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.
See also:
Join Discussion