Water workouts are even more effective when you wear the Gear Fit2 Pro fitness bracelet - a personal trainer with water resistance up to 50 meters (5ATM*). Set records for swims in the pool or just take a shower at home, with Gear Fit2 Pro anything is possible! A specially developed partner application from Speedo** will collect statistics on the activity carried out and clearly demonstrate the history of your sports success.
* The Gear Fit2 Pro is ISO 22810-2010 water resistant to 50 meters. Before using the device, make sure that it is thoroughly dried and that your hands are not wet.
** Availability of the Speedo app may vary by country and region.
Four assistants to your motivation
U.A. Record
Statistics of your activity, sleep and training in one application. Keep your finger on the pulse of your health!
MapMyRun
Build running routes and record the trajectory of your movements, keep the history of your races, races and just pleasant walks.
MyFitnessPal
Set and meet calorie intake and burn goals in a dedicated food diary.
Endomondo
Join the global community of fitness enthusiasts, challenge yourself and reach your goals with a personalized workout plan.
* Availability of UA Record, MapMyRun, MyFitnessPal and Endomondo apps varies by country and region.
When fitness is a lifestyle
Whether you're playing tennis, basketball or moving to the rhythm of the dance, Gear Fit2 Pro automatically recognizes your activity. And during the day, it will measure your heart rate, determining the heart rate zones and thereby helping you choose the optimal training regimen.
Design Matters
Available in black and red, the Gear Fit2 Pro's sophisticated design can be paired with both sportswear and casual wear. A convenient fastener on the strap will securely fix the fitness assistant on your wrist.
Applications and watch faces
With over 3,000 apps and watch faces in the Galaxy App store, customize the Gear Fit2 Pro to your taste.
*App availability for Gear Fit2 Pro may vary by country or region.
The modern fitness tracker market seems to be crowded with devices of different sizes, shapes and features to the point where making a decision becomes a physical exercise in itself.
Despite this, last year released an excellent Gear Fit 2 model, including all the necessary functionality and even more. Not surprisingly, instead of releasing a completely new device this year, the company decided to slightly improve last year's already high-quality product. This improvement was the protection of the case from water, thanks to which the word Pro appeared in the name.
Few other fitness trackers can be used while swimming. Some people like it, some don't, it all depends on the needs of a particular person.
Design
Being almost a clone of its predecessor, Fit 2 Pro does not deviate from the established design. The tracker is tiny, but wide, light and unobtrusive.
As for the straps, there are a couple of changes. First, there are two new color options, black and red. They look better than last year's straps.
Secondly, they have improved latches. Last year's trackers often accidentally opened and fell, but here this problem is solved due to the traditional latch mechanism that is used on almost all modern watches.
Interface and Applications
The interface of the Fit 2 Pro does not deviate from the extreme austerity of its predecessor. Almost all apps, menus and watch faces use a black background. Surely this was done to minimize the energy consumption of the screen. The screen looks like last year, the specifications say the same.
Using the Fit 2 Pro is a breeze thanks to the familiar combination of touch input and two physical buttons on the side. The tracker runs on the Samsung Tizen operating system, the interface consists of a number of applications, each of which is dedicated to one part of the device's functionality. The central home screen contains the main dial and several customizable widgets.
There are occasional stutters when opening and closing apps, but in most cases the interface is fast and responsive. The only exception is the gesture on the screen to turn it off, which periodically does not work.
It also offers some rudimentary smartphone controls. There is a notification center that allows you to respond to text messages with a predefined set of responses, there are built-in audio controls. You can answer phone calls, but there is no microphone or speakers in the case. Calls can be rejected if necessary.
The Gear Fit 2 Pro doesn't claim to be , as evidenced by the range of available apps in the Galaxy Apps store. There are more than 3,000 of them, says Samsung, but most of them are just watch faces. Other apps include the Spotify music service, which brings a new feature to the Gear Fit lineup: you can now download playlists to internal storage and listen to over 500 songs offline via Bluetooth headphones. This makes listening faster, as streaming music via a smartphone or Wi-Fi network requires a long download.
Fitness
Naturally, the most important part of a fitness tracker is the functionality for fitness and physical activity. The Gear Fit 2 Pro does the job just fine, with modes for walking, running, cycling, yoga, and more.
All of them can be started manually or let the device automatically fix their start, which works great but can be annoying. If you are walking, this does not mean that you need to run .
A key new feature, swim tracking, works within the built-in Speedo On app, so you can't just jump in the water and wait for the fitness tracker to know about it. Surely swimming enthusiasts will be delighted to be able to recognize the style of swimming.
Ease of use and autonomy
The presence of Wi-Fi support means that the device does not have to be constantly connected to a smartphone, but deeper access to data will not do without it. The Samsung Health app works great on Android, but it's not available on the Apple iOS platform, so owners will have to settle for a tracker interface.
In terms of battery life, Samsung's official estimate of 3-5 days is overly optimistic. In fact, three days is the maximum, you have to charge the device regularly, like last year's model.
Since the Fit 2 Pro will often be used outdoors, the screen's visibility in the sun is an open question. This parameter is at a high level, although the curved reflective glass sometimes creates problems.
For swimming, you can disable touch input completely. Although the tracker does not recognize when you are underwater, touch input is automatically disabled when swimming.
Conclusion
One thing is clear: the word Pro in the title refers only to swimmers. For everyone else, the advantage of the new model over last year lies in a slightly cooler design and support for the Spotify service, which is not relevant for Russia (if you do not use a proxy).
