Samsung has announced a new smartwatch ahead of the IFA electronics trade show later this week, although it's remaining quiet on details including price and release date.
The Samsung Gear S2 drops the oblong shape of its predecessor for a circular design, and will be available with a modern-looking smooth metal case in silver or gray or a "classic" black case which looks a lot more like a traditional watch. The latter comes with a matching black leather band.
Like most smartwatches the S2 is designed primarily to serve phone notifications to your wrist, track your steps, give you access to the more passive functions of your phone and, of course, tell the time.
The signature feature of the S2 is a rotating bezel — similar to those seen on sporty analogue watches — that lets you scroll and interact with the various functions. There are also two buttons for selecting and dismissing notifications.
The watch isn't wholly reliant on a nearby phone to operate though. It can connect to Wi-Fi independently, and a (presumably more expensive) 3G version can even make voice calls and perform other connected functions even if you're miles away from your phone.
Samsung has not yet announced which phones the S2 will be compatible with, but history would suggest you'll need a fairly recent Samsung phone.
As with its TVs and other devices, Samsung has rejected Android in favour of its own Tizen operating system on its Gear watches. This means a device that's much more "Samsung", but one that doesn't offer functionality with anywhere near the number of apps and services as the Apple Watch or Android Wear system.
At IFA, new watches from ASUS, Motorola, Huawei and possibly Sony are expected to be on display, however Samsung's stands out from the pack as the only one that will not be running Android Wear.
Google has announced that all new Android Wear watches will not only work with Android phones (including Samsung's), but with Apple's iPhone as well.
