Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo : What's The Difference Between Samsung's 2014 Smartwatches

Today, ahead of the much-awaited Samsung Galaxy S5 announcement tomorrow on MWC 2014 in Spain (February 24, 1:30 PM Barcelona Time), the Korean Giant formally introduced two new Tizen-based smartwatches serving as follow-up to last year's moderately successful Samsung Galaxy Gear.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo sharely largely the same technical specifications but they do come with a few key differences.

"Samsung continues to lead innovation in the wearable market by creating devices that are completely integrated into the lives of consumers through extended connectivity features, stylish customization options and a robust application ecosystem," shared Mr. JK Shin, CEO and President of IT and Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics. "With the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, we have enhanced everything consumers love about the Gear to offer unparalleled smart freedom in their everyday life."

The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, which is clearly the more premium model of the two, sports a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED 320 x 320 pixels display panel, a 2 Megapixel Auto Focus (1920x1080, 1080x1080, 1280x960) camera, Bluetooth v4.0 LE and IrLED connectivity support, IP67 Certification for Dust and Water Resistant, and a 300 mAh battery delivering up to 2 to 3 days of uptime with regular usage and 6 days with light use.

As for the innards, the smartwatch runs a "wearable platform" version of Samsung's very own Tizen operating system (versus Android on the first Galaxy Gear) with its 1.0 GHz Dual Core Processor, has 512 MB of RAM, and comes with 4 GB of non-expandable internal storage. Other key features include a Heart Rate sensor, Pedometer, Standalone Mode for Running and Walking, Companion Mode for Cycling and Hiking, and Sleep & Stress companion. The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 also has a Music Player with Bluetooth Headset and Speaker support, WatchON Remote Controller via IrLED Sensor, Bluetooth Call and Camera control, Notifications for SMS, E-mail, and Apps when paired with your smartphone, Media Controller, Scheduler, Smart Relay, S Voice, Stopwatch, Timer, and Weather Information.

With dimensions of 36.9 x 58.4 x 10.0 mm and weighing exactly 68 grams, Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 features swappable straps available in Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange.

Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo has all the above-mentioned features of Samsung Galaxy Gear, from the processor to the sensors, from the IP67 Certification all the way to the software capabilities -- except for one thing.

This model, which is expected to be the more affordable of the duo, lacks the 2 MegaPixel camera of the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2. Nonetheless, the omission of this hardware component allowed SGGear2Neo to be lighter, weighing only 55 grams -- but not slimmer, as it has dimensions of 37.9 x 58.8 x 10.0mm, which is wider than than of SGGear2.

Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo also sports changeable straps available in Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange.

Samsung has yet to disclose the exact release date and pricing details of Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. Nevertheless, I'm expecting it to become available in the Phiippines and worldwide around April 2014 or along with the release date of Samsung Galaxy S5. As for the SRP, one can only speculate -- and our TP Guesstimate is roughly Php 13,000 for the SGGear2 and Php 10,000 for the SGGear2Neo; Here's to hoping the two smartwatches would be far more affordable than that.