At the same time, it cannot be said that the fitness tracker turned out to be bad: it is still one of the best models. But if you don’t swim, there are many alternative options on sale that can do the same and at the same time cost less than 12,000 rubles. The device is not yet available, and Samsung Gear Fit 2 costs 11,500 rubles.
If you're looking for a device that can do it all while still looking stylish, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is your option.
pros
- Stylish appearance
- Comfortable to wear
- Improved straps
- Simple interface
- Swim Tracking
Samsung has expanded its line of wearable electronics, one of the new products is the Gear Fit2 Pro fitness tracker, the key feature of which is protection against immersion in water to a depth of 50 meters. This feature has become a great addition to the already functional set, packed in a nice case.
Appearance and straps
The Gear Fit2 Pro is available in two colors: all black and red and black. The front part in both cases is the same, which is logical: the protective glass and the screen itself merge with the body. On the red part there are two control keys, below - a heartbeat sensor and a contact group for the charging station.
The tracker is light, but large - the thickness is comfortable for use with a long sleeve, but the length is significant, it will hang out on a thin brush. Partially this problem is solved by a small (Small) strap. The version on the review is with a long (Large) strap.
The surface of the bracelet is decorated with embossed triangles (in the case of the red and black model), they reflect the light in different ways, which adds to the attractiveness. It's nice that Samsung abandoned the old clip in favor of a traditional mount - last year's Gear Fit 2 for many users arbitrarily unfastened over time during workouts and other activities, the novelty will not do this.
Tactilely, the bracelet resembles something between plastic and rubber, the surface is smooth, the strap itself is moderately soft. There is no additional perforation for ventilation, due to which the hand periodically sweats, but during testing, no allergy manifested itself, despite constant wear.
The strap is attached to the device with latches, similar to those in the Gear S2, but the design is minimally different, which is why you cannot use the bracelet from the watch. The first smart watch with a rotating bezel settled down with a small but ecosystem of straps, there are many cheaper clones, there is even an adapter for 22 mm straps.
The two worlds could expand their collection of bracelets (especially since Gear S2s are still on sale), but instead you will have to buy specialized solutions for each gadget.
It makes no sense to be upset because of the limited choice of straps, because the standard ones look great. It’s inappropriate to attach a leather version or just less sporty versions to a tracker, since the appearance of the gadget doesn’t go well with a suit, and it’s not suitable for any city outfit. The tracker is clearly focused on use during training.
Tracking and fitness
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro, as a fitness tracker should be, offers many types of workouts, including some exercises that use the number of sets instead of duration. The device well recognizes when the user is loaded, and when he stopped exercising, which allows you to capture more accurate data.
Samsung's biggest achievement remains the most accurate automatic detection of sleep and activity. The latter works correctly up to a minute, sleep is less thoroughly recorded if you lie in bed for a long time before going to bed and after waking up, but the accuracy still remains one of the highest among consumer mass gadgets. Subjectively, it seems that the result has become better even in comparison with the already accurate ones.
A unique feature of the novelty in the Samsung lineup is the ability to use the bracelet in fresh water to count swimming activity. The function is so important that the set of pre-installed applications has been added to the Speedo service. You can really swim in the device, while the screen is blocked to exclude its operation due to contact with water, swims are considered exactly, at least for a pool with a 25-meter track.
The device displays intermediate information about activity when turning the hand or shows the current data, but occasionally the bracelet updates the information for a second and a half after the display is activated, that is, you cannot immediately glance as soon as the screen lights up to find out the statistics. Over time, you get used to it and raise your brush, and only after a second you lower your eyes to the screen.
The problem with updating the data also manifests itself in distance notifications - the device should notify with vibration when you overcome 1 km, but sometimes this does not happen. Moreover, if the goal is to set time, and receive messages at training time intervals (once every 5 minutes), the device does not make such annoying mistakes.
The second trouble was that when jogging, you can see either the distance or the time since the start of the workout. It is allowed to switch between the parameters with a swipe, but it is impossible to see both indicators at the same time. Uncritical, but the device is focused on sports, so I would like to see the maximum data with a minimum of effort.
Autonomy and screen
The display of the device with a diagonal of 1.5 inches (resolution - 432x216 pixels) pleased with a high-quality image, a curved shape and excellent brightness, the latter can only be adjusted manually. The screen can be constantly active, in this mode the time is displayed, but there is a problem - at night the pixels glow too brightly, which makes it difficult to fall asleep. Have to turn it off.
The battery capacity was 200 mAh, which is enough for four days of work with a constant connection to the phone, and if you use the always-on display, the time will be reduced to three days. An hour-long workout without connecting to a smartphone and with active GPS deprives the user of 15-20 hours of autonomy in passive mode.
Training with active GPS and parallel listening to music from the bracelet memory (4 GB storage is installed) drains 30-35% of the charge per hour, the same amount of energy is spent in the pool, but without music. If you take a smartphone for a run, it takes 15-18% of the charge per hour.
Gear Fit2 Pro works for a long time - if you look at the mass segment, it is rather a competitor to smart watches with more capacious batteries and wide additional features, most of which are implemented in Gear Fit2 Pro.
Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro as smart watch
The Gear Fit2 Pro is powered by the proprietary Tizen OS, which made it possible to implement almost all the functions available in the Gear S2 and Gear S3, but with reservations. Management is implemented in the same way as in any current Gear: the screens change with swipes, you can install widgets on them, different dials are available (the standard set is completely focused on sports, there are no classic solutions, which is expected).
