Samsung Galaxy Watch Visits FCC Sporting LTE Connectivity
Samsung is getting ready to release another smartwatch, and there are plenty of rumors and speculation leading up to the launch. There is also some conflicting information out there. The name is no longer one of them—in a new listing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Samsung refers to its upcoming wearable as the Galaxy Watch.
It's a brand new listing with the FCC, so the information can be considered up-to-date and representative of the current build, and likely the final build since its presumably headed to market soon. On top of that, this is not the first semi-official confirmation. Just last week, Samsung registered the Galaxy Watch branding with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and has taken similar action with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
While the name of the mystery surrounding the name of the smartwatch appears solved, we still don't know what operating system it will run. There was chatter of Samsung ditching its Tizen OS and going with Google's Wear OS (based on Android). More recently, however, rumors have surfaced that it will run Tizen 4.0 instead of anything Android.
So, we'll have to wait and see what OS Samsung rolls with for the Galaxy Watch. In the meantime, the FCC listings reveals some other details, including two model numbers. One is SM-R815U (presumably for the US market) and the other is SM-R815W (for Canada). Both will measure 51.2mm x 43.4mm, with a display that measures 30.2mm (1.2 inches).
The listing also points to LTE support on all four major wireless carries in the US (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon), and of course both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. It appears Samsung will partner with carriers to sell the Galaxy Watch, and perhaps offer an unlocked version, similar to its smartphone strategy.
