Study finds that over 40% of Dutch users have a Samsung smartphone

A study conducted by Deloitte found that more than 40% of smartphone users in The Netherlands own a smartphone made by Samsung, the same study puts Apple is second place, accounting for just 23% of the country’s smartphone users. The study’s participants were asked about the make of the smartphone they currently own as well as the one they had before it, results put Samsung on top with 40.5% and 31% of participants said that their previous device was also made by Samsung.

Apple clinched second place with the study revealing that 23% said they owned a handset made by the fruit company, Nokia came in third place with about 10%, the Finnish company’s hardware business was acquired by Microsoft nearly two years ago. HTC, Sony and Huawei bring up the rear with 5.3%, 4.4% and 3.8% respectively.

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Oculus launches Arcade for consumer Gear VR headsets

Oculus just launched a pretty interesting Arcade project which is currently in beta for the Gear VR and the arcade already has 21 classic titles like Pac-Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and many others.

While you can try out a trial of 20 minutes for every game, you will need to pay a certain fee for full gameplay, varying between $0.99 and $2.99. It’s sort of like a time machine where you can just step in the past and play the classic titles from Sega or Midway.

In order to take advantage of Oculus Arcade, you’ll need a supported gamepad like the Moga Pro or the SteelSeries. There’s also no multiplayer gaming yet but it could be in the works. It looks like Samsung’s virtual reality headset is gaining more and more content every week, having already received the official Netflix app with Hulu and Vimeo to follow.

The virtual reality headset also got a beautiful little game recently, and pre-orders are due to arrive starting with the 20th of November.

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Samsung Galaxy A8 detailed screen measurement

Today we will be kicking off a new category on SamMobile: Screen Measurements. This will allow you, our readers, to get a detailed overview of what Samsung’s smartphone displays are capable of. We all know that Samsung’s AMOLED displays are among the best (or the best, depending on who you ask) screens in the industry. With our screen measurements, we will find out how good they are actually are.

Before we start, you can check out what all the measurement graphs mean by taking a look here. SamMobile uses the Calman 5 Ultimate and a i1Display Pro colorimeter, while the brightness is measured with Supercurio’s Spectra Study.

We started by measuring the screens in Adaptive and Basic screen modes. Adaptive is what the phone comes with out of the box, and the Basic screen mode is the one that usually presents the most accurate colors. The Galaxy A8 uses a 5.7-inch Full HD display, with a pixel density of around 389 ppi. The screen uses a PenTile diamond pixel layout, which you can see in the picture below.

First of all, the screen has a maximum brightness of around 380 cd/m2 (nits) in manual brightness setting, and 590 cd/m2 in auto brightness. At the most dim setting, the screen can go as low as 19 cd/m2 in auto brightness mode, and as low as 2 cd/m2 in manual brightness.

What this means is that this is an excellent screen for this type of phone, and you can read the display easily in bright sunlight and not strain your eyes in dark conditions. The Note 5 and Galaxy S6 family provide more clarity, but the Galaxy A8 will satisfy most users. Now, on to the graphs.  

Adaptive Display

If we take a look at the screen in its default mode, we see that the primary and secondary colors miss their target in the sRGB colorspace, meaning all colors are oversaturated. It’s Samsung way of making the screen look better because of the popping and vibrant colors, but the colors aren’t displayed correctly according to these measurements. The margin of the displayed primary and secondary colors isn’t that good, with a Delta E error of 6.254 being too high and the margin of error of the color temperature not being too great either at 4.4. The screen’s color temperature of 7293 means it’s too cold (anything above 4000 is considered to be cold.) The RGB balance isn’t that great either; as you can see in the charts above, it boosts blue a bit too much over other colors. This happens most in the lighter color range, something that is done to make the whites appear closer to actual white. What does look good is the screen’s contrast ratio, which we can conclude that it is unmeasurable.

Basic mode

We aren’t a fan of the Adaptive mode, but luckily we have the option to change it. In Basic mode, the screen is way better calibrated, though the display could look a bit dull when you set it to Basic mode for the first time. In the sRGB color space it scores great as it hits most of the targets; it’s a similar story in grayscale, although it boosts red a little too much (the screen could look a tad yellowish compared to Adaptive or other screen modes.) The margin of error in color temperature of 1.5 Delta E is just excellent and the display of primary and secondary colors is fine, with an average deviation of Delta E of 1.4.

