Samsung may power its mysterious rounded ‘Orbis’ smartwatch with the same Exynos 7420 chipset which drives the Galaxy S6, according to fresh reports from Korea.
The Orbis smartwatch could be Samsung’s first wearable since the Gear Live, and as well as a sleek new rounded face to match rivals like the LG G Watch R, the Samsung Orbis may come packing the company’s latest super-nippy processor technology.
Samsung’s new smartwatch is believed to still be at least four to six months from launch, but if rumours are true and Samsung is looking to pack a 14nm iteration of the Exynos 7420 in the thing, it could make the Orbis one of the best wearables of the year.
According to reports, Samsung hopes that using the Exynos chipset could significantly improve battery life. In its current guise, the chip is impressively energy efficient despite its superior power output, which could make it perfect for milking more battery life out of a smaller cell. Considering rivals like the Pebble Time Steel are already boasting ten days of life between charges, any kind of battery boost is more than necessary to encourage sales.
Samsung’s decision could also be motivated by the want to reduce its dependence on Qualcomm’s products, after stepping away from the Snapdragon 810 for the Galaxy S6. Samsung is reportedly looking to distance itself from the company altogether, and using its own chips in both smartphones and smartwatches would be a significant step to accomplishing that goal.
The Orbis is believed to be Samsung’s attempt at a luxury offering, which will go head-to-head with the Apple Watch. The device will run on the company’s own TizenOS and be constructed from premium materials in order to rival Apple’s own smartwatch, which will cost up to £13,500 for the top-end model.
Read next: our full in-depth Samsung Galaxy S6 review
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