1. Rating
2. Specifications
3. Packaging and accessories
4. Design and ergonomics
5. Display
6. Interface and compatibility
7. Performance and functionality
8. Autonomy
9. Conclusion
10. Pros and cons

In addition to the Galaxy Note 8 phablet, the Korean giant Samsung managed to show off a new addition to its Gear line at IFA 2017. The new generation is practically no different in appearance from its predecessor, but is equipped with several additional functions and improved water protection. Is it worth the $199 purchase? Read Samsung review Gear Fit 2 Pro.

Information about Samsung Gear Fit2

8.5 Evaluation

Packaging and equipment

Fit 2 Pro is packaged in a miniature cardboard box with a colorful image of a bracelet on the front. There is a small handle on top, so the box looks more like a durable black bag with the Samsung logo. The modest equipment is located in a separate compartment for accessories under the fitness tracker.

Sales of Fit 2 Pro have already started in different regions of the world. The average price of a device is $199. If you are lucky enough to purchase a bracelet in America, the Samsung U Flex wireless headset will also be added to the standard set of accessories.

Design and ergonomics

Owners of last year's Samsung Gear Fit 2 will find absolutely nothing new in the design of the new product. The Pro version differs from its predecessor except in a slightly thicker body and a few extra grams of weight. These changes were a consequence of equipping the device with a more advanced moisture protection system.

Upon closer examination, you will notice the first and most important difference - the fasteners. Instead of the old mechanism, a classic fastening on a strap is now used, similar to it can be found in almost any wristwatch. The refusal of the branded fastener was provoked by a wave of dissatisfaction from customers, whose bracelets simply fell off their hands and fell to the ground. The new Gear Fit 2 Pro does not have this problem.

The main plastic box with electronics has a curved shape for more comfortable wearing on the wrist. The 1.5-inch display occupies almost the entire top panel of the capsule; the Super AMOLED matrix also had to be curved to match the body. The screen is protected by tempered Gorilla Glass 3; during prolonged use, we did not detect even minor scratches on the surface of the capsule.

In addition to the touch display, you can control the gadget using two navigation keys located on the end of the Gear Fit 2 Pro. Next to them is a small barometer hole.

At the bottom there is an optical heart rate sensor and contacts for charging from the docking station. At the bottom of the capsule, small latches are visible, with the help of which the bracelet strap is detached. It can be replaced with another one by first selecting the desired size.

Overall, the Fit 2 Pro has a very satisfactory design and build quality. The streamlined shape of the tracker fits perfectly under fitted clothing; the bracelet does not cling to a shirt and does not cause discomfort when worn for a long time. The waterproof standard allows the device to be submerged under water to a depth of 50 meters.

Display

The curved display of the fitness tracker has a diagonal of 1.5 inches and a resolution of 432x216 pixels. Excellent quality of information display is provided by the Super AMOLED matrix. The bracelet has a very large reserve of adjustable brightness, so you won’t have to squint while exercising outdoors.

The screen has very good viewing angles, information about the current exercise status is clearly visible in almost any conditions. The display can be illuminated by incoming notifications, gestures (waves, shakes) and from a simple touch. Underwater, the touch layer is inactive, so the bracelet is controlled using navigation keys or simply tapping on the body of the device.

Interface and compatibility

The process of full synchronization with a smartphone is quite long and requires the installation of four applications at once. First of all, you need to install Samsung Gear, the application will find the gadget via Bluetooth and connect it to your smartphone. Next is the turn of Gear Fit2 Plugin and Samsung Accessory Service. The first program reveals additional features tracker, the second gives access to the company’s application store.

The range of third-party applications offered is very limited, mainly the store offers you to download a few additional watch faces for personalization. However, the functionality of the built-in utilities is quite enough for full health monitoring.

Finally, S Health comes in handy for more accurate display of training statistics. The application collects data on physical activity, summarizes the results after each set period of time and makes recommendations for future workouts. You can see your progress towards your current goal on the calories burned graph.

