Samsung gets sloppy, revealing all three wearables due for a release next week

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Samsung gets sloppy, revealing all three wearables due for a release next week
It's like Samsung isn't even trying to keep anything hidden up its sleeve ahead of a February 20 event at which the Galaxy S10 lineup will take center stage, attempting to wow us despite already revealing every single secret. Along with the new mainstream flagship smartphone family and a highly anticipated foldable device that isn't exactly a big puzzle either, it looks like several interesting wearables might be showcased in San Francisco next week as well.

Their official names and designs have just been confirmed via the company's Galaxy Wearable app for Android (formerly known as Samsung Gear), as discovered by SamCentral over on Twitter and initially reported by The Verge. Basically, Samsung jumped the gun and listed the as-yet-unreleased Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Fit/Fit e, and Galaxy Buds alongside existing products like the Galaxy Watch, Gear Sport, Gear Fit2/Pro, Gear IconX, and Gear S3 in the app's initial setup menu.

Galaxy Watch Active


Internally codenamed "Pulse", this presumably fitness-centric smartwatch leaked abundantly these past few weeks under the allegedly official Galaxy Sport moniker. But even though it doesn't seem to bear a strong resemblance to last year's Galaxy Watch, it looks like the final name will suggest otherwise.


The biggest design and functionality revision is expected to be the removal of the nifty rotating bezel, present on Samsung smartwatches since 2015's Gear S2. Even the Gear Sport has one, which might actually be why Samsung ultimately decided against branding the newest athlete-friendly wearable device as the Galaxy Sport. Whatever the reason for this already controversial choice, we sure hope the company will take the time on February 20 to detail any Tizen OS optimizations meant to take better advantage of the touchscreen and two discreet side-mounted buttons.

Speaking of the display, rumors of a 1.1-inch rather than a 1.3-inch size are starting to sound plausible, as Samsung today confirms the Galaxy Watch Active will come with a 40mm case. The Gear Sport has a 42mm case and a 1.2-inch screen, mind you, while the Galaxy Watch is available in 42 and 46mm variants featuring 1.2 and 1.3-inch displays respectively.


While we don't expect the Galaxy Watch Active to come in different sizes, a number of eye-catching paint jobs are most likely in the pipeline, two of which gain visual corroboration from the company today. Other key specs and features should include a heart rate monitor, standalone GPS and NFC support, top-notch water resistance, and for the first time on a wearable device, Bixby Reminders.

Galaxy Fit/Fit e


Although Samsung is no stranger to releasing (slightly) lower-cost activity trackers with not-as-glamorous designs, the Galaxy Fit certainly looks different from the likes of the Gear Fit 2 and Gear Fit 2 Pro. In fact, it resembles more an entry-level Fitbit, Garmin, or even Xiaomi wearable, which suggests a truly affordable price point. We're guessing $100 or even less, strictly based on that fairly unattractive product image seemingly including a rubber band and small, non-curved display.

What we're curious about are the differences between the regular Galaxy Fit and the Fit e version, the latter of which could somehow be connected to the "cheap" Galaxy S10e phone. Intriguing!

Galaxy Buds


They're white, at least in this newly revealed official picture, they're definitely smaller and sleeker than the Gear IconX, and... they could be bundled for free with Galaxy S10 pre-orders. If that doesn't impress you much, perhaps a case with wireless charging support will do the trick. That's something Apple's AirPods still can't do, at least no thanks to any first-party accessories.

Even better, it looks like Samsung will be taking a page out of Huawei's playbook and bring reverse wireless charging functionality to the Galaxy S10, which means your next big phone should be able to juice up your little headphones effortlessly and wirelessly. A gimmicky feature? Not according to the majority of a recent survey's respondents

Otherwise, we don't expect any big surprises or revolutionary technologies from the Galaxy Buds, which are rumored to pack a rather tiny 58 mAh battery, with their standard charging case carrying an extra 252 mAh cell capacity. We obviously have no idea how those numbers will translate into real-life endurance, but something tells us the Galaxy Buds may not be able to eclipse the market-dominating AirPods in that aspect.

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