Home Hi-Tech Android World ,,,,, Gear Fit 2 now has a few months on its shoulders, but the recent release in the App Store of the official application, which makes it compatible with iOS, gives the Samsung smartband new and renewed life, at least among Apple users. We tested it, and here's what we think. Is it a valid purchase?
The opening of the package does not reserve particular surprises; in addition to the bracelet and the manuals there is the small charging base of the bracelet. It is magnetic, which is why it will attract the smartband into its seat, whatever the orientation in which it is inserted. The bracelet has a well-made strap, soft and flexible enough to be able to wear it comfortably throughout the day. We have used it intensively for several weeks, both during fitness and in everyday life, without noticing any obvious signs of wear. Gear Fit 2 also wears well due to its very small size and weight, equal to 5.1 x 2.4 x 1.2 cm, for 32 grams. In short, you forget you have it on your wrist, also due to the curved screen, which certainly represents the most valuable feature.
It is a 1.50 inch curved OLED unit, with a resolution of 216 x 432. A practically perfect display for an accessory of this kind, also because of the menus, almost all with a black background, where all the data provided by the smartband, thanks to very strong colors, which stand out on the deep black of the display. This allows you to always have all the data available on the display clearly visible, so that even during the ride, at a simple glance, it will be possible to view all the necessary information.
The screen is tactile, but Gear Fit 2 also has your side buttons, thanks to which it will be possible to go back, or to the home, as well as manage the screens dedicated to fitness activity. The operating system requires some little training for the user, which after a few hours will be simple and intuitive. Just turn the wrist to wake up the screen, a gesture that works practically 10 times out of ten, while with simple slides to the left it will be possible to view the most important menus of the UI, such as those relating to counting steps, calories burned, plans traveled, workouts and heart rate. Yes, because of course Gear Fit 2 has a sensor that monitors the heart rate at each request, in some cases automatically during the day, or in real time during a workout.
Gear Fit 2, as the name suggests, is a smartband intended for sportsmen and physical activity. Before this, however, it should be noted that the accessory also works as a notifier, being able to read all incoming notifications on the smartphone directly on the screen. Unfortunately it will be possible to reply only with emojis or pre-set phrases (only on Android); unlike the samrtwatch Gear, it will not be possible in any way to use voice dictation to answer, neither on iOS nor on Android. Of course this is an important gap, but absolutely justified by the type of wearable, intended precisely for fitness. The notifications, in addition to appearing for a few seconds in full screen, will all be recalled with a simple swipe to the right, starting from the home.
And then, precisely because Gear Fit 2 is intended for sportsmen, the field test could not be missing. When starting a run, the bracelet will ask the user whether or not they want to use the GPS. Already, among the best and main features of the smartband the presence of an internal GPS module. This means that, during a workout, it will be possible to use the bracelet as a stand alone unit, being able to leave the smartphone at home. During a run, for example, it will in no case be necessary to pair with your mobile phone, since Gear Fit 2 is able to track any data of your training in total autonomy, including position.
This is the beauty of the Samsung smartband, which allows maximum freedom: just the bracelet on the wrist is enough to get a complete picture of your training. Returning home, then, in total tranquility, it will be possible to synchronize the data with your smartphone, to be able to see the activity log on a larger screen. There is nothing to fear even as far as the music department is concerned: Gear Fit 2 has 4GB of memory dedicated to songs: it will be enough to transfer your playlist to the bracelet, pair a bluetooth headset, and enjoy the music during training, without having to pair the smartphone. In short, a bracelet that does not need a support mobile phone during sports activities.
Coming to operation, during our tests we have always found maximum precision in the data returned by the bracelet. First of all, it took a few seconds for Gear Fit 2 to obtain the position, so that from the beginning it was able to trace the path followed at a geographical level. The bracelet shows on the screen, on a black background, all the data relating to the race, with green characters, highly visible, well positioned and always legible. First of all, a timer appears on the screen, with the heartbeat always in plain sight. Then a few slides are enough to obtain other information, such as distance, calories burned, pace and speed. In short, all the info on the race are always visible at hand, indeed on the wrist. A little gem, then, is given by the automatic pause: when you stop the bracelet will automatically pause the session, to resume it as soon as you start running again.
Among other settings, you can set intervals in km to get warnings on the screen, so that you are always informed when certain distances are reached. In short, a truly complete bracelet, which allows anyone to carry out their physical activity, without the need to use other support devices. It is even possible to see a thumbnail of the geographical map directly on the Gear Fit 2 display, to immediately have an eye on the position in which the training took place.
Painful notes
Trivially, the battery. If the Gear fit 2 is used in everyday life, as a watch and notifier, the battery can easily survive the day and a half. As already mentioned, however, the main function of the smartband is that of Fitness tracker. During a workout of just half an hour, with GPS active, medium brightness and the heart rate sensor in operation, the battery dropped by 21%. These are not too comforting data, assuming that 30 minutes of running can be categorized as a mild, amateur activity. Thinking of tracking a longer session, for example cycling activities, is equivalent to almost completely discharging the battery well before the end of the workout.
On the other hand, however, it should be noted that Gear Fit 2 is able to track a myriad of workouts: from running, treadmill, cycling, walking, hiking, but also Step, Cyclette, Lunges, Crunch, Squat and Jump on the spot. A personal coach also valid in the gym.
Furthermore, among the slightly inaccurate activities that the smartband seems to return that relating to the floors: sometimes, even during a journey by car, the bracelet has increased the number of floors climbed, obviously without finding confirmation in reality.
Application
The Gear Fit 2 application is quite simple, and to tell the truth the integrated store does not seem to offer a lot of satisfactions. The UI is quite slow when scrolling the Gear Store between apps to be installed, while it is fluid in the smartband management and configuration menus. From here it is possible, for example, to manage incoming notifications, to be displayed on the smartband display. On the other hand, the S-Health app by Samsung is quite different, downloadable from the Google Play Store for Android, or incorporated into Gear Fit on iOS, which synchronizes perfectly with the bracelet and turns into a virtual register of all its activities. from here you can view all the data relating to your workouts, and keep track of any improvements. The UI of the app is minimal and modern, but it contains a lot of information.
Conclusions
Definitely beautiful to look at, thanks to a well readable OLED display, comfortable to wear, precise and complete when looking at all the tracked activities and recorded data. Too bad only for the battery, which drops visibly when starting any physical activity. In any case, it remains a valid companion, 24 hours a day, for all sportsmen. Equipped with IP67 certification, you can really keep it on your wrist all day long.
On Amazon you can buy from about 167 euros, directly to this address, in the different pink, black and blue colors, and in the different sizes S or L.
Pro
Against
,,