The app store for round smartwatches is not rich in software, in the case of a bracelet that uses a different screen shape, the situation is even worse. It's funny that for health only 17 applications are displayed in the "Top 500", and the same list is shown in the best free ones, and paid software is not found at all. The Lifestyle category is also not rich in offers. We are satisfied with the dials:
The limited choice of software is more a statement of fact than a real inconvenience, but enthusiasts will be upset. Some useful programs, like Uber or navigation, are not in principle. However, smart watches generally do not need applications familiar from smartphones (with very rare exceptions), and the standard set in Gear Fit2 Pro is excellent.
Notifications are also weird - they are displayed along with interaction buttons accessible from the shutter on the smartphone, block notifications from the program or open a message on the phone, but how to remove one notification from the stack remained a mystery. You can only discard all cards at once.
The device is synchronized with both Samsung smartphones and other devices running Android, but for “competitors” you will have to install three applications from Google Play, which is generally not a problem, since this needs to be done once. The Gear Fit2 Pro nominally works with iOS, but it was not possible to test their interaction, since the application in the App Store has not yet received tracker support. According to rumors, this will appear on September 30th.
Permanent wear
A pleasant to the touch bracelet and a small mass contribute to convenience, so you don’t want to take off the Gear Fit2 Pro, but you can’t play much with the appearance due to the lack of stricter bracelets, and the futuristic shape of the tracker itself is unlikely to go well with traditional leather straps.
The device is too sporty to be worn all the time, as is usually done with smart watches, but it is ideal for occasional use: as a sports tracker and at the same time a player, as well as a sleep monitor. All the more pleased that the price in Ukrainian retail is 5999 UAH.
Limitations in the choice of software and not the most convenient interaction with notifications, as well as the lack of the ability to answer a call with your voice, also raise doubts that the device will be ideal in urban use. It is advisable to wear something more mundane for everyday activities, the same or more compact and minimalistic, but in the latter you cannot answer the phone either.
The obvious option is to wear a bracelet in training and wear it at night, and during the day use the usual mechanics or quartz. So it will not be possible to accurately measure the number of steps taken (if the smartphone does not have such functionality) or see all notifications at any time without taking out the phone, but it will be the optimal balance between style and statistics on sports loads. You also don't have to spend money on replacement straps.
conclusions
The Gear Fit2 Pro is a great sports tracker that has everything you need from a standard fitness tracking kit. The already chic functionality is complemented by the ability to use the device in fresh water and accurate automatic sleep monitoring.
The device pleases the eye, especially the color combination of the red-black modification, the futuristic curved display and the relief of the strap. Appearance screams that it’s not a rattle hanging on the hand, but a serious technological product; It also goes well with modern sportswear.
Gear Fit2 Pro is so far a unique offer for those who do not play sports professionally, but are already thinking about the need to keep load statistics. The device will be especially relevant for people who pay attention to various activities.
Features make up a unique set in their own way, which is not yet found in consumer devices, only individual elements in different models. Professional monitors are more accurate, but they are almost always limited to one or two features, less attractive and more expensive, which makes the Gear Fit2 Pro an interesting proposition for enthusiasts and fans of sports and a healthy lifestyle.
3 reasons to buy Gear Fit2 Pro:
- pleasant appearance
- accuracy of automatic load detection
- Can be used in fresh water
1 reason not to buy Gear Fit2 Pro:
- notifications and apps are more important than fitness features
A complete review of the Samsung Gear Fit 2 fitness bracelet and a user manual in English will help you learn and set up this sports watch in the right way.
The Fit 2 has a nice display, a decent design, a heart rate monitor, and built-in GPS. In addition, it is possible to store music and play it directly from the device. With so many features, this fitness bracelet is more like a smartwatch.
The package includes a Fit 2 device, a charging stand with a USB plug and a user manual.
Design and comfort
The bracelet has an attractive and fashionable design, offering a curved, responsive display with an oleophobic coating and a sporty rubber strap. The Super AMOLED screen size is 1.5 inches with a resolution of 432 × 216 pixels.
However, opinions about this form factor are different. On the one hand, this can make it difficult to digest information, especially when displaying large text, such as in a message notification. Sports watches or fitness trackers that have a large square screen have a distinct advantage in their display capability, as reading content from a wider display is more comfortable. But on the other hand, its curvature makes it easier to work with the gadget when you have to scroll through the content with your finger.
While the bright colors of the Super AMOLED screen can be so intrusive that they even interfere with sleep, outdoors in direct sunlight, the display does not look as expressive as we would like. Of course, monochrome or reflective displays are better suited for sports bracelets, but in this way the user loses the functionality of a fitness tracker.
As for the strap, it is very flexible, made of soft comfortable elastomer material and is attached to the case using a proprietary connector. This means that it can be replaced by a bracelet of a different color or size, but only designed specifically for the Fit 2.
Samsung ships the second generation Gear Fit in two sizes:
- small S - for wrists 125-170 mm
- large L - for wrists with a circumference of 155-210 mm
On the “back” of the tracker is an optical heart rate monitor. Next to the sensor are two pinpoint contacts for a wireless charging cradle that holds the Fit2 horizontally while charging. The tracker does not have ports for a wired connection.
The two physical buttons on the side of the device are used to go home and navigate back to the previous screen. Each other button function depends on the active screen.
