Future Samsung Gear smartwatches could use circular screens

Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to launch a smartwatch with the Galaxy Gear, and its more recent follow-ups (the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo Tizen smartwatches, and the Android Wear-powered Gear Live) are some of the most well-rounded wearables you can buy today, but their square screens simply don’t have the same eye-catching appearance of Morotola’s upcoming Moto 360 and its circular display. That could be set to change in the future, however, as new patents appear to show Samsung is working on a circular smartwatch of its own.

Three patents, uncovered by MobileGeeks, suggest Samsung has at least three smartwatch concepts with a round face in the works. The diagrams that comprise each patent go into plenty of detail,  showing two models with completely round faces and a third with a curved sqaure screen with rounded edges. It also appears that all three concepts share the same four pin power connection, suggesting Samsung is looking to consolidate its future wearables with a single charger – unlike the Gear Fit fitness band, which has a different charger to the Gear 2 smartwatch.

Curiously, it looks like the bulbous shape built into the strap of each watch design is a camera sensor, similar to the one found in the original Galaxy Gear (which prevented users from swapping out the stock wrist strap for a different design or material). According to the report, the camera would be used for gesture recognition, rather than any Dick Tracey-style shenanigans. 

Samsung has yet to make an official announcement regarding the patents, or confirm if it is working on a circular smartwatch. However, with IFA in Berlin less than three months away and the company strongly tipped to reveal new wearable hardware at the show, we shouldn’t have too long to wait to find out what Samsung is working on – if indeed these plans made it past the patent stage at all.