Samsung Gear S2 review

Samsung Gear S2 review :

Introduction

Samsung is definitely a veteran on the smartwatch scene, perhaps even more so than LG. The Korean giant has already done a few experiments in the field, some of which arguably quite successful, but the Gear S2 might just be the biggest one yet.

The Gear S2 is radically different from any other wearable Samsung has put out. There is, of course, the obvious fact that it is the first to utilize a round form-factor, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The new Gear is yet another radical development in Samsung's wearable family that has been frantically moving towards and then away from standardization and the Android Wear OS.

While still relying on the custom Tizen platform, the Gear S2 now looks to be more in-line with today's smartwatch trends, as set by Google and Apple. Samsung might have finally found a proper course of development to stay in tune with the general flow, while still working on its own vision and delivering a fresh and alternative, yet somehow familiar experience.

The Gear S2 is the first milestone on this new path and it is eerily familiar and surprisingly different all at the same time.

One important note to make, before we dig in any further, is that the Gear S2 actually has three distinct variants. The Gear S2 and S2 Classic share the same hardware, but have quite a few design differences. The Gear S2 3G, on the other hand offers 3G connectivity and it is a bit thicker and heavier than its siblings and comes with a different chipset. Here is a quick rundown of its features:

Key features

• 1.2" Full Circle Super AMOLED display, 360 x 360 pixels, 302ppi, 31mm screen diameter
• Samsung Exynos 3250, dual-core 1.0GHz Pega-W CPU / Qualcomm MSM8x26 dual-core 1.0GHz (3G), 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage
• 250mAh / 300 mAh (3G) Li-Ion battery
• 49.8 x 42.3 x 11.4mm, 47g / 39.9 x 43.6 x 11.4mm, 42g (Classic)/ 44.0 x 51.8 x 13.4mm, 51g (3G)
• Stainless steel casing with rotating ring control, IP-68 certified, water-resistant for up ti 30 minutes and up to 1 meter deep, comes in black or white
• Tizen based wearable platform
• Heart rate sensor, gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light, GPS(3G)
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 LE, NFC and 3G in the respective model
• Vibration
• Microphone with S-Voice support
• Wireless charging
• Support for non-Samsung devices as well, although still buggy

Main disadvantages

• No Speaker, unlike its predecessor
• Tizen lacks extensive third-party support and app ecosystem
• No support for iOS yet

First things first, let's talk about version and how they differ. There are three varieties of Samsung's new wearable. The plain Gear S2, which we have here for review, features a fine and uniform finish all around and comes with a silicon band with a proprietary connector. In contrast, there is the Gear S2 Classic, which has a lightly different wheel and uses a standard strap that you can easily swap for an after-market solution.

Last, but not least, there is the 3G model Gear S2, it looks practically identical to the plain one, but is overall a bit bigger, bulkier and heavier. It complements the wearable line in much the same way LG Watch Urbane LTE does, but should enjoy broader availability.

The name of the watch itself definitely suggests some relation to the Gear S, but apart from the Tizen-based OS, the two devices actually have little in common. As already mentioned, it seems Samsung has decided to draw from its abundant experience in the wearable field and start working towards similar goals as most of its competitors, which are now shaping to be the new direction of the niche and possible, the future of smartwatches as a whole.

This all falls in line perfectly with natural tech evolution. Wearables are starting to mature and with that comes a stride towards standardization, compatibility and uniformity. Samsung knows this all too well and is now striding to fall in line with the rest and not be left out in the long run.

Still, in a cunning attempt to stick out, the Korean giant has retained its alternative approach to things and this tactical mixture might actually be a genius move in a market where differentiating using Android Wear OS is highly challenging.

Follow us to the next page and we'll find out how well this has worked.

Unboxing

The Samsung Gear S2 comes in a catchy and unorthodox box. It is a two piece cylinder that you could easily mistake for a perfume box or something of the sort. Actually, circular design seems to be a major leitmotif of the Gear S2 and it is only natural that it extends from software, through hardware all the way to the packaging itself.

The contents of the package are quite rich. Inside we find yet another two-piece circular assembly, but this time made of plastic and meant to organize and protect the internals. Inside the top part is the watch itself, assembled and ready to go.

   
Lavish cylindrical packaging

The non-Classic models actually come with second band enclosed. It merely a different size so that you pick the one that matches your wrist size best. Also, it is worth noting that the bands are not only different in length, but the angle at which they slope is slightly different too. This might sound like a small detail, but it is immensely important for providing a snug fit - something watches such as the LG G Watch R and the LG Watch Urbane struggle with.