Interface
The Fit 2 has a set of horizontally scrolling screens, each with a specific function. The screens are scrolled with a finger, and the “back” and “home” buttons located on the side of the device serve as an additional way to interact with the bracelet.
You can also close the screen with your palm to turn it off.
Informs about the time, and also provides data on the number of steps taken, steps and calories burned.
Swiping left opens the notifications screen, while swiping right lets you scroll through widgets, which are discussed in more detail below.
- 24 hour magazine. Shows a linear progression of your activity over the past days: periods when you were inactive, active, sleeping or not using a fitness bracelet on your wrist.
- The exercise. Allows you to start exercising or exercising by setting the activity type, time goal, and other settings. You can also view a log of previous activity.
- Steps. Step counter and measures how close you are to your daily goal.
- Steps. Shows the number of steps you climbed/descended today, with the ability to view the history of data for the week.
- Heart rate. The most recent heart rate readings and when they were recorded are displayed, as well as the highest and lowest heart rate during the day. You can view weekly data here.
- Water. Write down the number of cups of water you drink per day.
- Caffeine. Note how many cups of coffee you have consumed today.
- Together. Set up scoring tasks with your friends' scores and track your progress against them.
In addition to these screens, by pressing the bottom side button "home", you can bring up "Music player", "Find my phone", "Timer" and "Stopwatch". Here you can also record how many cups of water or coffee you have drunk, start a timer or use the Find My Phone function.
Here you can see icons for indicators of networks, battery charge, screen brightness level and more by scrolling down the Home screen.
Applications
You can use all the functionality of the tracker if you download the mobile application to your phone. Paired with a sports watch, it will help keep track of all your workouts and will generate graphs and display statistics on daily physical activity and other activities.
Samsung S Health App
S Health displays everything that the Fit 2 collects, and also opens up even more options for entering data via your phone, such as your weight or food intake. It's a pretty handy software that displays information well, but be aware that if you've used a fitness tracker before and already have a lot of data stored elsewhere, it's not possible to import to S Health. The program is available in the public domain.
The separation of functions between S Health and another application called Gear can confuse the user. In this case, you can use the Gear to manage the Fit 2's connection to your smartphone without resorting to S Health.
On the other hand, the Fit 2 is able to work offline without a connected phone, but it's unlikely that someone will wear a fitness bracelet without the ability to view statistics in a mobile application.
The Gear mobile app is a channel for connecting a smart bracelet to a phone and is available for almost any smartphone running Android 4.4 KitKat and above. You can download.
Here you can control which apps can send notifications to Fit 2, change quick replies to messages, switch and customize watch faces, change the layout of apps, and install more apps when they become available.
With the Gear, you can use the music files on your phone to play them on your device without using your smartphone.
If your Fit 2 gets lost, the Find My Gear feature in this software will make the tracker vibrate to better locate it. In addition, before the smart bracelet is detected, you can remotely block it from reconnecting from another device.
Functions
Fit2 is not just a gadget that counts steps and distance, showing time and heart rate, but also a multifunctional tool for monitoring health and connecting with other users of the same device.
Notifications
Fitness watch Samsung Gear Fit 2 (Gear Fit 2) provides the ability to receive notifications coming to your smartphone. However, responses will be limited due to the device's small screen size. Through the program in the phone, the user is given the opportunity to choose which software can send alerts to the smart bracelet. You can only reply with quick messages, which are also configured in the mobile application.
Alarm
Despite the fact that the device determines the phases of sleep, there is no smart alarm clock in the bracelet. And in order to use the usual alarm clock in the watch, you need to install it after downloading it from the Gear Market.
According to user reviews, the tracker emits rather weak vibration signals to wake up the owner. Therefore, if you sleep soundly, you may not feel a slight vibration on your wrist.
Heart rate control
The heart rate monitor requires a few seconds of stillness to measure your heart rate. The Fit2 automatically records and tracks your heart rate when you're at rest, but when you're active, you need to pause for a moment to check your pulse.
The optical monitor also performs automatic tracking, focusing on heart rate through measurements every 10 minutes.
When "Auto HR" control is enabled, the Fit 2 will track your heart rate every time it detects rest periods. The results are displayed in the heart rate widget on the tracker itself, and you can also view them in the S Health app.
In order for the tracker to track sleep, you must make sure that everything is set up correctly in the S Health app. If you are an iPhone owner, this can be difficult because the device is designed to work with an Android app.
Run the program and go to the "Options" section, select "Manage items", activate the "Sleep" item.
You also need to register your device in order to create a connection between your phone and Gear Fit2. In the mobile app, the device breaks down the quality of sleep into three categories - restless, light and still, and displays them on a graph with a corresponding timeline.
Active Activity Tracking
Samsung has put a variety of sensors into the Fit2, including a pedometer, GPS, and a heart rate monitor. Most of these sensors function automatically depending on the selected function or fitness panel. They also automatically detect when you are exercising and what exactly you are doing. Fit2 accurately tracks walking, running and laps. In addition, it recognizes when the user has been stationary for too long and advises to move a little (these notifications, as well as exercise detection, can be turned off if desired).
There are various activities you can choose from and they include:
- walking
- hike
- Bike Lane
- orbitrek
- exercise bike
- elliptical trainer
- Treadmill
- lunges
- twisting
- sit-ups
- Pilates
- rowing
- other workouts
You can set goals based on pace, duration, distance, calories, or base workout. Whatever aspect you choose as your goal, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 fitness bracelet will show you your best result. Once you start exercising, you'll get an update with important metrics like pace, calories burned, elapsed time, and more. It also notifies you when you reach half of the goal and when you complete the set goal. If you're stationary for more than an hour, the tracker will push you to take a walk.