In addition to the touch display, the gadget can also be controlled using two buttons on the end. The main screen of the bracelet interface displays the time, date, information about calories burned and distance traveled. Swiping left opens the notifications menu, swiping right opens the widget panel. By moving from top to bottom, a panel with the basic settings of the fitness tracker becomes available. If desired, the style of the main dial can be customized.

Performance and functionality

The Gear Fit 2 Pro runs a stripped-down version of Tizen OS, which previously appeared in the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier.

The fast operation of the bracelet is ensured by the Exynos 3250 processor with a maximum frequency of 1 GHz and 512 MB RAM.

There is 4 GB of RAM for storing applications. It is noteworthy that you can load a selection of music onto the internal storage and go to training without a smartphone.

The standard set of pre-installed applications includes Speedo pool workout monitoring, timer, stopwatch, calendar, automatic search phone, a heart rate monitor application and a liquid meter. Also included in the basic functionality are several more software trackers that monitor current physical exercises.

Functionality of Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro

The built-in GPS module allows you to recognize the current location, and paired with a barometer, the chip provides information about the distance traveled and the number of steps the user has climbed. Before jogging, you can set the current goal to the bracelet; Gear Fit 2 Pro will automatically monitor its completion and notify the wearer if necessary. By the end of the day, the gadget compiles detailed statistics about your movements, compares them with previous days and records them in S Health.

Gear Fit 2 Pro can track walking, running, yoga, cycling and swimming. The developers placed special emphasis on the latter mode, adding excellent moisture protection to the device. The bracelet automatically tracks your current swimming style, and a special Water Lock Mode option turns off the screen backlight with each wave of your hand.

The Gear Fit 2 Pro's heart rate monitor is fairly accurate; when tested using a professional chest-mount heart rate monitor, the band had only a slight deviation from normal. Pulse can be measured either one-time or continuously. Please note that the latter drains the device’s battery very quickly. Heart rate data is taken into account in the sleep monitoring application, the device determines the rapid and deep stages of sleep to set the best time for easy awakening.

Autonomy

At the presentation of Gear Fit 2 Pro, the developers promised up to three days battery life during normal use. Unfortunately, the built-in 200 mAh battery in practice is not enough for more than 2.5 days even with gentle use.

With all functions used to the maximum (constant synchronization via Bluetooth, GPS module, continuous heart rate detection), the device “lives” no longer than one day.

Conclusion

In general, the ideal performance of the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is overshadowed by its not so long-lasting battery. However, this does not prevent the bracelet from remaining one of the best in its price category. In terms of functionality, the gadget can even compete with smartwatches in the budget segment. If you are looking to get an excellent “companion” for jogging, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is definitely your choice.

A complete set of all functions for sports activities
Excellent tracking of swimming styles
High quality display
Well built, waterproof

Weak autonomy

I've been running with a Pebble watch and a smartphone for two years now so I can see up-to-date training data. That is, the data is collected by the Runkeeper application using GPS, and a brief summary of the information is displayed on Pebble. This is convenient for me because I always know my results: current pace, distance and training time. But running with a smartphone in your hand is inconvenient, there are no pockets, and the cases tear and, in fact, cause even more discomfort on your hand. Samsung recently announced a new bracelet, Gear Fit 2. Its main feature is the presence of a built-in GPS module, so I immediately became interested in working with it. And now I will tell you about it in detail.

But first, let’s briefly talk about ease of use and what the gadget is all about. The case is comfortable, lightweight, feels reliable, there should be no problems with this. The straps are removable and you can choose different sizes. The only downside I’ll note is that the latch can come off even if you don’t touch the bracelet too much. But this happened to me literally a couple of times.

The display, as befits a Samsung gadget, is curved SuperAMOLED, 1.5″, 216x432 pixels. Control is carried out both using it, it is touch-sensitive, and using two mechanical keys on the right.

The case is protected according to the IP68 standard, which means getting caught in the rain is not a problem. There is a built-in memory of 4 GB, the battery has a capacity of 200 mAh. On average, the bracelet lasts for 2-3 days of use, which is very good. This comes with training. The bracelet is charged in the proprietary dock.