AMOLED Photo

Like we said before, the colors of the basic screen mode could look a little dull, so we suggest you use the AMOLED Photo mode instead, which has almost the same accuracy as the Basic mode but boosts saturation just a bit to make things look more vibrant.

Conclusion

The Galaxy A8 is rocking one fine piece of screen technology. It can get very dim and very bright, and in basic mode the colors are almost perfect. In adaptive mode the screen is way oversaturated to make colors pop, something we are used to from Samsung devices. AMOLED Photo is the sweet spot if you want vibrant colors and accurate ones at the same time, hitting the sweet spot between the two.

(A thank you to Ray for our custom made workflow and SuperCurio for his use of SpectraStudy.)

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[Poll] Is your Samsung phone rooted?

Root. It’s a powerful word when it comes to Android, giving users full access to the underlying system. Rooting a device can offer many advantages. You can block ads (and sadly reduce the revenue earned by app developers as a result), delete unused system apps and other files, improve the device’s performance by installing custom kernels, and even use various hacks that make a lot of advanced functionality possible.

But over the last year or so, Android has advanced to a stage where an out of the box experience works just fine for most users. Samsung has also improved and optimized its TouchWiz UX, with this year’s version offering the fastest, most user-friendly and intuitive experience yet. As a result, rooting a smartphone (or tablet) is something that’s no longer very attractive, especially since it can void your warranty forever by tripping Samsung’s KNOX implementation while not offering too many benefits in return.

Here at SamMobile, almost none of us have our Samsung smartphones rooted, and neither do we support rooting. What about you guys? Have you rooted your current Samsung phone, especially one that was launched this year? Select your answer in the poll below and let us know!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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Samsung NX500 review: the best affordable system camera

The Samsung NX500 was announced in February this year, and has been available for a few months now. We haven’t been publishing about Samsung cameras so far, but we’re starting with a post by our Dutch colleague tech-blogger Marc Wielaert, sharing his experience with the Samsung NX500, possibly the best affordable system camera – his first after using dozens of smartphone cameras.

Introduction: from smartphone to system camera

My smartphone has been my only camera for at least the past five years: what I could capture with it simply suited my needs and I didn’t need to carry a second device. Smartphone cameras showed immense improvement over that period – and so did my shots. I started my own blog comparing smartphone cameras (www.smartcam.club), which I recently put on hold, because after a few years I didn’t notice any major improvements.

I’m still testing smartphone cameras whenever I get the chance, but choosing a system camera has been an important next step for me as a photographer. Samsung was a logical choice. I’ve used all of the Galaxy S range and liked them a lot, noticing serious improvement in imaging up until the Note 4 and Galaxy S6 Edge. But I wanted to be able to make even better shots than even the best smartphones could achieve.

Connected camera with 3 inch touchscreen

Like my smartphones, I wanted my new camera to be “connected”, enabling me to instantly share the results using WiFi or Bluetooth. And of course, I needed a touchscreen interface. Different from my smartphones though, I finally wanted the possibility to exchange lenses – without having to carry a big DSLR: I wanted my next camera to be compact and lightweight. After briefly trying the NX1000 and NX300, I finally chose the Samsung NX500. It doesn’t fit into my pocket, but it’s light and easy to carry in a bag (including a few lenses even). It has everything I hoped for – and more!

Whopping sensor

One thing I found irresistible in the NX500 is the fantastic sensor Samsung blessed it with: a 28.2MP sensor, the exact same one Samsung uses in its flagship camera, the NX1. For the NX1 however, you’ll pay about three times as much and that’s just for the body, so not including any lens. The fact that Samsung uses the same high-end sensor of its flagship in a consumer product still baffles me – I even guess it’s a first in the industry. By the way, if you have read something about the NX1 being discontinued, there’s more in this post.

I know a sensor is not about just the amount of megapixels, but the size of the sensor. In this case, it’s a 23.5mm x 15.7mm APS-C backside illuminated CMOS sensor – which means it will not only be able to capture an insane amount of detail, but also much more light in darker situations. ISO setting can be set from ISO 100 up to ISO 25.600. If you want to capture something when it’s really dark, with specs like these a maximum of 30 seconds exposure should really be enough.

