Samsung has finally launched its own mobile payments service on the new(-ish) Gear S3 smartwatch.
It’s now possible to make Samsung-powered contactless payments using a Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch, thanks to the enabling of Samsung Pay on the device. This means if your bank supports it – sorry Barclays and Lloyds customers – then you can make payments just as you would using a contactless credit card.
In a press release, Samsung said: “Summer just wouldn’t be the same without barbecues. With the Gear S3, you don’t need to take out your wallet or phone to pull off the perfect summer meal. The device allows you to make simple purchases with Samsung Pay and features support for both NFC and MST payment technologies.”
We’re not entirely convinced using a barbecue to pitch mobile payments is the most effective marketing technique, but we’ll just have to remain confused for the time being.
Samsung launched the Gear S3 back in November 2016, months after the device was first announced in August at Berlin’s IFA tradeshow. The device is powered by Samsung’s own Tizen operating system, and comes in two distinct variants: Classic and Frontier.
We gave the Samsung Gear S3 a middling 3/5 score, praising the device’s classy design, swift performance, high-quality display, and impressive battery life. However, we were less enamoured with the size and weight, the lack of apps, and the poor comfort when wearing it during exercise.
Here’s our verdict: “The Samsung Gear S3 flirts with greatness, but it ultimately falls short due to its gargantuan size and weight, as well as its Tizen OS.”
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Do you use a mobile device to make contactless payments yet? If not, why not? Tweet us @trustedreviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