Exercises with Gear Fit 2

Well, now to using the gadget for its intended purpose. I’ll say right away that I really liked this smart bracelet, but, unfortunately, it also has some drawbacks. Fortunately, most can be solved with software.

Of course, I would not draw any conclusions without using the bracelet for a while, because its main purpose is to track sports activities. I took my iPhone and put on Fit 2. On the first, I launched a workout in Runkeeper, on the second, in the standard interface. And here are my impressions.

With Gear Fit 2, there's no need to take your smartphone along for a run. You just put on the bracelet, turn on the workout and go. Moreover, you can not only run, but also walk, ride a bike, do yoga, etc. It’s really convenient! After training, all data is saved on the bracelet and subsequently synchronized with smartphones, namely with the S Health service.

It is possible to connect wireless headphones to Fit 2. The bracelet has a built-in 4 GB of memory; you can store several albums on it for training, this is also a good opportunity. But, during training, it turned out that there were some shortcomings.

The most important thing is that during the day you can hardly see anything on the screen. That is, when I run, I need not only to raise my hand correctly so that the sensors understand that I want to find out information about the workout, but also to peer at the display to read something. Everything here is much worse than on the Pebble screen. In the evening, or in cloudy weather, everything is fine.

The second nuance is that one information is displayed on the screen, but I need another. For example, while jogging, only one parameter can be displayed on the display and to switch to another you need to swipe the screens, but I need to see at least two: pace and distance.

Third, when viewing information while jogging, it is not displayed immediately, but after a few seconds. That is, a request occurs and only after updating the information you receive the latest data. It looks like this: I’m running, I raise my hand, I look at my watch, it shows the distance covered as 7 km, and a second later the information is updated and the distance turns out to be already 7.5 km.

Well, the consequence of the third nuance is a vibration notification about every kilometer traveled. Since the information is updated only when the display is activated, the notification does not always come.

However, all these bugs are software and can be fixed. And even all of them in total do not cover the convenience of wearing just one device during training, and a light one and a wrist one.

And the measurements from both Runkeeper and the Gear Fit 2 bracelet turned out to be almost identical:

There are also general nuances that, I think, will change in the near future, but now they are worth mentioning.

1. Lack of iOS support. For users of Android smartphones, this is not a problem, which is logical, but Samsung benefits from selling their bracelets, and there are a lot of iPhone users. Moreover, Fit 2 doesn’t have many competitors, so it would be possible to judge its success with any certainty. Look at Google, they release absolutely all the major applications and services for iOS so that they can be used, why doesn’t Samsung do this right away? I think support will appear, but after a while, as is the case with watches.

2. Too few applications. There is a section for the bracelet in the Samsung Galaxy Apps app store, but there are only 8 (eight) applications, not counting watchfaces. This is very little, although this is even putting it mildly. Of course, applications will likely start appearing soon, although I would have taken care of that sooner. But the same Runkeeper or Strava did not appear for the Gear S2 watch, that is, for fitness and generally any activities you will have to use Samsung’s S Health service.

Are there many disadvantages? Not really. There are shortcomings, as with any other product, but this is the best fitness bracelet I've ever owned, without any adjustments. Yes, there is still work to be done on its software, but there is nothing that prevents you from using it out of the box if you have an Android smartphone. That is, something needs to be added, something improved, but there is nothing critical right now. But the fact that Gear Fit 2 has a bunch of sensors, GPS, a heart rate monitor that works even while jogging, a good display on which you can read mail and send it to the archive, replaceable straps and a lower price than competitors makes this bracelet great purchase. After several workouts (jogging, workout) with Gear Fit 2, there is no desire to return to the old scheme. Still, it’s much more convenient and, as a small bonus, no one will call right during the exercise :)

Video review of Samsung Gear Fit 2

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

A full review of the Samsung Gear Fit 2 fitness bracelet and instruction manual in Russian will help you learn and set up this sports watch the right way.

