We learned just days ago that Samsung was readying its first round smartwatch for launch in early 2015. Codenamed Orbis, it could be unveiled as early as MWC 2015 in early March. SamMobile has now obtained new details about it, including that it will come with both a crown-shaped power button and a rotating bezel ring.
The crown (the button used to wind up and adjust time and date on watches) will support a number of functions including waking up the screen, launching S Voice with a double press and sending emergency messages.
It’s not quite as clear what functionality the rotating bezel ring will offer. Depending on context, it could offer features like zooming in an dout of pictures, scrolling through lists and making selections (like setting an alarm). Samsung is also expected to provide an SDK that will open up the ring’s functionality to additional apps, allowing developers to come up with their own uses for the rotating ring.
At first glance, it appears that the Samsung Orbis’ crown and bezel ring will be its take on Apple’s Digital Crown interface on the upcoming Apple Watch. The ring in particular could allow users to scroll, zoom and navigate much as the Apple Watch’s crown promises to.
As for pricing, it appears at this point that the Samsung Orbis will be a “really high-end watch,” presumably with a price to match. Exactly how much remains it will sell for remains to be seen but it could be higher than the Samsung Gear S which sells for CA$399.99 in Canada.
Source : SamMobile