Samsung Gear S4 Release Date, Specs Rumors: Next Smartwatch To Have Battery In Its Straps?
It is speculated that the next flagship smartwatch from Samsung, the Gear S4, might have its batteries placed within its straps.
This year, Samsung is expected to update its smartwatch line with the Gear S4. But with so many wearables now in the market, the South Korean technology giant should come up with another groundbreaking innovation.
According to a report from Dutch website Lets Go Digital, Samsung has filed a patent application for the flexible batteries it invented to be integrated inside a smartwatch's straps.
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The technology will allow Samsung to add more battery life to future Gear smartwatches. Based on the said filing, the company is looking to possibly include one or two battery packs that can be placed on either side of the strap.
To keep the battery from subjecting the strap's material to excessive heat, it will be designed to follow the form of the strap and will be placed in a bracket so it will not be directly touching the strap's material. The same report mentioned that a battery that comes with its own bracket can be placed inside a strap made out of leather, polymer or rubber.
Lets Go Digital also talked about another recently filed patent application that upgrades the rotating bezel. It is important to note that Samsung had already introduced this feature in the Gear S3 that helps users navigate through the home screen. However, the new filing is reportedly referring to a rotating sub-display, which is likely going to have specific portions allotted for every menu option.
Meanwhile, the said paper also mentioned the likely addition of a camera and a fingerprint reader.
Over the years in smartwatch development, manufacturers like Samsung and Apple have started integrating cellular chips, GPS and other components that make the wearables independent from smartphones. So, some believe that adding cameras and biometric authentication systems to upcoming smartwatches makes sense.
Whether these features will be incorporated in the upcoming Gear S4 has yet to be confirmed. Manufacturers file patents all the time, but they usually do not utilize it for products that are just months away from their release. And in this case, reports are expecting Samsung to launch the Gear S4 in the early months of 2018.