The Fit 2 has a nice display, a decent design, a heart rate monitor, and also 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 the Fit 2, a charging cradle 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 oleophobic coating and a rubber strap with a sporty style. The Super AMOLED screen size is 1.5 inches with a resolution of 432 × 216 pixels.

However, reviews regarding this form factor vary. On the one hand, this can make it difficult to absorb 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 clear advantage in their ability to display information, as content from a wider display is more comfortable to read. But on the other hand, its curvature makes it easier to work with the gadget when you have to scroll through content with your finger.

At the same time, the bright colors of the Super AMOLED screen can be so intrusive that they even interfere with falling asleep, 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 with a band of a different color or size, but only designed specifically for 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 there is an optical heart rate monitor. Next to the sensor are two point contacts for the wireless charging pad, which holds the Fit2 horizontally while charging. The tracker does not have ports for wired connections.

Two physical buttons on the side of the device are used to return home and move back to the previous screen. Each other button function depends on the active screen.

Interface

The Fit 2 has a series of horizontally scrolling screens, each with a specific function. You scroll through the screens with your finger, and an additional way to interact with the bracelet is the “back” and “home” buttons located on the side of the device.

You can also cover 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 brings up the notifications screen, while swiping right lets you scroll through widgets, which are discussed in more detail below.

24 hour log. Shows a linear progression of your activity over the past days: periods when you were inactive, active, asleep, or not using the fitness tracker on your wrist.
Exercise. Allows you to start a sport or workout by setting the type of activity, time goal and other parameters. You can also view a history of previous active activities.
Steps. Step counter and indicators of how close you are to your daily goal.
Steps. The number of steps you have climbed/descended today is shown, with the ability to view historical data for the week.
Heart rate. Shows your most recent heart rate and when it was recorded, as well as your highest and lowest heart rate for the day. You can view weekly data here.
Water. Record the number of cups of water you drink per day.
Caffeine. Note how many cups of coffee you have consumed today.
Together. Set up challenges to tally your scores against your friends' scores and track your progress against them.

In addition to these screens, by pressing the side-bottom home button, you can bring up Music Player, Find My Phone, Timer, and Stopwatch. There's also the option to record how many cups of water or coffee you've drunk, start a timer, or use the Find My Phone feature.

Here you can see icons for network indicators, battery charge, screen brightness level and more by scrolling down on 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 you keep track of all your workouts and will generate graphs and display statistics of your daily physical activity and other activities.

Samsung S Health app

S Health displays everything the Fit 2 collects, and also opens up even more options for inputting data through your phone, like your weight or food intake. It's quite convenient software, displays the information well, but keep in mind that if you've previously used a fitness tracker and already have a lot of data stored elsewhere, importing into S Health won't be possible. The program is freely available.

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 control the Fit 2's connection to your smartphone without having to resort to S Health.

On the other hand, Fit 2 is capable of working autonomously, without a connected phone, but it is unlikely that anyone will wear a fitness bracelet without the ability to view statistics in the mobile application.

The Gear mobile application is a channel for connecting a smart bracelet to a phone and is available for almost any smartphone under Android control 4.4 KitKat and higher. You can download it.

Here you can control which apps can send notifications to Fit 2, change quick replies to messages, switch and customize watch faces, change app layout, and install more apps when they become available.

With the Gear, you can use music files from your phone to play them on your device without using your smartphone.

If your Fit 2 gets lost, the software's Find My Gear feature will vibrate the tracker to help you find 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, shows time and heart rate, but also a multifunctional tool for monitoring health and communicating with other users of the same device.

Notifications

Fitness watch Samsung Gear Fit 2 (Gir Fit 2) provides the ability to receive notifications sent to your smartphone. However, responses will be limited due to the small screen size of the device. Through the program on 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 detects sleep phases, the bracelet does not have a smart alarm clock. And in order to use a regular alarm clock in your watch, you need to install it by first 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 the slight vibration on your wrist.

