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By Tony Connelly, Sports Marketing Reporter

August 19, 2015 | 2 min read

Samsung has unveiled new details for its smartwatch which it hopes will be the answer to the Apple Watch.

A teaser for the Samsung Gear S2 has appeared on the company’s YouTube channel today following an initial screening at its New York conference last week.

The smartwatch has similar features to the Apple Watch including a heart rate monitor as well as a phone and text messaging app. The video also shows a weather app, a time zone app, a calendar app, and a sports tracking app. One of the most noticeable differences to the face of the watch compared to the Apple watch is the round casing.

The Gear S2 has a number of changes from its previous iteration, the Gear S, and includes some aspects which are present on Apple’s smartwatch. Similar to Apple, the apps are round however they are accessed through a smooth looking circular navigation interface.

The Gear S2 represents a big step up from the Gear S which was capable of making phone calls and texting. These features will be central to the latest iteration but Samsung’s will hope Apple’s entry into the smartwatch market will have increased interest in the wearables which they in turn can benefit from with a lower price model. It remains to be seen how big the watch will be as there is no perspective in the trailer, size will be a key factor though as the Gear S’s size put many consumers off. The focus on a heart rate monitor is a similar looking interface shows that they are going head-to-head with Apple.

No official date has yet been set for its release however more is expected to be announced at the consumer electronics trade show, IFA 2015, on September 3 in Berlin. The trailer for the Gear 2S is available to view in full above.

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