LG wasn't the only company flashing a new Android Wear smartwatch at Google I/O. Samsung also revealed a solution that will be made available later on today (June 25) called the Samsung Gear Live. Compared to LG's G Watch, Samsung's version provides a slightly smaller screen but a higher resolution.
"Samsung has been a pioneer in the quickly-evolving wearable market, and the launch of Gear Live furthers our efforts to deliver a simple and intuitive wearable experience to consumers," said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics.
The specs show that the Samsung Gear Live features a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display with a 320 x 320 resolution. Powering this screen is a processor clocked at 1.2 GHz (Exynos?), 512 MB of RAM, a 300 mAh Li-ion battery and Google's freshly-baked Android Wear platform.
As for additional features, the smartwatch has a built-in heart rate monitor, Bluetooth 4 LE connectivity, 4 GB of internal storage, four sensors and a dustproof and water resistance rating of IP67. Google services offered on this watch include Google Now, Google Voice, Google Maps & Navigation, Gmail, and Hangouts. Wearers will also receive notifications from text messages, e-mail and more.
"Through our long-term close collaboration with Google, we have successfully incorporated the capabilities of Android Wear into the Gear Live, in a way that only Samsung can do. I am confident that Samsung and Google together, we will grow the smart wearable market to positively impact consumers' life," Shin added.
As reported earlier, LG's G Watch includes an always-on 1.65-inch IPS display with "true-to-life" color reproduction and a 280 x 280 resolution. This screen is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, 512 MB of RAM and a 400 mAh battery. There's also 4 GB of internal storage, a handful of sensors, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.
As you can see, the specs are nearly identical save for the screen sizes, screen resolutions and the battery. Samsung reports that its Gear Live will awaken with just a simple touch. Wearers can also use voice commands to ask questions such as calling a taxi, checking the weather, sending a text and so on. Like the LG model, Samsung customers will only need to say "Ok Google" to get their questions answered.
Samsung is now offering the Gear Live in Black and Wine Red, but customers can actually purchase other straps when they become available. Google Play Store will initially carry the smartwatch, followed by Samsung's Retail Stores.
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