Fans will not have that long to wait for the newest Samsung flagship wearable, as it is confirmed that the Gear S3 will be available in the US market starting Nov 18.
According to the press release by Samsung Electronics America, the new wearable will be available late next week, although pre-orders have already gone live. Those who have not placed early purchases for the Gear S3 can get the smartwatch directly from third-party suppliers instead. Aside from wireless carriers, it is revealed that the Gear S3 will also be offered by retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Macy's. Fans can also order the wearable directly from Samsung's online store.
The Gear S3 is already available for pre-order in other regions, as the US market needs specialized versions of the device. In the announcement, it is confirmed that both the US versions of the Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier will be compatible with the LTE bands of US carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Gary Riding, senior vice president of Product Marketing at Samsung Electronics America, states that with the US version of the device, fans will see that "it is easy to make or receive phone calls and read or reply to texts and notifications, so they can stay connected while leaving their phone behind."
Meanwhile, aside from the US market, the Nov. 18 release date also seems to be the global launch date for the Samsung Gear S3. It is revealed that the new wearable will also be available late next week to other regions like Australia, and international retailers like Amazon have also begun pre-orders for the device in Europe, hinting that ship-out dates will also start by next week.
However, with Samsung confirming that the new wearable will have price tags starting at $350, some industry followers deem that the Gear S3 will be having a harder time against stiff competition. For example, the Gear S3's price of £369 in Europe is actually a heftier price tag compared with a lower £269 price for the still-popular Apple Watch.