During and after a tracked workout session, the user can access information such as:
- workout duration
- distance
- calories
- speed
- maximum heart rate
- % time in active intensity zone
GPS workouts
With built-in GPS, Fit2 can track your walks and runs and record your route. However, it will not track the location when automatically detecting exercise. You need to manually adjust your runs through the Exercise panel. Once you enter your activity type and desired run time, Fit2 will track your movements as soon as you hit start.
The tracker will record the location and display the form of the route that you choose yourself (you can check it in the watch's exercise log). But it won't display a map to provide details and surroundings of your path until you sync it with your smartphone so it can download map information. Once this is done, the results will be detailed and accurate.
The heart rate and speed graph, along with a map of your tracked GPS session, are displayed on the display of the Fit 2 itself, provided location detection is enabled.
During the GPS-enabled workout itself, by swiping the screens to the right or left, you can view duration, distance, heart rate, pace, speed, and calories burned.
Static exercises
In total, there are three types of exercises that can be performed under the close supervision of the tracker: lunges, crunches, and squats. By following the recommended technique for performing them, you can be sure that the device will accurately count the number of repetitions and record them directly into the tracker.
The ideal way to perform is displayed immediately before the start of classes on the bracelet display.
However, it is not very convenient to start and end this or that exercise every time by pressing a button and move on to another. It would be much more practical if the user were given the opportunity to create their own training complexes from these three proposed types.
Other than that, the workouts are mostly focused on the legs and abs, neglecting the arm muscles. Although you can download third-party software from the Samsung App Store.
Peculiarities
The fitness bracelet has some features that allow the user to use it comfortably: they include battery life, moisture protection, the ability to play music without pairing with a smartphone, and others, which we will discuss in detail below.
Hardware
The Samsung Gear Fit 2 comes with a range of extras that a proper fitness device needs, including GPS, Bluetooth, a heart rate monitor, and 4GB of onboard storage.
While the Gear Fit2 connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, it also has a Wi-Fi connection, allowing your network data to automatically transfer from your phone.
Compatibility
The Fit 2 has one drawback: it only works with Android smartphones (4.4 or higher).
Samsung notes that it can be used independently of a mobile phone, so if you have an iOS device and really want to wear this particular fitness tracker, you can do it. But in this case, you will not receive smart notifications from your phone, and you will have to view training data directly on the bracelet display.
You don't have to use a Samsung smartphone to enjoy the Fit 2's benefits, as it can be paired with other phones that have Gear Manager and S Health installed. From other devices, you can also view the information transferred to them through the S Health program installed from the Play Store.
The sports bracelet is IP68 water-resistant certified, which means you can submerge it up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes without worrying about water damage. However, this does not mean that it is sailable. It is also not recommended to wear the tracker while taking a shower: the water pressure varies depending on the type of shower head, and the device may not be able to cope with high pressure.
Waterproof for intense sports with heavy sweating and occasional splashes from handwashing and rain.
Fit 2 without phone
You can use Fit 2 without a mobile device. However, some functions will not be available without connecting to a smartphone.
Obviously, notifications, music downloads, and fitness information sync won't be able to run when the tracker is in phone-free mode, but it can still do a lot. Fitness elements will be available, including heart rate monitoring, as well as many options and user settings, such as different watch faces and changing the order of use of applications in the Fit2 menu. The fitness band also works great, allowing you to set the display to an always-on option and manually set the time via the touchscreen.
Battery Life
According to the company, the tracker is capable of holding enough charge on its 200mAh battery for 3-4 days of use. Standby time is 5 days. Samsung estimates that running GPS during exercise drains the battery in 9 hours. But even turning off GPS while tracking your exercise will drop battery life expectancy to around 2 days.
Keep in mind that the brighter the display, the faster the battery drains. The display is not always on, you can select a timeout of 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute.
Fortunately, the manufacturer has included a special power-saving feature of the gadget, which is very similar to the Ultra Power Saving mode for smartphones. When the power isn't enough, you'll be prompted to turn it on, effectively disabling most features (except exercise and time) and turning the interface into one full-grayscale workspace.
The branded charger includes a magnetic stand in its design. It has a magnetic latch that should hold the tracker well in an upright position. The charging cable connects to the USB port standard.
Full charge time is about 40 minutes.
How to extend battery life
Your device provides various options to help you conserve battery power.
- When you are not using the device, switch to standby mode by covering the screen with your palm.
- Turn on power saving mode.
- Disable Bluetooth
- Deactivate the Wi-Fi function when not in use.
- Decrease screen brightness.
- Deactivate the "always on" function.
- Customize the notification settings in the Samsung Gear app on the connected smartphone.
Apart from GPS, one of the Fit 2's best features is the 4GB of onboard storage that you can use to upload music to the band. Those who listen to music while exercising can use the Spotify app on the Fit 2, but this requires the phone to be in range. On the other hand, users can transfer local music files to the device via the Gear Manager and listen to music that way - just connect a Bluetooth headset to the Gear and it will play music from the built-in music player.
The player works reasonably well and provides a convenient way to stream audio while playing sports without having to rely on a smartphone. Sound prompts about how long or how far the physical activity has progressed are also transmitted through the headphones, which is very convenient and useful for the user.