Inside the box, you also get a 5.0 volt 0.7 Ah wall charger with a standard microUSB connector, as well as the charging station. The Gear S2 doesn't have any exposed pins or a port, but draws its power wirelessly when attached to the base.

Samsung has actually designed the charger in a clever way. Unlike competitors like LG or Apple, whose devices simply lie on a flat bed to juice-up, the Gear S2 is actually held on by a magnet to an elevated surface a few inches above ground. That allows you to actually see its display when on a nightstand and the software also facilitates such use cases, but more on that later.

Design and build quality

There definitely seem to be two schools of design thought in today's smart wearable industry. On the one hand we have the more techy approach, usually associated with fitness trackers, but also some watches, where it is plainly obvious that the gadget you are wearing is indeed a futuristic piece of tech. A good example would be the Gear S or even the Apple Watch.

On the polar opposite, there is the push to seamlessly mold technology into the existing watch design. Make a product that simply upgrades the watch experience, rather than reinventing it completely, like the LG Watch Urbane or say, the Huawei watch.

  
Elegant all around

Of course, there is also everything in between and that is precisely where the Gear S2 seems to fall. This ambiguity might not sound like much of a decisive evolution over its predecessors, but in reality, the new design style constitutes a huge conceptual shift for Samsung. The Gear S2 is the first that aims for a more traditional look and consequently for a potentially different crowd of users.

Now, we definitely have to take into account that the Gear S2 comes in two quite distinct styles. As far as the S2 in concerned, the round design is very much present, but with a standard strap (leather by default) and rougher edges, it is quite definitely going for a full-on watch appearance. However, seeing how it is a bit pricier and also a little overshadowed by its non-classic sibling, it probably won't be as popular.

Also, there is a lot less going on with the Classic design-wise for us to comment on. It is simply looks like a watch and can easily be mistaken for one, which is definitely a strong selling point for some. The rotating ring control is still present, now with a bagged design along the edge. If you are into a stylish, more grown-up look, definitely go for this one.

 
Samsung Gear S2 on the wrist

If, however you would rather wear something sportier and won't mind curious questions as to what you have around your wrist, then the basic Gear S2 design might be more up your valley, plus it does cost about $50 less.

As already mentioned, it has a slick and smooth metal finish on the front and sides, either in silver or black. The straps are made of silicon in a respectively matching white or black color. They attach neatly to the base of the Gear S2 leaving no air gap, unlike the Classic. They do have a custom attaching mechanism, making them quite a proprietary accessory. Thankfully, however, as already mentioned, Samsung was nice enough to supply two sizes in the box. The bottom half of the watch, or rather the cover, as it does have four clearly visible screws for dethatching, just like a regular watch is also colored coordinated.

The Gear S2 band feels quite rigid with a nice soft finish. It doesn't really get sweaty or uncomfortable, despite being made of silicon. In fact, the Gear S2 is one of the comfiest wearables we have experienced to date. It is weighted quite evenly and it's not too thick, which helps it fit snugly around the wrist. The buckle does, however, feel a little cheap, especially compared to the aluminum used for the body and the silicon is prone to smudging, especially the white one.

And while we are on the topic of dimensions, the Gear S2 tends to be a bit smaller than most of its other round competitors, but it is in no way tiny. Its exact measurements are 49.8 x 42.3 x 11.4mm for the standard, 39.9 x 43.6 x 11.4mm for the Classic and 44.0 x 51.8 x 13.4mm for the 3G version. It also has a 31 mm screen diameter, making it a bit smaller than the LG Watch Urbane or the Moto 360. With a weight of 47 to 51 grams, it is actually on the lighter side. But, overall, if you are into oversized watches, the Gear S2 probably won't be up to your taste.

Hardware overview

Samsung has always kept back from using standardized hardware that comes as a requirement for Android Wear OS. Even with the newly found similarities, the Korean giant still remains quite different from the smartwatch crowd in terms of hardware and software.

Samsung has opted for a very nice display on the Gear S2. The round panel is of the Super AMOLED variety, which definitely provides richer colors than the widely-employed P-OLED displays of the competition. At 1.2 inches, the screen is slightly smaller than say what LG, Motorola or Huawei has to offer. However, with a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels, the Gear S2 is second only to the Huawei Watch and the new LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition when it comes to picture detail. With the lower screen, pixel density works out to 302 ppi, quite impressive for a watch.

Contrast is expectedly outstanding, it's also quite bright. Side angles are also superb and reflectivity is kept at a minimum. The Gear S2 is just as pleasant to use indoors as it is outside in the sun.

Rather disappointingly though, there is no Gorilla Glass or sapphire covering the display. Third-party solutions are available so, if you fear getting your watch scratched, it might be a good idea to pick up a protector.

