Samsung's next smartwatch may ditch your phone

Since the launch of the original Samsung Galaxy Gear, users have been wondering when – or if – the company would release a smartwatch that did not require a smartphone to function. A rumor today suggests that this next-generation smartwatch may be on the horizon, ready to work completely on its own.

Part of the strategy in releasing the Samsung Gear devices – Galaxy Gear, Gear 2, and Gear Fit, was to keep them connected to smartphones to sell more of both. Now the South Korean business may be ready to push to a unit that does everything on its own.

According to sources speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Samsung is in talks with carriers in the United States, Europe, and South Korea for a possible launch between June and July of this year. This would be very, very strange as Samsung just released three smartwatch devices at the start of 2014.

While it's not confirmed whether or not Samsung's next wearable device will be able to function as a phone – but we must assume that it's unlikely. The only other smartwatch to work with full phone functionality to be released on a market-level scale in the past few years has been the Omate Truesmart.

Have a peek at our Samsung Gear Fit Review for more information on how Samsung will move forward. This next-generation watch has also been tipped to work with Tizen, similar to the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo.

VIA: Wall Street Journal