Heart rate monitoring

The heart rate monitor requires several seconds of standing still to measure your heart rate. Fit2 automatically records and tracks your heart rate when you're at rest, but when you're active you need to stop for a moment to check your pulse.

The optical monitor also performs automatic tracking, focusing on your heart rate through measurements every 10 minutes.

When Auto HR control is turned on, Fit 2 will track your heart rate whenever it detects rest periods. The results are displayed in heart rate widgets on the tracker itself, and you can also view them in the S Health app.

For the tracker to track your sleep, you must make sure everything is set up correctly in the S Health app. If you are an iPhone owner, this may be difficult since the device is designed to work with the Android app.

Launch the program and go to the “Options” section, select “Manage Elements”, activate the “Sleep” item.

You also need to register your device to create a connection between your phone and Gear Fit2. In the mobile app, the device breaks sleep quality into three categories - restless, light and restless - and displays them on a graph with a corresponding timeline.

Active Activity Tracking

Samsung has packed various 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 exercise and what exactly you do. Fit2 clearly tracks walking, running and lap running. Additionally, it recognizes when the user has been stationary for too long and advises them to move a little (these notifications, as well as exercise detection, can be turned off if desired).

There are various activities that you can choose from and they include:

walking
hike
Bike Lane
orbitrek
exercise bike
elliptical trainer
treadmill
lunges
twisting
squats
Pilates
rowing
other workouts

You can set goals based on pace, duration, distance, calories, or core workout. Whatever aspect you choose as your goal, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 fitness bracelet will show you your best result. Once you start an exercise, you'll get updated information with important metrics like pace, calories burned, time elapsed, and more. It also notifies you when you reach half of your goal and when you complete a given goal. If you are stationary for more than an hour, the tracker nudges you to take a walk.

During and after a tracked workout session, the user can access information such as:

duration of training
distance
calories
speed
maximum heart rate
% time in active intensity zone

Training with GPS

With built-in GPS, Fit2 can track your walks and runs and record the route you take. However, it will not track location when automatically detecting exercise. You need to manually set up your runs through the Exercise panel. After entering your activity type and desired run time, Fit2 will track your movements as soon as you press Start.

The tracker will record your location and display the shape of the route 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 route until you sync it with your smartphone so it can download map information. Once this is done, the results will be detailed and accurate.

Your heart rate and speed graph, along with a map of your tracked GPS session, are shown on the display of the Fit 2 itself, provided location detection is turned on.

During the GPS-enabled workout itself, swipe the screens right or left to view duration, distance, heart rate, pace, speed, and calories burned.

Static exercises

There are a total of three types of exercises that can be performed under the watchful eye of the tracker: lunges, crunches and squats. By following the recommended methodology 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 method of execution is displayed immediately before the start of classes on the bracelet display.

However, it is not entirely convenient to start and end each time by pressing a button on one or another exercise and move on to another. It would be much more practical if the user was given the opportunity to create his own training sets from these three proposed types.

In addition, training mainly focuses 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: these 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 bunch of extras a proper fitness device needs, including GPS, Bluetooth, a heart rate monitor, and 4GB of internal storage.

While the Gear Fit2 connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, it also has a Wi-Fi connection, allowing your network data to be automatically transferred 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 regardless mobile phone, so if you have iOS device and if you really would like 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 your training data directly on the bracelet display.

You don't have to use a Samsung smartphone to enjoy the benefits of the Fit 2, as the device 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 band is certified and IP68 water resistant, meaning you can submerge it up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes without worrying about water damage. However, this does not mean that it is seaworthy. It is also not recommended to wear the tracker while showering: water pressure varies depending on the type of shower head, and the device may not be able to handle high pressure.

Moisture protection is designed for intense sports with high sweating and accidental splashes when washing hands and rain.

Fit 2 without phone

You can use Fit 2 without mobile device. However, some functions will not be available without connecting to a smartphone.

