Galaxy Gear smartwatch will launch alongside the Galaxy Note 3 on September 4

By Andy Boxall Published October 1, 2013

Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watch.

We already had a good idea what we’d be seeing at Samsung’s second Unpacked event of the year, scheduled for next week in Berlin, and the Galaxy Note 3 was at the top of the list. The other possibility was for the rumored Galaxy Gear smartwatch to make its debut, and now, thanks to a Samsung executive, its announcement has been confirmed.

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The news comes from Lee Young-hee, Vice President of Samsung Mobile, who said in an interview with the Korea Times, “We will be introducing a new wearable concept device called Galaxy Gear at our own event in Berlin on September 4.” This isn’t the first time she has chatted about the Gear either, as in an interview with Bloomberg in March, she was quoted as saying the firm had been working on the watch for sometime.

Sadly, one of the most intriguing rumors surrounding the Galaxy Gear has been debunked, as Lee also states the watch won’t have a flexible display at this point, but we should look out for other models in the future which may. Instead, the Galaxy Gear will, “Enhance and enrich the current smart mobile experience in many ways,” although exactly what these ways are wasn’t said. Samsung is going to be pushing the watch to, “Young trend setters,” so prepare for a flurry of funky ads.

So, it’s time to get excited about the Galaxy Gear. Well, yes, but there is one thing that’s unusual about all this, and that’s the use of the word concept. This implies the product won’t be put on sale, and that it’ll only be for show. We’d be very surprised if Samsung bothered to show a product no-one could buy, and instead wonder if the Gear will initially see a limited release instead. Perhaps it’ll take a leaf out of Google’s book and the way it’s marketing Glass? If so, Gear will have to be something very special to make it worthwhile.

We’ll find out all we need to know on September 4.

Former Senior Mobile Writer

Andy has written about mobile technology for almost a decade. From 2G to 5G and smartphone to smartwatch, Andy knows tech.

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