Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 spotted in leaked images hinting at low-cost variant

Samsung seems to be ready to showcase the next iteration of its smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear 2, as some alleged press renders of the device have appeared online, images that also hint at a 24 February launch.

The original Galaxy Gear was launched last year along with the Galaxy Note 3 in September, at the sidelines of IFA 2013. Previous reports, quoting a Samsung VP, have placed the launch of the Galaxy Gear 2 along with the Galaxy S5, which is all but confirmed to be launched at the at the upcoming Mobile World Congress event starting from 24 February 2014.

The latest image of the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 comes from @evleaks via a Twitter post showing two possible variants of the smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear 2 and Galaxy Gear 2 Neo, with slightly different screen sizes, and button/sensor configurations. The Black model seems to be the lower-end model (the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo), while the Rose-Gold variant seems to be the higher-end version (Galaxy Gear 2).

The Galaxy Gear 2 seems to sport a metallic design around the screen as compared to the rubberized design on the black Galaxy Gear 2 Neovariant. There also seems to be a sensor placed at the top of the screen on both the smartwatches. Even the rubberized band remains common in both.

Additionally, we assume that the purported Galaxy Gear 2, being the high-end model, might arrive with a camera as the camera icon is shown in the smartwatch's screen. No such icon on the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo, indicating it will arrive without a camera, playing only with notification alerts along with other unannounced functionalities. A lower cost version is not a bad idea, catering to those that want to stay connected, but not necessarily looking for functions already achievable by their smartphones.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 further shows the date - 24 February indicating its arrival at the Mobile World Congress 2014 at Barcelona.

The Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch was earlier this week also rumoured to run the Korean firm's native Tizen OS instead of Android.

Last week, it was reported that the Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch will feature an HTML version of the OS, which is understandable, given that Samsung would want more application developers to create apps for the platform.

Update: @evleaks has later on Saturday said the Galaxy-branding he'd indicated was incorrect. If true, this may just be related to the announcement that Samsung will be shipping the new Gear with Tizen onboard. "I misspoke. Those watches are not Galaxy-branded."