Obviously, notifications, music downloads, and fitness information syncing won't be able to happen 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 customizations, such as different watch faces and changing the order of apps in the Fit2 menu. The fitness band also works great, allowing you to set the display to always-on and manually set the time via the touchscreen.

Battery life

According to the company, the tracker is able to hold a sufficient charge of its 200 mAh battery for 3-4 days of use. Standby time is 5 days. Samsung estimates that running GPS during exercise drains the battery within 9 hours. But even turning off GPS while tracking your exercise will reduce battery life expectancy to about 2 days.

Keep in mind that the brighter the display, the faster the battery will drain. The display is not always on, you can choose a timeout of 15 seconds, 30 seconds or 1 minute.

Fortunately, the manufacturer has included a special power saving function for the gadget, which is very similar to the Ultra Power Saving mode for smartphones. When the power is insufficient, you will be prompted to turn it on, effectively disabling most functions (except exercise and time) and turning the interface into one workplace, completely in shades of gray.

Branded charger includes a magnetic stand in its design. It has a magnetic clamp, which should hold the tracker well in a vertical position. The charging cable connects to a standard USB port.

Full charge time is about 40 minutes.

How to extend battery life

Your device provides various options to help you save battery power.

When you're not using your device, switch to standby mode by covering the screen with your palm.
Turn on power saving mode.
Turn off Bluetooth
Deactivate the Wi-Fi feature when not in use.
Reduce screen brightness.
Deactivate the "always on" function.
Configure notification settings in the Samsung Gear app on the connected smartphone.

Besides GPS, one of the best features of the Fit 2 is the 4GB of onboard storage, which you can use to upload music to your band. Those who listen to music while working out can use the Spotify app on the Fit 2, but it requires the phone to be in range. On the other hand, users can transfer local music files to the device through 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 quite well and provides a convenient way to stream audio while playing sports without having to rely on your smartphone. Audio 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.

Gear Fit 2 specifications

Weight	28 g, 30 g
Band size	Large: 108 mm x 95 mm (4.25 x 3.74 inches), for wrists with a circumference of 155-210 mm Small: 84 mm x 95 mm (3.3 x 3.74 inches), for wrists with a circumference of 125-170 mm
Screen	Super AMOLED 1.5-inch display with 432 x 216 pixels resolution
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	No
Player Availability of GPS and heart rate monitor 4 GB memory ability to play music without a smartphone automatic physical activity tracking too big for small wrists Screen shape is not ideal for notifications short battery life The display is hard to read in the sun no support for iOS smartphones The Samsung Gear Fit2 SM-R360 fitness bracelet comes in dark gray, blue and pink and costs $179. For a mid-range sports watch from a major brand, the price is quite reasonable, although e.g. , Fitbit Alta as an alternative to Samsung Fit 2 is more attractive with its price of $130. Although the tracker is equipped with functions such as GPS and music player, and has a lower price than some competitors, its lack of iPhone support and short battery life limit its appeal. Assuming Samsung can iron out some issues, the Gear Fit 2 could be one of the best fitness trackers out there, although it does need a lot of work.

