enough juice to last entire day, but more active mobile users have been pretty frustrated with the battery capacity. Besides, bigger battery is always a positive thing.

microSD slot

To me, having the ability to use external storage is one of the selling factors with Android devices compared to iPhone. By putting this feature back, it is a big deal. 32GB for internal storage is usually more than enough to install all the apps you need. What’s hard to predict is how much memory you will need to store all the media files, including camera photos.

Better camera

The S6 takes beautiful shots, but I am still struggling to get better focus and result when it is in lowlight environment. Taking the words from Samsung and early reviewers, the S7 camera will solve this problem.

Better design

Even though I understand that Samsung really wanted to make a smartphone that would be as thinnest and possible with the S6, the flat back and protruding camera give constant annoyance to most users including myself. Luckily Samsung’s team of designer decided to fix those by making the S7 has less camera bumb and back cover shape that is easier to hold with a small price of being 1.1 thicker. No problem, function over design.

Dust and water-resistant

Accidents happen. While this is not going to be a decision factor, having an extra feature for protecting your precious gadget better is always welcomed.

Bigger RAM and faster processor

Well, nobody would buy newer smartphone if it has the same RAM and processor as previous generation.

Solid black color option

No more sapphire or blueish black like with the S6, which why I ended up buying mine in white.

In short, Samsung has done mostly everything right with the Galaxy S7.

Why the bigger screen for S7 Edge, Samsung?

I have come to believe that Samsung thinks a bigger screen size is required for the market to justify the extra $110 to get the Edge version on top of the “edge” screen.  Probably the sales of S6 Edge+ (5.7″) were better than S6 Edge (5.1″) and they used this insight to determine the product line variations.

As a customer, we are now stuck to having a phone that barely fits into your jeans pocket in order to get that super fancy curvy edged screen.

Will there be a smaller Samsung S7 Edge?

Who knows. But knowing Samsung, they might release a new version of their flagship phone line before a full year. Just like when they added S6 Edge+ into the S6 family.

Let me hear your thoughts about bigger S7 Edge screen and whether you would prefer to have it the same size as its sibling.

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The post Smaller Samsung S7 Edge, that would convince me to upgrade appeared first on Michael Sunarlim.