The rest of the internals include a Samsung Exynos 3250 or a Qualcomm MSM8x26 chip, the latter found in the 3G model. Both are dual-core, clocked at 1.0GHz, although we can't imagine anybody would really be concerned about the frequency. The chipset is coupled with 512MB of RAM, like most competitors plus 4GB of onboard storage.

As for sensors, all versions of the Gears S2 share the same combo, including a heart rate sensor, a gyro, an accelerometer, a barometer, and an ambient light sensor. The ambient light sensor is actually a nice, but rare thing to have on a smartwatch.

Besides network connectivity, the Gear S2 3G also gets another unexpected benefit from its different chipset - GPS. Ii is a neat thing to have too and could potentially allow you to locate your watch remotely, just like the other way around, which works across the range. But more on that later.

   
Gear S2 controls

As for connectivity, the Gear S2 has all the basis covered - Bluetooth is naturally there, as a main means of synching, seeing how the phone is close-by most of the time ant the Low Energy profile is quite power efficient. There is also Wi-Fi, which has you covered outside Bluetooth range. Last, but not least, the 3G version can stay connected practically all the time, if in cell range. Oh and there is the aforementioned GPS in that one too.

The Gear S2 actually has another trick up its sleeve - built-in NFC. Its sole purpose, as least for the time being, seems to be Samsung Pay and it isn't enabled quite yet. Still, the idea is clear, if you have a compatible Samsung handset and use Samsung Pay, your watch can be used to pay at a NFC terminal, much like the Apple Watch does it. That last bit is actually pretty important. The Gear S2 can only be used with NFC terminals. LoopPay - the technology that allows a select few Samsung phones to mimic a magnetic card swipe isn't onboard the watch. Also, hopefully the NFC gets put to good use in other scenarios in the future, like unlocking your front door, for instance.

Last, but not least, the Gear S2 draws its power off a 250 mAh to 300 mAh battery pack, the latter being used inside the naturally more power-hungry 3G model. It is probably the reason for the extra girth and weight on that one.

Controls

For its essentially streamlined and quite clean design, the Gear S2 does have quite a few controls at its disposal. Apple can brag about its digital crown, but the Gear S2 is just as innovative with its rotating wheel - yet another modern twist to a traditional watch element.

Using the wheel is nothing short of superb user experience. It is smooth, responsive and has a clear physical feedback, enhanced even further by a soft vibration once the end position of a scrolling interface has been reached. Using it is so much fun that we often found ourselves just playing with it aimlessly, while doing something else. It's as absorbing as busting bubbles on a bubble wrap sheet, only shinier! Hopefully this won't wear down the wheel too quickly - it does seem to have a bit of inherent wobble to it right from the start.

But the dial is not only immensely fun, it is also beautifully utilized. The whole software is designed in a way that makes it a natural control choice, be it for scrolling menus or zooming. Most everything in the OS is executed in a circular fashion, all down to the curved scroll bars, making the wheel a natural choice, but more on that in the Software section.

Despite its superb usability, the wheel is far from the sole control on the Gear S2. Samsung has actually decided to go with a triple input scheme, featuring the touchscreen and two additional buttons on the side.

The three are so interchangeable that most of the time using one or the other is simply a matter of choice. This design choice really eases the user into the experience eliminating the need to memorize convoluted gestures and consequently, the Gear S2 has practically no learning curve when it comes to navigating.

The aforementioned buttons are mounted on the right side of the watch and between them is the microphone. The top one acts like sort of a menu shortcut, bringing up the app selection interface.

The bottom button get you one step back at a time. If you don't really feel like reaching to the side of the Gear S2, you can just as easily surf menus with the touchscreen alone. Swiping left or right is equivalent to turning the bezel in that direction and swiping from top to down acts like a back gesture.

The final control on the unit is the optical heart-rate monitor on the bottom. It actually works pretty well, providing fast and consistent readings. Of course, the inherent inaccuracy of the technology is still present, as in all other similar smartwatches, so if you need a truly accurate reading, you should probably get a more conventional chest strap or finger clip. Still, we guess, it is a great addition to daily activity monitoring especially if heartrate is important to your sports of choice.

Battery

Measuring battery life of any piece of tech is a challenging task, but constructing a consistent and comparable test scenario for a smartwatch is close to impossible, due to the vast differences across devices and usage conditions. The best we can hope for is a subjective opinion on the matter and we tried our best to make ours as accurate as possible.

Coupled with a Samsung Galaxy phone that gets its fair share of emails, 2-3 calls a day and a few social network notifications going off every hour or so, the Gear S2 easily manages to go through a full day on a single charge and beyond.

