CES 2016 – Samsung Pay Coming To Gear S2 Smartwatch, More Countries

Samsung says its mobile payment platform will soon be available on its Gear S2 smartwatch, and in three previously unannounced countries – Australia, Brazil and Singapore.

The system is already active in South Korea and the US, with support for China, Spain and the UK on the way.

Samsung Pay

Samsung says the combination of Near Field Communication (NFC) and Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) mean it will be accepted in more locations in some markets than rivals like Apple Pay.

A number of recent Samsung smartphones have either come pre-loaded with support or received a software upgrade, but the company confirmed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas that smartwatch compatibility is on the cards. The Apple Watch already works with Apple Pay.

Two new editions of the Gear S2 classic, which is meant to look more like a ‘traditional’ watch than the standard S2, were  alsoshown off at the exhibition. One is encased in 18 karat ‘rose gold’, while the other in platinum.

Samsung also said new straps would be available for fashion-conscious users as the company seeks to keep up in a market that is attracting all kinds of entrants.

The first tranche of Gear S2 devices were announced at IFA earlier this year. The Gear S2 runs Tizen OS, has a 1.2 inch display, dual core 1GHz processor, 4GB of storage, 512 MB of RAM and a battery that Samsung claims will last between two and three days.

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