Ultra high-res 4K

Autofocus performance is about as good as on the NX1 as well, thanks to Samsung’s advanced technology (“NX AF System III”, with 205 on-sensor phase detect pixels). I’ve been enjoying that for the past weeks: autofocus is extremely fast indeed. Goes without saying that the sharpness of your shot depends on the lens and settings you’re using.

If you’re into capturing video, the NX500 will allow you to capture in ultra high-res 4K: both Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 and Cinema 4K 4096 x 2160 resolutions. You can choose lower resolutions as well of course (as low as 640×480). To make sure the video quality won’t use the greater part of your microSD card, Samsung uses a special video codec (H.265 HEVC). This means you will need to convert your video before you can play it on your computer or share it (like on YouTube). I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the sound quality coming from the internal microphones, as you can hear in this quiet static video from a local drum band I captured in Germany.

Possible deal breakers

I’ll share a few possible deal breakers right away: the NX500 doesn’t offer an electronic view finder, meaning you’ll have to work with the display even in very bright circumstances. You can rotate the display though (up to 180 degrees), and since it’s an AMOLED screen, the lack of EVF hasn’t bothered me much, not even in bright sunlight. I know it’s a big deal for some though.

Others will be disappointed by the fact there is no external microphone (nor headphone) jack, meaning you’ll have to work with what the NX500 offers you onboard. That’s not bad at all in itself (using the renowned AAC compression for audio recording), but pro users will probably want to be able to work with more.

There is no internal flash either, but you’ll find an external flash in the box. That will take its energy from the NX500 battery, so using it will affect its endurance. Also, the NX500 doesn’t come with an additional charger: when you’re using a spare battery you can’t charge the used one at the same time.

On a side note, without using the flash I’ve been capturing close to a thousand shots on one day and the battery was far from empty. Moreover, the NX500 does power up with a standard micro-USB, which I think is essential nowadays.

Look and feel

Simply put, I love the design of the NX500. It’s obviously a very modern device but has a very classic appearance (I have the black version). The faux leather – much better quality than we’ve seen on the Galaxy Camera range – makes for a very good grip, supported by a special “thumb-ridge” on the back.

Left from the ridge as well as on top of the device, you’ll find a small scroll wheel to fine-tune specific settings. Depending on which mode you are using, you can either use your index finger or thumb to adjust aperture value (changing the opening of the lens), or shutter speed. It might take some time getting used to, but it’s blazing fast afterwards.

The AMOLED touchscreen display makes it easy to control all the functions the NX500 offers – you can just fingertip your way through the menu and it’s very intuitive. The fact you can turn it all the way up (180 degrees) makes it extremely versatile. It does work wonders for a selfie or a portrait with a friend, but since I’m not that much into the selfie rage, I often use it for a 90 degree angle to be able to capture subjects from a very low level, like with the classic Alfa Romeo Spider you’ve seen at the top of this post and this mushroom for instance.

In combination with the standard 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 Power Zoom ED OIS kit lens, the NX500 feels very well balanced – easy to hold and really great fun to work with. The kit lens offers surprising quality anyway, especially after a recent software update (see below).

Settings

On top, on the far right side, you’ll find the horizontal scroll wheel for all different settings. One of the more remarkable ones is called SAS. “Samsung Auto Shot” offers clever software for “baseball”, “jump” or “trap” shot. That means the camera will actually see and capture when someone hits the ball or reaches the highest point of a jump. It’s not something I’ve used so far, but I’m sure it might come in handy one day.

Under the S function you’ll find something you probably know from Samsung smartphones already: automatic settings for Beauty face, Landscape, Action freeze, Panorama, Waterfall and so on. Up until now, I only used the Panorama function from these, which works fine in itself but I was disappointed to see how the resolution changes to a way smaller size, resulting in an image with much less detail than I hoped for. So I guess it doesn’t make much sense choosing that option if you want a detailed panorama.

Other than that – and apart from the Auto settings – you’ll find the settings for Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority and Manual settings.

Speed course: aperture value, shutter speed and ISO

Since this is one of the first posts about Samsung imaging devices here, I’m guessing not every reader is experienced with the basics of photography, so here’s a very short speed course about a few of them.

Aperture is about the opening of the lens. Apart from the pretty obvious difference of a way bigger lens and sensor, being able to change aperture is another essential difference with smartphone photography, where aperture is fixed.