Actually, the watch consistently managed to survive a full busy workday, a night off the charger and still have some juice left in the morning, enough to survive until lunch. This pattern seemed to be quite consistent, meaning that unlike others, like the Apple Watch in the beginning, the Gear S2 is more than happy to accompany you while you sleep, without waking up dead the morning after.

It is still a good idea to charge it while you sleep, but it is good to know that even if you forget to do so, the Gear S2 won't give up on you while you get to another power source. Speaking of charging, the watch juices-up quite fast. Despite the wireless nature of its charger about two hours on the stand are enough.

A powerful custom Tizen OS

The Samsung Galaxy Gear S2 relies on Tizen OS to run the show. Frankly, that's not really surprising, considering the company relied on its mobile OS for previous smartwatch products, but that wasn't always the case. As you might remember, the Korean giant underwent some serious soul-searching with its wearables, oscillating between Android Wear and custom solutions. In any case, Tizen is currently the OEM's development path of choice, but we wouldn't be at all surprised if custom Android Wear ROMs for the Gear S2 start popping up online at some point.

Overall, this custom approach falls in line with Samsung's other recent wearables and while it does sacrifice on compatibility and misses out some on the ever-growing Android Wear ecosystem, it does also have its major advantages. What we weren't expecting, however, is how streamlined and efficient it is. Not to mention - fast, really fast.

So fast in fact, you would be forgiven to think the Gear S2 is more powerful than its spec sheet suggests. Combined with the physical interaction with the rotating bezel, the sensation you get from interacting with the watch is truly futuristic. In fact, we often found ourselves playing with the wheel for no apparent reason, it is just immensely satisfying. No matter how fast you push it, the interface just keeps up, no lag, no frame drops, just smooth animation all around.

On top of that, the Gear S2 user interface looks the part. It's as if Samsung's first circular smartwatch has given them the creative freedom to start over, unfazed by previous failures. Everything is clean, well-spaced and properly organized throughout the user interface.

The circular design is blended seamlessly everywhere, from the menus and icons, all the way to every interface and even the scroll bars. It just seems natural and meant to be, which is a definite plus for the custom solution, as opposed to Android Wear that despite all the visual improvements, still has some oddly cropped interfaces on a round device. There aren't any hidden menus, save for a few tap-and-hold affairs here and there.

The watchface interface is one such area. Whichever watchface you pick, it's going to look nice. An added feature we adore is the ability to stylize the watchface. You can add date, world clock, heart rate, battery status, steps and more. Those appear as little actionable widget-style controls in certain areas of a watchface and bring up their own interface when pressed - quite convenient.

Samsung has made sure to spice things up a bit in terms of this added watchface functionality, including some skins that measure your heart-rate periodically or remind you visually when you have been sitting for too long, with a growing blob on the dial.

   
Watchfaces have lots of added functionality and in-depth customizability

In terms of looks, you can pretty much change everything you see, from dials to clock hands. This is available both from the watch and the companion app. The latter is a lot easier, although doing it on the watch itself is arguably more fun, simply because you get to cycle through option with the dial.

And if you would rather pick out a ready-made skin, Samsung is offering a plethora of those in its Galaxy App store. There, you can also download third-party offerings, which can show you stock prices, sports results and news, but more on that later.

And as long as we are on the topic of the companion app, we must note that Samsung has broken out of its restriction policy of the past and now allows non-Galaxy smartphones to connect to its smartwatch, as well. Naturally, the Gears S2 still prefers to play with a Galaxy phone, preferably a recent and higher-end one, but a TouchWiz-based environment is no longer mandatory, as long as you are running Android 4.4 or higher and have 1.56GB of free RAM. We tried out the Gear S2 with the recent HTC One A9 and had little issues activating and connecting, but the process did involve installing a few additional services and plugins off the Google Play store.

 
Setting things up on a non-Samsung device takes a few extra installs, but is relatively painless

It is also worth mentioning that the Gear app has a lot more going on under the hood than might meet the eye. It is actually a big framework of various API's, hooks and services that attach themselves to almost every core functionality of your device, so as to monitor and relay information to your wrist, be it notifications, calls or multimedia.

The Android Wear companion app is pretty much the same deal, so this shouldn't worry you, but whereas Google has already set a lot of the groundwork for its wearables inside Android itself, Samsung has a lot more code to implant for the Gear S2 to work. What this all means is that while the Gear S2 can be used with most any recent Android phone out there, your experience may vary greatly and compatibility issues are not unlikely. But, just like iOS compatibility for Android Wear, no one seems to be expecting or aiming for perfection.

