The Samsung Galaxy Gear S is like having an iPhone on your wrist

The Samsung Galaxy Gear S is like having an iPhone on your wrist

Summary: The hardware specs of Samsung's new Galaxy Gear S smartwatch are surprisingly similar to those of the first-generation iPhone that Apple released back in June 2007.

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Samsung Galaxy Gear S
(Source: Samsung)

The other day I was looking over the specs of Samsung's new Galaxy Gear S smartwatch and it struck me how similar some of the specs were to the first-generation iPhone that Apple released back in June 2007.

First off, processor. Both devices were powered by a 1GHz dual-core CPU, although the part inside the Galaxy Gear S – most likely an Exynos SoC – is likely to be significantly smaller and far more power efficient than the Samsung RISC CPU that made the first-generation iPhone tick.

Even the display resolution is similar, with the original iPhone coming in at 320×480 pixels and the Galaxy Gear S at 360 x 480 pixels. The display on the Galaxy Gear S is smaller than that on the iPhone – 2-inches versus 3.5-inches – so the pixel density will be higher.

But the Galaxy Gear S isn't an old iPhone hit with a shrink ray. Some of its features are far superior to that of the original iPhone. It supports 3G, 802.11n, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, along with features such as a heart-rate monitor. It also features 512MB of RAM, beating the 128MB inside the original iPhone.

It's also features an IP67-rated waterproof chassis, which means it should survive a soaking at 1 meter for up to 30 minutes, something that no iPhone has ever been capable of.

Even on the battery front, the Galaxy Gear S has the iPhone beat, with a 300 mAh battery that should be able to last about two days of moderate usage (the iPhone would last about a day).

My point here isn't to say that the Galaxy Gear S is the same as a seven-year-old iPhone, but to point out how technology – in articular component size and display densities – have changed over that time, making it possible to shrink a smartphone down to a size where it will fit on your wrist.

And just think about what the next seven years will bring.

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Topics: Mobility, Hardware, Samsung

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23 comments
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  • ... But probably cheaper.

    I'm still not convinced of the point of these things, but the design is definitely an improvement on the earlier, chunkia models.

    Maybe I'll look again when they get to versio 23. But probably not.

    But the point is well made: Amazing progress over just a few years, who knows what 2021 will bring ...
    Heenan73
    • Really?

      Only few years? 2 years actually and 6 fking versions but still remain ugly. Galaxy Gear is a joke.
      Cun Con
      • Says a Samsung Tin Foil Hat Wearing Hater!!!

        Who doesn't realize both Google and Samsung were primary reasons iPhone was even successful in the first place. Both provided design ques, content and STANDARDS, enabling iPhone to exist in the first place!

        Google was responsible for chairing and initiating the W3C Mobile Web Initiative. Although Samsung was part of .mobi Project for internet content made available to Mobiles as a competitor to W3C, their work/money investment on wireless and 3G set the standards for what we have on Mobiles today!!!

        And it's Apple that to this very day, is still refusing to pay Samsung for their investments by paying for licensing, they're required to by membership in Standards Bodies! ....not to mention the fact that Samsung advised them on as their most valuable parts partner from then to this very day!

        Google in a partnership with Apple is also very much responsible for Apple's success as not only part of the founding the Mobile Web Initiative, making sure both Touch and keyboard access to web content would be available not only on the web in general, but on their own included content partnership with Apple. Without which.... Apple iPhone wouldn't have had Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and other Google Services... like "Location Awareness" via Google's Tower Algorithms! ....without all of these two valuable partners contributions, iPhone most likely would never have been the success it is today!!!
        KronJohn
        • Same as Microsoft

          Registered to reply to this excellent post.

          Where would Apple be without Microsoft? Didnt Microsoft write the only decent software for Apples way back? And didn't Microsoft bail out Apple when they were broke pre-Ipod? If I'm not wrong, this is all too similar
          Amit_s_K
      • " fking versions but still remain ugly "

        sad, thick childish comment.

        But maybe I didn't make myself clear. I was talking about 'smart watches' in general, not Samsung specifically. I hold no brief for any of them, and I very much doubt one will ever grace my wrist.

        But whatever YOU think (and trust me, nobody cares), the curved screen has just changed the rules. You'll see.
        Heenan73
      • Ugly?

        I think it looks amazing and I'm way smarter than you.
        mitchellvii@...
  • Nice device but battery life is a joke

    You're right Adrian, it is impressive how the components have shrunk in size and the fact that you can get something with this level of power on your wrist. But the 2 day battery life still shows at what infancy these devices are. Imagine a car where you only get, say 50miles on a tank or charge.