With a system camera (and DSLR), maximum aperture depends on the lens you are using. Smallest value (meaning largest opening) on the kit lens of the NX500 is f/3.5. Using other Samsung lenses you can go as far as f/1.4, which means you will be able to capture far more light. Needing less exposure time for a good shot, it’s called a “fast lens”.

By changing aperture value, you can adjust the depth of field (DOF). For instance, if you want the foreground to be sharp against a blurry background – to really make your subject stand out – you choose low aperture value. If for some reason you need both the foreground and background to be sharp, you choose a high aperture value – you can change it up to f/22. You’ll need more exposure time, since the lens opening will be much smaller. When in Aperture priority, the camera will calculate the shutter speed you need.

Shutter speed is easier to understand: with a very fast shutter speed you can freeze fast moving objects. The NX500 is as fast as 1/6000 second. Longer exposure time is needed to capture dark scenes and you can open the NX500 lens up to 30 seconds.

ISO is about light sensitivity of the sensor. The lower the ISO value, the less noise you’ll get in the picture. On the NX500, minimum is ISO 100, maximum ISO 25.600 (which I in fact never used). The lower you set the ISO value, the more exposure time you will need, so in darker situations it’s important to choose higher ISO, especially if your subject is moving.

The example below was captured later in the evening. I wanted longest exposure to capture the light trails of traffic on the bridge in Münster (Germany). I captured it using ISO 200 (for low noise) and 30 seconds exposure time, choosing f/14 aperture.

Last but not least, you can choose the raw .SRW format, a proprietary format Samsung uses for the “digital negative”. Using programs like Lightroom or Photoshop, you can squeeze the best out of what the sensor captured, but if you don’t own these programs, you can also get a pretty good result from your files using the Samsung Raw Converter – not as elaborate as the famous other programs, but easy to work with and free.

Lenses

Lenses are measured in “millimeter”. The lower the value, the wider the view – higher values get you closer to your subject. Zoom lenses combine different values, and OIS stands for “optical image stabilization” – to avoid blurry shots.

The Samsung 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 Power Zoom ED OIS kit lens performs remarkably well for something that comes “standard” and I did notice improvement in sharpness after a software update. Generally speaking, I use the kit lens most since I like to use its zoom capacity. But the possibility to change lenses was one of the reasons I wanted the NX500 in the first place, and I noticed even better results coming from my 45mm f/1.8 and 30mm f/2 lens.

You might notice the 2D/3D sign on the 45mm f/1.8 lens – haven’t used 3D so far, just bought this version since it’s the one I found and you can get the same lens without the 3D option. These lenses are not even near the best Samsung has to offer though, like the 85mm f/1.4 lens, or the 16-50mm S lens (f/2-f/2.8) (both will cost you more than what you’ll pay for the camera itself, including the kit lens).  In a future post I hope to be able to share some of my experiences with the best Samsung NX series lenses.

Working with the NX500

It took me quite some time to discover its possibilities and I’m very sure I still have much to learn, but I definitely got what I hoped for with the Samsung NX500. Fantastic detail from its brilliant sensor, a very intuitive user interface thanks to well-placed buttons and, of course, the ease of a touchscreen. Moreover it’s very easy to copy my shots to my smartphone or tablet and share from there.

I never work using its auto settings though (unless light circumstances are hard and time is too limited to figure out what the best settings would be). Always choosing auto would be wasting your money however: in general you really need to choose a certain mode which will suit what you want to capture best. And there’s much to choose from as well.

I’ll just share a few shots as an example. You’ll see the original followed by a crop from the same shot, to show the amazing detail you’ll be able to capture. I’ll link to much more examples at the bottom of this post.

Samsung i-Launcher

When you connect the NX500 to your PC or Apple, you’ll have the possibility to install the Samsung i-Launcher. Here you can download the full user manual, and it’s the most easy way to install software updates. It will check for updates of the device itself and for the Samsung lens you have attached to it – so it’s useful to check for updates for every lens you own.

From here, you can download an impressive bunch of software I’m sure you’ll like to use. A DNG and RAW converter for instance, or a Movie Converter to change your 4K footage into something you can actually share – because of the specific H.265 Codec Samsung is using, you can’t just copy and play the 4K files on your PC.

