Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch launched in India at Rs 28,500

Coming in two designs -- frontier and classic -- Gear S3 will be available at leading Samsung sales channels from January 18.

The smartwatch is water-resistant, provides up to four days of battery backup, has a built-in speaker and also offers GPS functionality.

Gear S3 features 1.3-inch circular Super-AMOLED display and is powered by a dual-core 1.0 GHz CPU paired with 768MB RAM and 4GB of internal memory. 

"Gear S2 achieved meaningful progress in the smartwatch category with a personalised watch face and a versatile rotating bezel. With smart capabilities and elegant design, Gear S3 marks a significant addition to our smartwatch portfolio," Manu Sharma, Vice President (Mobile Business), Samsung India, told reporters here.

For the first time on the Gear series, the Gear S3 features Corning Gorilla Glass SR+ which is specifically designed for wearable devices to provide a tougher, scratch-resistant and crisp display. 

In case of an emergency, users can activate the SOS from the designated button to alert family, friends and emergency professionals about crisis situations, even when the phone is not in-hand.

Without touching the screen, users can accept or reject a call or snooze an alarm. Users can also create short reminders and to-do lists to manage even the most hectic schedules with the reminders application that can take details by voice as well.

Gear S3 offers "hyper-connectedness" with the 'Remote Connectivity' feature that allows the device to receive phone notifications. 

Consumers can access a diverse range of apps, including fitness, music, news, sports and travel apps -- all optimised for the Gear S3.

"For the first time ever on a smartwatch, the Samsung 'Knox Tizen wearable SDK' will be available to third-parties, enabling management capabilities and the development of customised applications for Samsung's wearable ecosystem," the company said.

The "Knox Tizen Wearable SDK" provides Application Point Interface (APIs) which helps users manage and customise their apps and also features enhanced security.