Specifications Gear Fit 2
| Weight | 28 g, 30 g |
| Band size | Large: 108mm x 95mm (4.25" x 3.74"), for 155-210mm wrists Small: 84mm x 95mm (3.3" x 3.74"), for wrist circumference 125-170mm |
| Screen | Super AMOLED 1.5" 432×216 pixel display |
| CPU | Dual-core, 1 GHz Exynos 3250 |
| Battery | Li-ion 200 mAh. Charging time 40 min |
| Battery Life | Up to 4 days |
| Bluetooth | v4.2, USB 2.0, NFC, Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n |
| GPS | Yes |
| WiFi | Yes |
| Sensors | accelerometer gyroscope heart rate monitor barometer |
| Smart alarm clock | Not |
| player |
A new generation of fitness bracelet turned into a smart watch
In 2014, Samsung released the Gear Fit fitness bracelet. The device turned out to be very successful: its main feature was a beautiful curved Super AMOLED screen, and in terms of functionality, the gadget was between traditional fitness trackers and full-fledged smartwatches. It could display the time and notifications, but it didn't allow third-party apps to be installed. And now, two years later, the South Korean manufacturer quietly and somehow even too modestly presented the second version of the bracelet.
The novelty was called Samsung Gear Fit2 and retained the concept of its predecessor, as well as its main feature - a curved screen. However, the elements that have been added have taken the functionality of Gear Fit2 to a fundamentally different level. First, there was a built-in GPS. Secondly, the gadget is now compatible not only with Samsung smartphones, but with any Android smartphones with more than 1.5 GB of RAM and an OS version of at least 4.4 (hence, even mid-budget devices get here). And thirdly, it became possible to install third-party applications, and this already turns the Samsung Gear Fit2 into a full-fledged smart watch. But how adequate is the bracelet as a smart watch? And how successful was the device as a whole?
Let's look at the specifications of the novelty.
Specifications Samsung Gear Fit2
- Screen: touchscreen, curved, Super AMOLED, 1.5″, 432×216, capacitive
- Water and dust protection: yes (IP68 standard)
- Strap: detachable
- Compatibility: Samsung devices based on Android 4.4 with at least 1.5 GB of RAM
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0LE
- SoC: Samsung Exynos 3250 (Dual Cortex-A7 @1GHz)
- RAM: 512 MB
- Flash memory: 4 GB (of which about 2 GB free)
- Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, GPS, barometer
- Cameras, internet: no
- Microphone, speaker: no
- Battery: 200 mAh
- Weight 28 g
For clarity, let's compare the characteristics of the bracelet with its immediate predecessor and some of the competitors we tested earlier.
| Samsung Gear Fit2 | Samsung Gear Fit | Garmin vivoactive HR | Sony Smart Band 2 SWR12 | |
| Screen | touchscreen, color, curved, Super AMOLED, 1.5″, 432 × 216 (317 ppi) | touchscreen, color, curved, Super AMOLED, 1.84″, 432 × 128 (240 ppi) | touchscreen, color, transreflective, OLED, 1.38″, 205×148 (183 ppi) | vibration signal, 3 LED indicators |
| Water protection | IP68 | IP67 | 5 ATM | IP68 |
| Strap | removable, silicone | removable, silicone | removable, silicone | removable, silicone |
| Camera | No | No | No | No |
| Sensors | GPS, accelerometer, barometer, heart rate sensor | accelerometer, barometer, heart rate sensor | GPS, accelerometer, altimeter, heart rate sensor | accelerometer, heart rate sensor |
| Microphone, speaker | No | No | No | No |
| Compatibility | Devices running Android 4.4 and later with at least 1.5 GB of RAM | Samsung devices with Android 4.3 and later | Android 4.x devices and later / iOS 8 and later / Windows and macOS computers | Devices running iOS 8.2 / Android 4.4 and later |
| Support for third party applications | eat | No | eat | there are extensions that allow you to control various smartphone applications from the bracelet (Android only), as well as transfer data to third-party applications |
| Weight (g)* | 28 | 28 | 47,6 | 25 |
| average price | T-14018528 | T-10787829 | N/A | T-12901384 |
| Samsung Gear Fit2 Retail Deals | L-14018528-10 | |||
*according to the manufacturer
The table clearly shows the main differences between Gear Fit2 and its predecessor. The screen has shrunk a bit, and at the same time the aspect ratio has changed: before it was about 3.5:1, and now it is 2:1. About the rest (GPS, compatibility, third-party applications) we mentioned above. Against the background of competitors, the novelty also looks very good, but, however, is inferior in compatibility. Samsung stubbornly refuses to support iOS in its wearable gadgets.
Well, let's move on to face-to-face acquaintance with the device!
Equipment
The box looks quite traditional and does not cause any positive or negative emotions. Its plus is that you can see the bracelet itself without opening it (at least its main part).
Inside the box, we find the bracelet itself, a quick guide in Russian, a warranty booklet and a charger that must be connected to a USB output or smartphone charger.
The bracelet must be placed on it in such a way that the contacts on the back of the bracelet case coincide with the contacts on the charger.
Of course, you can complain that they didn’t do wireless charging, but we don’t see a big problem in this.
Design
The appearance of the bracelet as a whole inherited the features of its predecessor, but there are a lot of differences, and all of them are significant. And the new colors (blue and pink) are far from the most significant (yes, we had pink for testing!).
