Samsung officially launches the Gear S3 Classic and Frontier, US release date confirmed

Samsung just announced that it's officially launching its Gear S3 smartwatch series today. The new wearable family is being released in South Korea first, with other markets to follow. Samsung is confirming that, as expected, the Gear S3 will be available in the US starting November 18. Other markets that will get the smartwatches later this month include Australia, France, Germany, UK, Singapore, and the UAE.

As you may know, Samsung has two different Gear S3 models, both already available to pre-order in the US: the Gear S3 Frontier, and the more elegant Gear S3 Classic. Prices for both watches normally start at $349.99, though AT&T currently lists the Gear S3 Frontier as being offered for as low as $249.99.

It looks like only the Gear S3 Frontier has LTE connectivity. That aside, the Frontier and the Classic share most of their features, including circular 1.3-inch Super AMOLED screens with 360 x 360 pixels, Samsung Pay (only in the US and select markets), dust- and water-resistance, GPS, and 380 mAh batteries. Mind you, these are not Android Wear smartwatches, instead being based on Samsung's Tizen Wearable Platform 2.3.1. Nevertheless, they are compatible with most recent Android phones.