Looking for a fast solution for this, I learned about free software that will play your 4K footage without a problem (on Windows 10 that is, not sure about previous Windows versions): PotPlayer.

Samsung Camera Manager

The application you’ll want on your smartphone or tablet is called “Samsung Camera Manager”. Just like you can use the new Gear S2 smartwatch with other brands, Samsung doesn’t demand you to buy their smartphone as well, so you can install the application on other Android devices. In this case, there is even a version for the iPhone and iPad (no official version for Windows Phone yet as far as I know).

Among other things, it will show the shots you captured on the NX500 on your smartphone (or tablet) and it will allow you to copy the ones you want in the same resolution. Also, Camera Manager works as a “remote viewfinder”, so you can use the display of your smartphone or tablet as a viewfinder (also when your NX500 is on a tripod somewhere else – but of course close enough not to lose the Bluetooth connection).

The Rumor Mill

There have been quite a few rumors going around in the infamous internet rumor mill – sites usually quoting each other, all based on the very same source (like one Korean newspaper). Samsung has only reacted to the first one in September, so the idea Samsung could be leaving the camera market (like it suddenly left the laptop industry), is now making quite a few fans of the NX series nervous.

Yesterday a new rumor surfaced that Samsung would indeed stop selling the NX1 in Europe – and of course it’s spreading all over the web. As usual, the rumor mill has been started by one source – and one source only.

This time - on the site’s forum - it’s a “reply” written by “someone” from Samsung, quoted “We quickly adapt to market needs and demands. In Europe, we will be discontinuing sales of NX1 cameras for now since there is already much better and upgraded cameras. This is specific to the region – and is not necessarily reflective of conditions in other markets. We will continue to thoroughly evaluate market conditions and will make further adjustments to maintain our competitiveness in emerging Camera categories.” 

It’s a confusing statement and as far from an official confirmation from Samsung as one can imagine. The conclusion “Samsung NX1 officially dead” is far-fetched. Samsung has spent an enormous amount on R&D for the NX series (new devices, great lenses, software updates) and leaving the market when they are building a solid reputation would be a very irrational thing to do. Even if Samsung would decide to leave the pro-market by abandoning the NX1, it doesn’t mean it would be ditching the entire NX series. Truth is: we simply don’t know. A new official statement would be more than welcome by now.

Conclusion 

The Samsung NX500 turned out to offer more than I ever expected and has definitely been a big step up after working with the best smartphone cameras for years. Although I’ve been very satisfied with the results coming from a huge amount of great performing smartphones, it’s obvious what I’ve been depriving myself of. I just never wanted to carry an extra device.

No doubt, the amazing same-as-on-the-NX1-flagship sensor is responsible for my better shots. The standard 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 Power Zoom ED OIS kit lens has been of great influence as well, but I’ve noticed even better shots coming from my Prime NX lenses (the 30mm f/2.0 and 45mm f/1.8) – I can only imagine what it will be like to work with some of Samsung’s high-end lenses.

I guess I’m old-fashioned regarding video – much more into photography myself – and I’ve been amazed what I can achieve shooting in 4K. Of course you’ll find 4K video already in smartphones (from the Galaxy S5 onwards), but recorded with these optics the result is something else and offers amazing detail! You’ll have to use a converter before you can view the result on your PC, unless you install dedicated software like PotPlayer.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sound – no clipping as I expected recording high volumes like in the example above. I’m sure the sound could even be better coming from an external microphone, so pro users do need to have a look at the much more expensive NX1 after all (and get the electronic viewfinder at the same time).

The NX500 is remarkably light (depending on the lens you’re using of course) but it feels really sturdy. It’s easy to carry as it’s easy to use: the touchscreen interface is brilliant and the buttons are well-placed (you won’t even have to look after a while). The “thumb ridge” really adds to your grip on the device. Thanks to the rotating display I’m able to capture shots from ground level (without having to lie down or just guess what I’m capturing) – or it enables me to capture shots from way over my head. Rotating up to 180 degrees is ideal for “selfies”.

I’m enjoying the free Samsung Camera Manager. On a smartphone or tablet it shows all the shots I captured on my NX500 and it really is a breeze to select those I want to copy – to have a detailed look at the result or share it without needing my laptop.