First of all, the principle of connecting the main unit with a silicone strap has changed. Previously, the strap was single, and the block was inserted into it. Now the strap is made of two halves, which are attached to the electronics unit with the help of special latches.
Perhaps this solution is less elegant, and it is more difficult to detach the halves of the strap. However, in everyday life this is not necessary. It can be assumed that the manufacturer had some serious reason to change the design in this way.
The second point is that the shape of the device has become less elongated. As we already wrote, the screen has changed the aspect ratio, and consequently, the shape as a whole has changed. Plus or minus - everyone can decide for himself. In our opinion, the first generation of Gear Fit looked a little more interesting and sleeker. The novelty is more similar to competing devices.
However, another feature of the first Gear Fit is preserved here - a metal edging around the screen. But if in the first version it was shiny, glossy, then in Gear Fit2 the edging is matte, painted in the color of the bracelet. And that's why it doesn't look very effective. Without looking at the device up close, it's hard to tell if it's plastic or metal.
Plastic, however, is also used here: the back of the case is made of it. It contains contacts for connecting the charger and a heart rate sensor.
In addition, it is on the plastic part that two buttons are placed (the first Gear Fit had only one button). Pressing the smaller button opens the menu if we are on the main screen, or returns us to the main screen when we are on any other screen. And the larger button is responsible for stepping back.
The bracelet sits on the hand quite comfortably, and the silicone strap with a standard clasp in the form of a metal pin is also convenient. But we cannot call Samsung Gear Fit2 stylish and eye-catching. Yes, not bad, yes, quite convenient, but there is no “wow” here.
This is not to say that the design of the Gear Fit2 is much worse than the Gear Fit, but there is a feeling that the originality is lost here, and in general the style has become more boring, despite the bright colors. However, in terms of convenience and functionality, we did not notice any disadvantages. And the appearance of another button is only a plus, because on the first Gear Fit you had to press a small virtual button on the screen to go back.
Screen
We didn’t have the bracelet for long, so we didn’t manage to conduct a full-fledged test using specialized equipment, but it feels like the screen here is about the same as the first Gear Fit, if we mean colors, contrast, brightness and image clarity. More precisely, the last parameter, judging by the numbers, is even better for the novelty (317 vs. 240 ppi), but for a wearable device with a relatively small screen, this is not so significant.
In general, the screen looks very nice, it has a perfect black color (which is quite logical for a Super AMOLED matrix), juicy saturated colors (in the case of smartphones, we sometimes complain about their oversaturation in AMOLED, but for wrist gadgets this is even a plus), sufficient brightness in order to use the bracelet in the sun. And, of course, the Gear Fit screen delights with a beautiful curve. Years go by, and curved screens still do not become mainstream, remaining the lot of a few experimental devices (remember that Samsung had a Galaxy Round smartphone, and LG has a G Flex line). That's why the Gear Fit2's curved screen looks just as impressive today as it did two years ago.
True, the bend increases the amount of glare, that is, in the bright sun, you will have some difficulties in order to turn the bracelet towards you without catching glare. But it cannot be said that this is too significant and can spoil the experience of using the Gear Fit2.
Interface
Now let's see what the bracelet interface looks like. The main screen is the watch face. Moreover, the dial can display not only time, but also other information, depending on the specific option (date, number of steps, etc.). If you make a long press on the screen, you can select the watch face.
If you do not long press, but simply swipe right or left from the main screen, we will see widgets. Each widget displays some information related to the fitness functions of the bracelet, or there may be controls.
To see the application menu, you need to press a small button on the side of the bracelet. The round icons of installed applications are arranged in a vertical row that we can scroll through using the touch screen. Apps you downloaded from Samsung Galaxy Apps are added to the same row (in the right screenshot below, you can see the icon of the third-party FitEvolution app).
In the settings menu, you can see quite a few useful options regarding interaction with the bracelet. (see two screenshots on the left under this paragraph). In general, which is significant, you can customize the Samsung Gear Fit2 for yourself almost without using a smartphone. This is the most autonomous device. But if the smartphone is connected, the bracelet displays notifications, calls and more.
An important point: the GPS module is turned off by default (otherwise the battery consumption will be too high). In order to turn it on, you need to select the "Exercise" application and there any of the types of activity (see screenshot above this paragraph on the right). And below the item "Geodata" should be activated. After you press "Start", the bracelet will activate the GPS and build the track. Of course, the track and other training results can be viewed not only on the bracelet screen, but also on the smartphone after synchronization. But for the recording of the track itself, a smartphone is not required.
Smartphone pairing and functionality
Like the Samsung Gear S2 smart watch, the novelty works with any Android smartphone that runs Android 4.4 or later and has at least 1.5 GB of RAM. For testing, we used the Sony Xperia XA, and there were no problems with it. True, the need to install four (!!!) applications in order to work with Gear Fit2 seems excessive to us. In addition to Samsung Gear and S Health (it is with these two applications that we will interact while using the bracelet), there is also Gear Fit2 Plugin and Samsung Accessory Service.
Another oddity: for the first launch, the S Health app requires a SIM card in the smartphone. Without it, launch is impossible. But if you start the application with a SIM card, and then remove it, then the SIM is no longer required for the next launches.
So, the Samsung Gear app is needed to control the bracelet itself, and S Health is needed to receive and display fitness data. Let's start with Samsung Gear
Samsung Gear
The application interface is very simple and clear. We can choose a watch face, mark which applications the bracelet can receive notifications from, rearrange or remove the apps we have installed from the bracelet, transfer music from the smartphone memory to the bracelet's built-in memory, make the bracelet vibrate if you cannot find it and finally open Samsung Galaxy Apps store. There is nothing interesting in the “Settings” item (there is purely auxiliary information).
