Samsung Gear S2

The Samsung Gear S2 offers cellular notifications so that you don't miss a thing.

The Samsung Gear S2 also offers additional wrist bands for a more customized design.

Editor rating: 9.8 / 10

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By NicoleK

Samsung Gear S2 Review Facts

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When considering weight loss and fitness levels, tracking ones heart rate can be massively helpful. Monitoring ones heart rate allows for individuals to assess their heart rate as their cardiovascular activity enhances. This is done by reviewing ones resting heart rate as well as monitoring one's active heart rate. Generally speaking, the more active a person is the lower their resting and active heart rate will be. It also can offer a better idea of whether or not the individual is continuing to enhance their workouts based on their new fitness levels. Tracking ones heart rate can act as a motivator as well (heart rate goal-based workouts). Monitoring ones heart rate for weight loss is offered when the heart rate monitor being warn can calculate calorie burn. The calorie burn calculation is fined tune when combining the heart rate maintained throughout a work out with the height, weight, and sex of the individual it is monitoring. By knowing calorie burn one can, therefore, determine how many calories they can eat during the day in order to stay in their weight loss range. This is usually calculated, again based on sex and weight but also by weight loss per week goal. This is typically between .5 to 2 pounds (anything over 2 pounds can be dangerous and should only be done if done so by recommendation by a registered dietitian). There are apps that can help monitor both calorie requirements, calorie tracking, and calorie burn in order to make it more convenient for the individual attempting to lose weight. When considering a fitness or sports watch consider one with a heart rate monitor in order to get the most out of your tracking and workouts.

This article is a single product review on the Samsung Gear S2. This fitness watch offers both a stylish design as well as all the health features required in order to monitor all aspects of your body and its functions. We looked at what consumers thought of this watch including how well it worked, what the technology offered and how well it stayed connected. Nothing gets more frustrating then when technology doesn't work so we wanted to find out how easy this watch is to set up, to stay connected and how well it monitored activity. This is our review of the Samsung Gear S2. We hope that this review assists you in your next athletic watch purchase.

Editor's Pros & Cons

Pros

Customizable design for individual styles
Reliable technology
Easy to use, easy to connect
Attractive design

Cons

Thicker watch face
Some issues with the voice-to-text feature

ACTIVITIES

This watch is a daily smartwatch as well as a fitness companion. It allows the user to receive notifications as well as answer calls and send text messages. It has reminder notifications to stand when sitting for too long and encourages wearers to get moving. The watch also offers fitness-related activities like movement goals, heart rate monitoring and midway notifications. This watch is ideal for those who want something that will make their daily life easier and something that will monitor both passive and active physical health.

BASIC FEATURES

As with many smartwatches, this watch offers full connectivity to your cell phone or tablet. This means that as notifications come in they also pop up on your watch. Those who bought this watch were happy with their watch and its abilities. They felt that they never felt unconnected. They appreciated that they could receive all notifications on their phone and that they never had to pick up their phone as a result of it. Like alternative options, this watch sends notifications in order to encourage the wearer to get up and move more. This is through pop-ups when a wearer has been sitting for an extended period of time. Reviewers liked this as it encouraged them to be a little more active as well as take breaks from their computers for a while. This improved their overall lifestyle.

ADVANCED FEATURES

This watch allows users to answer their phone with it which many reviewers are impressed with. They found considering the price this is an amazing feature. This watch also offers a feature that allows the user to speak to text in order to send texts directly through the watch rather than having to pull out your phone. Though this is an advanced and handy feature, this is certainly meant for a quick text back. Reviewers had the most to say about this feature because it doesn't seem to work very well. It either is too slow to actually pick up the fill sentence or it replaces words completely incorrectly. One reviewer found that this feature actually worked better when changing the language on the watch to English-UK. For some reason, the dialect was easier to pick up when adjusting it that way. Another feature that reviewers were happy with is the ability to shut off your alarm on your phone with the watch itself making waking up a little easier. The sleep monitoring is also an interesting and handy feature. The website does say that this version doesn't offer sleep monitoring but many reviewers disputed this noting that it in fact does.

CONNECTIVITY

Reviewers noted that this watch is quite easy to connect to your phone. They found it to be seamless and easy to do. There were some minor issues with the watch transferring data between different apps though but this could be an issue with the app itself or the phone, not necessarily the watch itself.

APPS

There are complaints about the design of this app. Some reviewers were unhappy about the number of apps offered by the device itself saying that it isn't as good as their smartphone but as numerous reviewers countered, this isn't a smartphone. This is a watch and the capabilities should be expected to be lower than something that is substantially bigger and more expensive. The app itself (for your phone) is also noted as being a little frustrating to use. Many reviewers just felt like the layout of it was a little messy. This, of course, can be upgraded with time and isn't specifically an issue with the watch itself. The S Health app that offers all your tracking also tracks water vs caffeine intake for those who find themselves drinking far more coffee to water.