Design, screen, built-in player, many sensors

Cons

Price, autonomy, screen

Review

I specifically indicated the screen in both pros and cons. The screen is spectacular, attracts attention, the sensor works without problems, and due to its roundness it causes a “wow” effect. But, at the same time, he strives to catch on everything around him: clothes, a door frame, the edge of a table, a car door, etc. You're really afraid of scratching it, and you can't find films for it on the market. Another disadvantage is autonomy. When used with sensors turned on (heart rate, GPS, etc.) it will definitely not be enough for a day. And you can’t count on out-of-town trips for more than a day (without a power bank) with a bracelet. And its charger seems too flimsy. It’s clear that with such a screen and functionality it’s a shame to complain, but I’m ready to sacrifice the weight of the device (large battery capacity) for the sake of performance. I bought this device to replace the mi band 2. I don’t regret it, because, indeed, there are much more positive emotions: it measures steps more accurately than Xiaomi, the ability to personalize the screen by setting the dial you like, fortunately there are more than enough of them (both paid and free), there is a sensor GPS (you can track the route without taking your phone with you while jogging/biking). I go to the pool, but I don’t dare swim in it yet, and I swim mainly for pleasure, not for results. There are a lot of replacement straps on the famous Chinese website, the only thing is that the color of the main block at the bottom is red, I don’t know if it will be harmoniously combined with other strap colors. The original clasp is more than reliable. It is possible to view email messages, SMS and instant messengers. Very convenient, because... no need to constantly unlock your phone. There is a Navigator application in the store. but it works in osprey with the phone. I often travel long distances, but I don’t see the point in using an always-on bracelet to view the route, and even with a working phone. I continue to put down the phone. 2 GB of free memory, onto which you can upload music and listen, for example, while jogging with wireless headphones. I think this is a huge plus. Recently we were going out into nature, I connected the wireless JBL speaker and surprised everyone by switching tracks and controlling the volume from his wristwatch. NFC is not needed here, my Galaxy S9 plus has Samsung Pay installed, that's enough. WITH Apple watch, I think there is no point in comparing, because different price categories. The Gear Fit 3 feels bulky on my hand and is twice the price. For my needs, the Gear Fit 2 Pro is more than enough. I definitely recommend purchasing.

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is so advanced that it outperforms many smartwatches in terms of functionality. How does the bracelet behave in real use?

Why Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro and not Samsung Gear Fit 3?

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 line appeared on the market about a year ago. This is very good devices in their class, in which it was difficult to find serious flaws. A year later, we haven't seen the Gear Fit 3, but rather just an updated version of the Gear Fit 2 Pro, suggesting the changes are minor. This is true, but they are very significant. The first significant change: the fitness bracelet has become truly waterproof, without any stars or marks. Gear Fit 2 Pro not only meets the IP68 standard, but moreover can withstand water pressure of up to 5 atmospheres. This means that with the bracelet we can safely swim and even dive to a depth of 50 meters. This is also possible in salt water! The program has the ability to track swimming-related workouts. Change number two is making better use of third party apps, the most important of which for me is working with Spotify.

With the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro, you can not only listen to music, but also download playlists to your bracelet and play them while working out on your Bluetooth headset. It works on the same principle as the app on your smartphone. This is an excellent solution that really allows you not to take your smartphone with you to workouts. If you want, you can also upload MP3 files to the bracelet, but this is less convenient. Unfortunately, the built-in memory is limited to 4 GB. operating system and most useful applications take up about 2 GB, so there is really little space for your own data. Other features remain unchanged from Gear Fit 2 This means that the bracelet can still do many useful things. Every day, the device connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth so that incoming notifications can be checked on the wrist. You can configure in advance which applications can send notifications to the bracelet. Notifications are displayed as an application icon, under which the beginning of the content is visible. In most cases, you can open in detail, and then select one of the main actions: send “OK” in response to a message, delete unwanted email or reply to SMS with one of the predefined templates. If you set an alarm, the bracelet can also vibrate to wake you up if you decide to sleep in it. In this case, in the morning you will receive a report from your dream. Overall, the bracelet works great as a “smartphone enhancement” because one glance is enough to decide whether an incoming notification is important or not.

Sports functions

The most important thing, however, remains the sports functions of the bracelet.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is equipped with GPS and an optical heart rate sensor. GPS consumes a lot of battery, so it is better to turn it off every day. During training, the GPS signal is received instantly. In turn, the heart rate sensor can be configured to measure your heart rate from time to time throughout the day, even when inactive. This gives us an idea of the results without excessive battery usage. As for workouts, we can activate them ourselves (up to 16 types), or rely on the bracelet, which, 10 minutes after the start of activity, will recognize the workout and switch to the appropriate mode. And it really works! The bracelet confidently detects running and cycling. Automatic workout detection is limited to only five sports: walking/running, cycling, elliptical, stationary bike, and dynamic training. During training, the bracelet can measure your heart rate continuously. On a daily basis, Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro also takes care of your physical activity. If you sit for too long, it's time to stretch your bones. The application will even offer options on how to stretch them. In turn, if you start such a physical activity without reminders, the bracelet will congratulate you. These notifications can sometimes be annoying, but they can be turned off.