    A watch with 2 days of battery life -- people from 50+ years ago would even laugh at that.
    deux-deux
    • My iPhone

      Only gets 1 day. I'll take 2 days over that. In fact, I'll take practically anything over my iPhone. When it dies, no more Apple!
      happyharry_z
      • And if your iPhone doesn't die?

        You might be an Apple user for a long long time.
        rfoto
      • Two alleged days WITHOUT USAGE

        The two days is the maximum alleged (as in not proven) battery life. Meaning ZERO usage.
        wackoae
    • It's Not Just a Watch.... Fool! lol....

      If it was just a watch, for sure we'd expect it to have a year of battery life at least. It's a freaking full fledged phone and even iPhones can barely last a day! ......so if this as a full fledged Smartphone and Health/Fitness device, as well as music and notifications, that you can also use independently of your smartphone the jog or quick dash to the store in a rush out the door, is a hell of a lot more useful than just a watch! lol.... and for that matter a clunky phone you have to carry in your pocket. Meaning it's this wearable smartphone is in a whole lot less danger of being DROPPED or BROKEN!!! :D
      KronJohn
    • Battery life not that critical

      I have worn the original Galaxy Gear and now a Gear Tizen for the last 11 months. Each night I put my phone in the charger and my Gear next to it. Extra time taken - about 1.5 seconds per day. Of course I would like my phone and my watch to be able to go a week or a year without needing to be charged; but it would hardly make any difference; I'd still have to take them out of my pocket and off my wrist every night.

      Compared to the benefits of a smart watch the daily-charging complaint is strange. Yesterday I took a call on my watch and placed another in circumstances where I didn't have hands free to get the phone out of my pocket. I took a nature photo which I would have missed if I had to pull out my phone, switch on ... I received twenty plus notifications of emails, messages, news stories and such; a glance at the notification summary told me enough to know these potential interruptions did not need any further attention. And for all that I had to bear the penalty of 1.5 seconds to plug the watch into a charger at the end of the day.

      Those of you who compare the battery life of a Seiko watch the battery life of a Smart Watch should also try comparing the utility of the two devices.
      keith.manning@...
    • 2 days a joke?

      How many days does your phone run on a charge?
      mitchellvii@...
    • время автономной работы

      Есть разные подходы к проблеме коммуникаций. Есть люди, которые носят механические часы и вручную заводят их за колёсико каждое утро, - это классика. В мире мобильных технологий всё меняется слишком быстро, чтобы успеть всё отследить. Я считаю, что именно в модели Samsung Gear S заложено будущее направление и обозначен эталон формата таких девайсов. Проблема с подзарядкой может быть решена с использованием беспроводной технологии, которая уже существует.
      Vad-m
  • Article: "And just think about what the next seven years will bring"

    Yup. Sometime soon, probably earlier than later, smartwatches will be PCs.

    P.S. The Galaxy Gear S smartwatch runs Tizen instead of Android. This should make the ABGers happy. :)
    Rabid Howler Monkey
  • Hmm, in another seven years...

    some enterprising tech behemoth will surely have developed the equivalent of an iPhone 6 that I can cram in my urethra. Think of the possibilities!
    credulousDolt
  • Specs

    The first generation iPhone didn't have a dual core 1Ghz processor.
    Maupin Glow
  • why does EVERYTHING have to be compared with the iPhone?

    Your point "may be" to show how technology has shrunk. Given that this shrinkage is already a WELL KNOWN fact, the comparison to a VERY OLD iPhone IMPLIES that this fantastic piece of technology complete with its curved screen is "just equivalent to OLD technology".

    Why can't reviewers review new technology for what it is and promote how good the new "stuff" is?

    I'll bet if the device was a new Apple iWatch, there would be NO comparison with the original iPhone, just a new "WOW" factor that Apple developed this new u-beaut device. The latest "best thing since sliced bread"!

    I don't have a problem with Apple's products, I DO have a problem with (collectively) reviewers "distorting" the truth and not acknowledging the fact that there ARE BETTER products out there.
    Peter Sanders
  • Processor

    Not sure where you got your info, but the original iPhone did not have a 1GHz dual-core processor. It was a Samsung chip, but it was a single core chip that had a stock clock of 620MHz, and apple had to underclock it to 412MHz. Give this a read for more info: http://toucharcade.com/2008/07/07/under-the-hood-the-iphones-gaming-mettle/
    jshcastle@...
  • Color

    Does Apple own the color white? It could be like having an Android on our wrist.
    CoyoteC