COMFORT

Those who tried this product had some mixed reviews in regards to the comfort of this watch. It seems that this watch is comfortable to wear for several hours but after that, it gets a little uncomfortable. Many wore the watch to work but would need to take it off at home because it got a little uncomfortable after long hours. This might be a problem for those who want a full-time tracker (those who want to review their heart rate either all day or when sleeping).

STYLE

This watch is certainly one of the more stylish watches on the market. Smart watches are becoming more and more stylish and chic. This product definitely follows suit with that trend. This watch offers customizable faces which can be downloaded for free through the app. It also offers numerous band options. The band options are an extra cost but are available on the manufacturer's website. Those who bought this watch were very happy with how easily they can adjust this watch in order to suit their own style. There were some small notes about the unit itself being a little thick, which tends to be a common review left for all the more advanced watches. This tends to happen when there is a 3G component added to watches (the ability to talk through your phone to another person). Those who bought this did note that the added thickness of this watch was 'worth it' for some of the advanced features offered by this watch.

DURABILITY

Those who bought this product found that this watch works very well and offers good durability. Because of how small the watch face is this watch doesn't easily bang into things when in movement. It also doesn't catch which is a large reason as to why this type of product gets damaged. The watch face of this product doesn't easily scratch either which reviewers appreciated.

FACE

Those who bought this watch noted that the unit itself is a little thick but that the face of this watch is a perfect size. They noted that the rotating bevel works and offers perfect functionality. The face screen, as well, comes in perfect condition and seems to resist scratching relatively well which those who are particularly aware of the durability of their watch appreciated.

BAND

The band is regularly reviewed as being comfortable and attractive in design. It is easily replaceable with alternative options available on the manufacturer's website which reviewers appreciated.

EASE OF USE

Those who bought this watch found it very easy to connect even to phones that aren't Samsung watches. It also is easy to charge via its wireless charging dock. This allows the user to place the watch on and take it off without having to worry about getting the female to male insert. Another fun feature of this watch is that allows the user to connect to a 3G network meaning that they can leave the house without their phone and listen to music (when paired with wireless headphones).

BATTERY

Those who reviewed this app did find that the battery life of it is quite impressive. Several reviewers noted that this app could easily be used for a full day without having to recharge the battery. This can easily be a point of contention with reviewers in our experience because the battery life is so vastly different depending on the watch. When considering more simple products that maybe only track steps consumers will see vastly longer battery lives. This can be up to years of battery life before requiring a charge or just a replacement. But when considering more advanced technology like the Apple watch for instance, you see much shorter battery lives as a result. This watch is definitely more advanced due to its capabilities so lasting for a full day before requiring a charge is pretty good. Those who bought this product also noted that recharging time is also quite impressive, taking a short period to fully recharge this watch.

PRICE

This watch is decently priced considering its biggest competition right now is probably the Apple Watch, this watch is considerably cheaper than the Apple Watch. It has a lot of the same functionalities of it as well and if buying in some countries refurbished versions are available for a third of the price which is pretty impressive. Overall it does seem that this product, with all its features as well as positive reviews, is worth the cost assigned to it. It also seems to be very competitive with the market which is positive.

ACCESSORIES

As mentioned earlier, this product offers numerous band types. It comes with two sizes (one meant for smaller wrists and the other meant for larger wrists). Online there are tons of different and fun additional bands to suit individual styles. It also comes with a wireless charging dock for quick charging, alternate options are available online for those who want something a little different than what is provided. Online (not included in the box) are wireless headphones also pair with the watch itself in order to offer a far easier running experience (no need to bring your phone with you).

KEY FEATURES

-Durable stainless steel body
-Customizable faceplates and wrist bands
-Easy to use moveable bezel to seamlessly switch between apps
-S Health app for monitoring of all areas of your life (caffeine, activity, reminders, etc.)
-Long battery life and wireless charging for those on the go
-Easily connects to all app types without issues
-3G option for those who want to leave the phone at home
-Attractive design

BOTTOM LINE

This watch has exceeded expectations. It is an attractive watch that can easily be customized for those who want something a little toned down or for those who want something that stands out. The device itself offers tons of apps and also easily connects to 3rd party apps for all-around monitoring. The device also easily connects to all phone types (unlike competitive options on the market today). It also monitors all aspects of life including liquids, sleep, and fitness. It offers notifications including calls and texts. This works with the mic that not only allows you to answer calls but also allows voice to text capabilities in order to easily respond to texts. Yes, this watch isn't without its issues (voice to text relay issues and a thick face) but there certainly seems to be more positive reviews than negative ones across the board. It seems that the biggest issue that reviewers had is with the refrebished versions from unreliable retailers. There seems to be little to no issues with new versions of this watch. Overall a great purchase and definitely runner up for one of the best on the market today.