Let us comment in more detail on the most interesting of these points. In the "Watch faces" menu, you can access the settings for the main screen of the bracelet. You can choose from the available options (they may include those installed from the app store), and fine-tuning is available for some watch faces. For example, it may be the choice of color or some features of the placement of information.
"Send Music to Gear" is a very valuable option for those who like to play sports with music. So, you can use this command to download several hundred songs to the built-in memory of the bracelet, and then connect a Bluetooth headset to the bracelet and control music playback directly from the bracelet. This means you don't have to bring your smartphone with you. This is a huge plus, since the first Gear Fit could only control music on a smartphone. Below are screenshots of Gear Fit2: on the left we see the music player icon among the applications, and on the right is the music control widget.
The Samsung Galaxy Apps app store deserves special attention. As we remember, the first generation Gear Fit did not have support for third-party applications. Now it is, and Samsung Galaxy Apps already has a lot of interesting things for Gear Fit2. Basically, of course, these are dials, but there are also some programs that expand the capabilities of the device. In general, the assortment of the store is still very modest, and there are too many paid applications / dials. But let's see what happens next, and how Samsung will attract developers for Gear Fit2.
Applications installed from the store appear in the main application menu of the bracelet, and the location of the icon can be changed by raising it higher.
After you have downloaded the music and necessary apps/watch faces to your bracelet, and set up the basic settings, you won't need to run your Samsung Gear on a regular basis. But what you will need all the time (unless, of course, you are going to use the Samsung Gear Fit2 extensively) is the S Health app.
S Health
We have already told you about this application more than once in connection with other Samsung wearable gadgets. Recall that this is a single aggregator of fitness information for Samsung devices, that is, all Gear Fit2 measurements will also be in S Health. Here's what the main screen of the app looks like before using the Gear Fit2 (screenshot on the left) and after daily synchronization (screenshot on the right).
As far as sleep tracking and step counts go, nothing out of the ordinary here. We only note that the bracelet itself can determine when you fell asleep and woke up, and does it very accurately. But what is interesting is the automatic operation of the heart rate sensor - including during sleep. Measurements are taken every 10 minutes. Including when the user is sleeping. This probably also affects how the bracelet interprets the user's passivity - as wakefulness (and in this case it can remind you of the need for activity) or as a dream.
All measurement statistics are stored and accumulated. Then you can see the dynamics of changes in your heart rate for the whole day, including data for each measurement separately.
Another interesting thing is the determination of the number of rises per floor. In order for the bracelet to record that you have climbed one floor, you need to climb three meters (the elevator, of course, does not count).
Of course, S Health saves all your workouts, including those with track recording (you can then see your route on the map). In addition, the bracelet and the application offer to record the amount of water and coffee drunk, but this, of course, must be done manually, so only the most meticulous users will be able to do this.
Offline work
A wrist device with a color screen that requires a backlight, a heart rate sensor that turns on automatically every ten minutes, and even built-in GPS - how long will it last on battery? One day? As it turns out, if you do not turn on GPS (that is, in the mode of just a fitness tracker), then about three days. That is, almost the same as its predecessor. Yes, this is less than the Garmin vivoactive HR, but more than the Apple Watch (recall, there is also an AMOLED screen and an automatically working heart rate sensor). At the same time, of these three devices, the Samsung Gear Fit2 is the most compact.
Turning on the GPS-assisted training mode of course significantly reduces the duration of work, very significantly, so, for example, if you plan to use it all day (for example, going on a hike or a long bike ride), be prepared for the fact that at some point an insufficiently charged bracelet will simply turn off, and you may not have time to track this moment. But, say, a standard workout for an hour and a half after a working day, the bracelet will live without problems if you charged it the night before.
conclusions
We still don’t understand why Samsung released the Gear Fit2 so modestly without presenting it at any global exhibition, without making noisy presentations and other PR activities. After all, the product turned out to be excellent: taking all the best from the first generation of Gear Fit, the novelty offers a number of important improvements. This is the presence of GPS, the ability to play music directly from the bracelet (without a smartphone), an automatically working heart rate sensor, compatibility with Android smartphones from other manufacturers and, in the end, the ability to install third-party applications / watch faces.
Thus, a fitness bracelet with notifications has turned into a full-fledged smart watch that can turn into a GPS sports watch at the right time. Perhaps, for complete happiness, only serious moisture protection is missing here (the IP68 standard does not imply swimming in the pool or the sea - at least the manufacturer does not recommend such experiments). Well, there are no positive changes in appearance (although we are already used to the fact that each next generation of wearable gadgets should look much better than the previous one). But even if you like the first-gen Gear Fit a little more on the outside, there's no reason to prefer it over the new one.
Fortunately, the cost of Gear Fit2 in dollars is almost the same as that of the first Gear Fit: $179. In Russia, the official price is about 12 thousand rubles. And this, at first glance, is a bit much, but, on the other hand, if you compare the price with other smartwatches (namely, you should compare them with them, and not with other fitness bracelets), it turns out that Gear Fit2 costs very acceptable . So we strongly recommend Gear Fit2 for purchase and will follow Samsung's new steps in the wearable market.
For its curved screen and rich functionality without sacrificing looks, we give the Samsung Gear Fit2 our Original Design award.
