When it comes to smartwatches, I normally maintain that simpler is better. By that logic, I should hate Samsung’s new Gear S3. It’s huge, bloated, and crammed with far more tech and radios than anyone should reasonably have attached to their wrists.
But thanks to the LTE radio inside and a partnership with AT&T, the Gear S3 has one killer feature that would make me choose it over a Pebble, or whatever Apple releases next.
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AT&T’s Numbersync is a feature that lets you make and receive calls using your regular cell number without needing your cellphone. The idea is that from a compatible tablet or wearable smartwatch, you’ll be able to make a receive phone calls. Despite my usual cynicism surrounding things involving apps and smart wearables and AT&T and syncing, this is actually darn cool.
The Gear S3 isn’t the first smartwatch to have Numbersync, but it is the most capable. With all the radios Samsung crammed inside, the waterproof rating, and the claimed four-day battery life, Samsung isn’t selling you a smartwatch: it’s a guarantee that no matter where you are or what you’re doing, you will be able to check email.
Whether that’s a feature for you, or whether you can stomach the Gear S3’s considerable size, is really the only question mark here. The Gear S3 will launch later this year for an undisclosed price.
