Samsung Gear Fit2 Review: More Than Just A Fitness Wearable
Gear Fit2 Final Thoughts
From a fitness perspective, the Gear Fit2 has a lot to offer. The fact that the device can act as a standalone music player is an attractive feature since it lets you leave your smartphone at home. The Gear Fit2 also has the top fitness-minded features like heartrate tracking, GPS, pedometer, and calories burned.
In addition to the fitness-related features found on the Gear Fit2, the device also provides additional functionality such as the ability to read text messages, see various phone notifications, view caller ID information, and install additional apps. Although this functionality is limited in comparison to what you’d find on a full-featured smartwatch, it’s still very useful and adds to the overall utility of the Gear Fit2.
With an approximate price tag of $180, the Gear Fit2 less costly than some fitness bands, but more expensive than some of the budget-minded offerings. The Gear Fit2 doesn’t re-invent the idea of what a fitness tracker or smartwatch should be instead, it creates a cost-effective blend of both types of devices in an attractive and functional wearable device.
The Gear Fit2’s touchscreen works very well and is quite responsive. However, if you’re trying to use the wearable while exercising, it can be a bit difficult to precisely use a touchscreen as opposed to pushing hardware buttons on the side of a device.
Assuming your phone is running on Android version 4.4 or later and you have at least 1.5GB of RAM, the Gear Fit2 should work just fine. If not, you’ll need to upgrade your phone before you can utilize the device. The biggest drawbacks to the Gear Fit2 are the slightly less accurate heart rate readings compared to a chest strap (intrinsic to all fitness trackers really), limited app store, and possible compatibility issues for people with older smartphones. Also, while we like the idea of the Gear Fit2 automatically detecting our activity, this feature didn’t always work. It’s not a deal-breaker since you can manually activate the tracking type, but it would be nice if this feature were more reliable. A firmware update for this could perhaps do wonders.
On the plus side, the Samsung Gear Fit2 does a great job at combining many of the most desirable fitness-minded features with a few smartwatch options. We wish there were more reply options for text messages, but perhaps this can be something Samsung implements in a future generation. In comparison to the original Gear Fit, the newer Gear Fit2 adds some great features and functionality including the ability to act as a standalone music player and GPS tracking capabilities. All told we have no problem recommending the Samsung Gear Fit2 as Hot Hardware.
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