The most important

The most important element is the touch, curved, Super AMOLED screen. Looks beautiful, like the best screens on Samsung smartphones, only in a smaller size. The resolution is a modest 216 x 432 pixels, but with a 1.5-inch diagonal this gives a pixel density of 310 ppi, making everything very clear. The deep black AMOLED color pairs beautifully with the black strap. Control is carried out using gestures. To the left of the main screen is the notification panel and to the right are widgets, mainly fitness apps, such as a pedometer or the number of floors climbed. At the top is the settings panel, which opens with a classic top-down gesture. On the side of the case there are two buttons: back and home button, which simultaneously opens the list of applications. In general, management should not cause any inconvenience to anyone. My only complaint is about the screen brightness control, which is manual. Fitness bracelets of this class should automatically adjust the brightness level depending on lighting conditions.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro has interchangeable straps

There are a large number of straps that differ in external texture, fastening method, color and size. There are also bracelets third party manufacturers, and among them you can even find... metal bracelets. There should be something for everyone. For this purpose, the bracelet is offered in two body colors: red-black and completely black.

Which smartphones will work with the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro?

The bracelet is compatible with Android 4.4 or later, the smartphone must have at least 1.5 GB of RAM. Also compatible with iPhone 5 or later. The Gear Fit 2 Pro connects to your smartphone via Samsung Gear, where you can find information about your band's status and settings. From mobile application you can customize the watch face, or, for example, the order of applications in the menu, which is much more convenient than doing this on the small screen of the bracelet. In turn, all fitness functions are synchronized with Samsung Health by default, which can be installed not only on Samsung smartphones. The application collects data on workouts, activity (steps, calories, floors walked), sleep duration, or heart rate. All statistics can be viewed and compared, and the application rewards us with badges for achieving goals.

You can install applications directly into the fitness bracelet

Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro runs Tizena and allows you to install apps from Samsung Galaxy Apps. There you can find several dozen options for watches (free and paid) and applications. Available additional applications, which add new features (such as an alarm clock or stopwatch), Samsung sports apps (such as tracking unusual sports such as tennis, golf, badminton) and third-party apps.

These are the most interesting applications. There are also very popular applications such as Endomondo, Spotify, Speedo On, MyFitnessPal, three applications from Under Armor. There are also some lesser known ones such as Fit Evolution Pro PEAR Personal Coach, Lifesum or StayFit+. An interesting application is a third party app for... GoPro cameras. Third-party sports apps are simpler versions of these same smartphone apps, but they do get the job done, which is to transfer workout information to specific accounts.

Battery life

The battery must be charged frequently. The bracelet is placed on a special charging base with a magnetic fastener. In charging mode, the bracelet can work as a table clock. One charge will last for a full 2 days, if you don't have a workout at that time, turn off the GPS, and it will measure your heart rate from time to time. If you exercise, you will have to charge the bracelet after each workout.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro price

The price, unfortunately, is high.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro costs 13,000 rubles. This is 2000 more than its predecessor. The price is high and I'm not sure if the bracelet is worth the price. For a similar price, you can find much better sports watches. On the other hand, simple fitness groups tend to be much cheaper.

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In that case, who is the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro for?

The device is somewhere in the middle between sports watches, fitness bracelets and smart watches. The bracelet has something from each of these devices. Overall, everything is good, but not the best if considered separately as a fitness bracelet or separately as a smart watch. If you're looking for a versatile device that will work every day and during casual workouts, then buying the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is not a bad idea. In turn, if you're a serious exerciser, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro won't give you what sports watches from Garmin, Suunto, Polar or even TomTom can give you. The Samsung mobile pedigree of this device is clearly felt. The Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is unlikely to be of interest to athletes, but it will be quite interesting to technology lovers.