Samsung watch with limited version of Samsung Pay could launch on Aug 13

Samsung will reportedly launch a smartwatch alongside its Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus smartphones on August 13th according to a new report from the WSJ. The report goes on to claim that a limited version of Samsung Pay could launch alongside the new wearable ahead of a fully-featured rollout later in the year.

[related_videos title=”Samsung Galaxy S6 in video:” align=”center” type=”custom” videos=”629200,625832,623586,614646,601595,597284″]Samsung has long been rumoured to be announcing two handsets and until recently, we expected this to take place at IFA in  September but as it turns out, Samsung has bought the launch forward with an event planned for August 13rd ahead of a release just 8 days later on August 21st. The key reason for this is to beat the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus to market with Samsung worried that Apple’s new smartphones will negatively impact on sales of its new phablets.

The Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus have both paid plenty of visits to the rumour mill but just as exciting could be the new Samsung smartwatch, which has long rumoured to be the company’s first round smartwatch and is likely to debut as the Samsung Gear A. The Korean manufacturer confirmed as much in its Software Development Kit as it teased a round display and an entirely new interface designed specifically for round smartwatches.

[related_videos title=”Note 4 in video:” align=”left” type=”custom” videos=”593589,581030,570073,544879,535686,533408,533062,520354″]

According to the WSJ, the smartwatch could signal the launch of Samsung Pay (even in limited form) and at launch, it is expected to allow customers to pay for public transport rides. Future plans for Samsung Pay include paying for purchases in-store and one of the key differences between Samsung Pay and other payment solutions – such as Android Pay and Apple Pay – is that Samsung Pay works with 99% of existing payment terminals (even those that are not wireless-enabled).

Whether Samsung Pay is ready for launch or is still delayed remains to be seen but we’ll be there whenever Samsung does launch its new smartphones and services to bring you the information live. What are you most excited about? Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, Gear A or Samsung Pay? Let us know your views in the comments below.