Display and Processor
Both these innovative gadgets come with 1.6 inch displays, however adopting two very different technologies. The Sony Smartwatch 2 comes with a Transreflective LCD display whereas Samsung choose to take their usual path; Super AMOLED. On the resolution front, however, the Samsung Galaxy Gear beats the Sony Smartwatch 2 by a fair margin. The Galaxy gear comes with a 1:1 320×320 pixel display, whereas the Sony Smartwatch 2 features a 220×176 pixel screen. This also results in a greater pixel density on the Galaxy Gear, at 277 ppi when compared to 176 ppi on the Sony. The Galaxy Gear has the upper hand when it comes to the processor again. The device packs an 800MHz Exynos processor whereas the Sony Smartwatch 2 comes with a rather disappointing 200MHz unit. RAM on the Sony is undisclosed, while the Galaxy Gear packs a nice 512MB. This means that the Galaxy Gear will be more fluid during usage.
Camera and Memory
The Galaxy Gear as we know, comes with a 1.9MP camera, while the Sony Smartwach 2 does not feature one at all. This sounds worse than it actually is. Think again, do you really need a camera on your smartwatch? Of course, having one is good and handy, but as far as the need goes, we definitely feel one doesn’t need a camera on his smartwatch. Why? Because you already have a smartphone in your pocket. In fact, smartwatches are made to be used with smartphones, which clearly means that you are in possession of a smartphone already. However, the Galaxy Gear wins the battle nonetheless simply because of the fact that it comes with a camera. On the storage front, the Galaxy Gear packs a good 4GB while the storage capacity on the Sony Smartwatch 2 is now known.
Battery and Features
The Sony Smartwatch 2 does an impressive job at the battery department (well, at least promises to) with claims of up to 7 days of battery life on light usage, and 3-4 days on moderate usage. On the other hand, the Galaxy Gear is expected to give only one day of backup. We really like the prospect of having 3-4 full days of backup on a single charge. The Sony Smartwatch 2 comes with a few more goodies in the form of IP57 certification, which means that the device will be water-resistant up to a certain level which makes sense, because you expect your hands to get wet while washing hands, for example. Water might get to the watch as well, and the IP57 certification on the Sony Smartwatch 2 helps here. The Sony Smartwatch 2 also features another goodie which is found to be missing on the Galaxy Gear, i.e., NFC. It will allow users to pair their smartwatch with their phone seamlessly.
Key Specs
Conclusion
Although the Galaxy Gear is definitely the more advanced out of the two, we really seem to like the practicality (IP57 certification, battery life, NFC) that the Sony Smartwatch 2 brings on the table. The fact that the Sony Smartwatch will work with any Android device running Android v4.0.3 and upwards impresses us again. On the other hand, the Galaxy Gear will work with only the third generation of Samsung Galaxy devices, which is currently limited only to devices like the Note 3. Both these devices should be available in a few weeks’ time, after which we’ll know the much awaited response of the public.
