Samsung Gear Smartwatch Reviews of 2018 & 2019

Samsung Gear is a line of Samsung’s wearable computing devices that was originally created as a spin-off of the Galaxy smartphone and tablet. The first Samsung Gear smartwatch (Samsung Galaxy Gear) was released in 2013 and then followed by its successors: Samsung Gear 2, Samsung Gear Fit, Samsung Gear Live, Samsung Gear S, Samsung Gear S2, Samsung Gear Fit 2, Samsung Gear S3, Samsung Gear Sport and Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro.

If you are going to buy an Samsung Gear watch to fit your Android smartphone or even iPhone, which model should you take? Just like many other product lines, Samsung Gear smartwatches has evolved to highly smart device with improved features. And below are reviews of the 5 latest Samsung Gear watches.

Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro

Released in August 2017, the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro has a big difference from its product line - it is designed to be more like a fitness-style device rather than a more traditional-looking smartwatch. The Fit2 Pro has a buckle clasp, additional pre-installed apps, continuous (versus intermittent) heart rate monitoring, and offline Spotify support, which is not included in the Gear Fit2 or other Gear watches.

This Samsung Gear watch is waterproof, so there is need to worry about rain, showers or water sports. Another inspiring thing about this watch is its compatibility with Android devices running Android 4.4 KitKat (and later), iPhone 5 and newer devices running iOS 9.0 (and later). In addition, it continues the swappable watch bands, standalone music player functionality, voice control (via Bluetooth headphones/earbuds), Samsung Pay compatibility, and wireless charging.

The drawbacks of the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro are its low battery capacity and lack of speaker and microphone. Therefore, you cannot use this wrist to make or receive calls.

Pros:

· Compatible with Android and iOS

· Continuous heart rate monitoring

· Waterproof

Cons:

· Low battery life

· No speaker/microphone to send/receive calls from the wrist

Samsung Gear Sport

The Samsung Gear Sport also works seamlessly with Android 4.4 (and later) and the iPhone 5 and newer devices running iOS 9.0 (and later), including the latest iPhone X. This fitness tracker has an always-on circular display with rotating bezel as part of the user navigation/interface and it also includes all the activity/fitness tracking features of the Gear Fit2 Pro.

Though the Samsung Gear Sport does not feature exterior speakers or microphone, it retains almost all other favorable features, including swappable watch bands, voice control (via Bluetooth headphones/earbuds), standalone music player functionality, Samsung Pay compatibility, and wireless charging. Besides, its water-resist feature enables it to stand pressure under up to 50 meters.

Pros:

· Compatible with Android and iOS

· Always-on display with navigation bezel

· Waterproof

· Good battery life

Cons:

· Lacks speaker/microphone, so can't send/receive calls from the wrist

Samsung Gear S3

Just like the Samsung Gear Sport, the Samsung Gear S3 also features an always-on circular display with rotating bezel as part of the user navigation/interface. It has various style options such as Classic and Frontier variants. In addition, it continues the fitness-tracking hardware, voice control, swappable watch bands, standalone music player functionality, Samsung Pay compatibility, and wireless charging.

It works with Android evices running Android 4.4 KitKat (and later) as well as the iPhone 5 and newer devices running iOS 9.0 (and later). You can use the Gear S3 to make and receive calls and messages/notifications independent of a paired device.

Pros:

· Compatible with Android and iOS

· Always-on display with navigation bezel

· LTE models can send/receive calls without a paired device

Cons:

· Average activity tracking

· Heavy

Samsung Gear Fit2

Being compatible with both Android 4.4 (and later) and iOS 9.0 (and later), the Samsung Gear Fit2 features a high-resolution display screen. Compared with Gear Fit, this independent smartwatch offers more accurate heart rate monitoring greater amount of fitness tracking modes/data, music player functionality, and ability to receive/reply to notifications (via pre-set responses). And the built-in GPS just enables it to be one of the best outdoor watches.

Pros:

· Work seamlessly with Android and iOS

· More accurate heart rate monitoring

· GPS tracking integration

Cons:

· Non-continuous heart rate monitoring

· Low battery life

Samsung Gear S2

Still made in a design of a traditional-looking smartwatch, the Samsung Gear S2, features a circular display with rotating bezel as part of the user navigation/interface. Being the first Samsung smartwatch that works with iOS devices, this smartwatch is compatible with Android 4.4 or above and iOS 9.0 or above.

The Samsung Gear S2 carries on the basic features like health-centric hardware, voice control, swappable watch bands, and standalone music player functionality. Besides, it has 3 variants including Wi-Fi, Classic, and 3G, all of which support Samsung Pay via NFC and Qi inductive coil wireless charging. The drawbacks of this device should be its weak voice recognition and lack of GPS tracking.

Pros:

· Compatible with Android and iOS

· NFC and Qi Wireless charging

· Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity

Cons:

· Weak voice recognition

· No GPS tracking