In all, I think the NX500 offers amazing value for money and by now you can buy one for a lot less than its suggested retail price ($800). Coming from smartphone photography though, I was surprised to learn a great lens may cost you more than you ever paid for your best smartphone. With some luck you can find some interesting prime lenses on the second hand market if you can’t afford to spend much on new ones. Since Samsung is a relativele newcomer in this industry, there’s not too much out there yet though, but that’s only a matter of time I guess.

If you want to buy new, there’s a wide range available for the Samsung NX series. In all, I’m sure I made the right decision choosing the Samsung NX500: like with my smartphone, I hardly ever leave home without it. You’ll find a few dozens of shots I captured with the NX500 here on Flickr.

Pros	Cons
Amazing 28.2MP sensor	No electronic view finder
3-inch AMOLED touchscreen (rotates 180 degrees)	No microphone/headphone jacks
Intuitive user interface	No built-in flash
4K video with space saving codec	No external charger
Connected (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
Regular software updates for camera and lenses
Samsung Camera Manager for Android and iOS
Samsung i-Launcher offers useful software
Charges with microUSB
Compact and lightweight
Great build quality
Includes external flash
Great value for money

 

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Themes Thursday: Most of the 21 themes released this week are badly designed

Welcome back to Themes Thursday! Samsung has released 21 themes this week, but most of them are badly designed. We’ve tried to select three themes that are acceptable. We are surprised as to why so many themes with below par design are being released.

Out of these 21 themes, twelve are paid, and almost all paid themes have bad designs. Some have bad wallpapers while others have horrendous looking icons, and some others have badly designed quick setting toggles. Did you like any other theme apart from the ones that are showcased here?

[MINU] Rose_Gold

[WoOS_Design] Lovely_Pink

Deep Blue

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Samsung launches world’s first virtual TV channel service ‘TV Plus’

Samsung has launched a virtual TV channel service dubbed TV Plus in its homeland South Korea. This smart TV services is first-of-its-kind in the world as it lets users browse videos by flipping channels just like a regular TV service. It has quickly become a sensation in the domestic market, especially with users who are not used to video on demand (VoD) apps.

The TV Plus service was launched in October, and since then one out of five smart TV users have used the service. According to the company, the service saw a retention rate of 80 percent, and it has received good consumers response. The service lets its users browse 33 virtual channels for 24 hours without any charge or any tedious process for signing up.

Samsung has started focussing a lot on adding multimedia content and apps to its ecosystem of digital devices be it with its smart TV with PlayStation Now gaming service, the Galaxy View movable display with a special interface to watch videos, or the Gear VR with virtual reality games and videos.

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Samsung Galaxy A9 gets Bluetooth certification

The Galaxy A9 is expected to be the largest smartphone in Samsung’s premium mid-range Galaxy A lineup, and recent leaks and appearances of the device suggest it could go official at any moment. Today, we’re getting another indication that the A9 is inching closer to an official launch, as the phone has been certified by the Bluetooth SIG.

The model number of the device is listed as SM-A9000, and the certification was completed on November 10. This doesn’t give us any solid lead on when the A9 will actually be unveiled, but the Bluetooth certification means the development on the device is nearly complete. A launch before the end of this year seems likely; some might say that a launch so soon after the Galaxy A8 doesn’t make sense, but the 6-inch display on the A9 means it is not a direct sequel to the A8 but just another phone in the series.

According to a leaked benchmark, the Galaxy A9 will feature a Full HD display, a Snapdragon 620 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and Android 5.1.1. The benchmark did, however, list a 5.5-inch screen, so at this point we should be taking any of this information is fully confirmed or final.

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Gear S2 may get iOS support later this year

The Tizen-powered Gear S2 smartwatch works with all Android smartphones, not just the ones made by Samsung, so the possibility exists that at some point the company might even enable it to work with iOS devices as well. Samsung did say back in September that it was looking at the possibilities to open up the Gear S2 to iOS and according to the new report this might happen in the near future.

Apparently Gear S2 owners will be able to use their smartwatch with an iOS device as well by first installing an app on that device which will allow them to set up and customize the Gear S2 for use. They will reportedly be able to use all of the features available to Android users, however for additional features like Samsung Pay users will be required to use the smartwatch with a Samsung smartphone. Samsung itself has not yet confirmed if and when iOS support will arrive for the Gear S2 but it hasn’t ruled out the possibility as well, so it just might happen.

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