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Now Samsung has lifted the lid on the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smart watches, one UK operator is slashing the price of the original Galaxy Gear. From 4 March, you’ll be able to pick up the Android-running time teller for just £149 from Three — that’s half the original £300 price tag. It’s even cheaper if you buy it with a Samsung device — just £99.
Brendan Arndt, Three’s device and accessory portfolio manager, made the announcement in a tweet. He also said Three will offer the Gear 2 Neo, though he didn’t give a price.
When I asked if Three will offer the Gear 2 as well, Arndt replied not “at this stage”. Apparently feedback on the original Gear said customers weren’t using the camera.
I’ve tapped up other UK networks to see if they’ll offer Samsung’s new smart watches, and will update this story if I hear back. Update: EE has told me it doesn’t have anything to announce at this time. Update 2: As has O2.
The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will be available from April, Samsung announced this morning. They both run Tizen instead of Android, which shows Samsung is keen to move away from Google’s operating system. Though its upcoming flagship the Galaxy S5 is likely to run Google’s OS.
The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are a lot more svelte than the original Gear. This is because Samsung has moved the camera from the strap to the watch face. In the case of the Gear 2 Neo, it’s done away with the snapper altogether.
Samsung has also added a standalone music player, so you can listen to songs through the bundled Bluetooth headset without having to have your phone with you. Both smart watches have 4GB of memory for storing tunes on.
So what else is new? The screens are the same 1.63-inch jobbies with the same resolution of 320×320 pixels. Inside is a 1GHz processor, instead of the 800MHz chip found in the original Gear. And you can now control your TV and set-top box using the Gear 2 or Gear 2 Neo.
The original Galaxy Gear was way too expensive for what it does, but at half the price, maybe it’ll be worth a look. We’re still waiting to hear how much the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will cost.
Stay tuned to CNET.com for everything Mobile World Congress next week, or check back here for daily updates on the biggest news. Would you buy the Galaxy Gear for £149? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