 
The Gear manager app offers a clean interface

There are also a few apparent things that change in the experience when the Gear S2 is coupled with a non-Samsung mate. The dedicated email app disappears from the watch, presumably because it relies in part on the presence of Samsung's own smartphone email client.

S Health and Maps continue to work autonomously, but also require their respective Android apps to be downloaded for additional functionality. Having S Health on your phone is particularly important for syncing all the tracking data and assuring various related features run on the watch, but thankfully, it is now available for download by anyone on the Google Play Store.

But despite all the aforementioned complexity of the Gear app, it is surprisingly well organized and straight-forward form a user standpoint, which is all that matters at the end of the day.

Besides the already mentioned watchface editor, the Gear app also offers a notification center for per-app control, as well as an easy way to manage the software running on the Gear S2 itself. You can reorganize the menu, install new apps from the Samsung store and even change available setting on the ones you already have installed.

    
Stylizing watchfaces is a pleasant and in-depth experience

Transferring media to and from the Gear S2's 4GB onboard memory is also done through the Gear Manager and is quite straight-forward: select the media, upload it and it becomes available in Music or Gallery, respectively.

Last, but definitely not least, there is the Find My Gear option. It can track down your watch easily and make it light up and vibrate. This can naturally be done through Bluetooth or an internet connection. So, if your watch has an active Wi-Fi connection, it should be reachable as well.

Conveniently enough, Samsung has made sure that the Gear S2 seamlessly gets all the Wi-Fi profiles your phone has, making the whole system even more versatile. On the 3G model, finding the device is even more-powerful - it simply needs to be powered and within cell range.

  
Neat Gear manager features

In fact, most every function of the Gear S2 is accessible through Bluetooth, as well as over an internet connection. Searching for your phone via the wearable is just as easy and powerful as well. Besides merely ringing your phone, which shouldn't be an issue anyway, you can also get its GPS coordinates and display them on a map. Generating the interface does put some strain on the Gear S2 and naturally requires a working data connection, but once the content is loaded, scrolling and zooming (with the wheel, of course) is pretty smooth, just like the rest of the UI.

   
Notification, app and multimedia management is streamlined within the Gear app

Navigation and basic functionality

As already mentioned, the Gear S2 has no shortage of input controls and you can use most of them interchangeable across the user interface. This is quite convenient and drastically reduces the learning curve for new users.

The main starting point of the interface is, of course, the watchface. It lights up automatically when you bring the Gear S2 up and look at it. The detection works pretty well and is consistent, but you can also wake up the watch by tapping the screen or any other button. You also get a low-energy variant of the watchface, with only the arrows visible, just like on Android Wear and there is an option to keep them always on screen, but it does take a toll on the battery.

The Gear S2 also recognizes a cover gesture. It is quite convenient. If the watch is in your way at any time, just put your palm on the screen and it will go off.

A flick to the left or a turn of the bezel the same direction gets you to the notification pane. Tapping on a notification, depending on what it is, will give you an action to perform: Facebook Messenger will give you a thumbs up, while an email can be deleted. Swiping up will dismiss them.

 
Actionable notifications are a nice touch

In our experience with the Gear S2, not all notification came through vibrating on the wrist and grabbing our attention. While this may be good for some occasion, you may want to set up notifications of choice as priority from Android's settings menu.

Going to the right gets you to the Gear S2 home screen panes. You can add, remove or edit any of them without affecting the performance of the watch.

 
Screen panes and the options shade

Pull down from the top reveals a quick settings menu. There, the Gear S2 shows the battery level, whether Wi-Fi is turned on, as well as shortcut to the Music app, do not disturb mode and brightness settings. And the always on option as well.

In any other interface, besides the watchface, pulling down acts as a Back action, but you can always use the top or bottom physical buttons for that as well - the top one being a single step back and the bottom, acting more like a home button that just brings up the watchface.

The Gear S2 does have an app drawer, which, by default, is placed on the first panel to the right, along with a buddy interface for favorite contacts and shortcuts to Settings and S Voice. This, of course, can be rearranged to your liking or even removed altogether, but you might want to leave the app shortcut somewhere.

   
Default first pane and app drawer interface

The app drawer is where all your additional software resides. The custom Tizen OS might not be as rich as the sprawling Android Wear ecosystem, but there are still quite a few apps to download from the Samsung store and all the basics seem to be covered, but more on that later. The interface is beautifully designed and arranged in a circle. Scroll all the way to one side and the page switches. It is a nice and convenient system that works well and takes full advantage of both the form factor and the available controls.

The Buddy list is simply a shorthand for your favorite contacts. From here you can quickly initiate a call or message somebody, the latter offering a choice of either some predefined messages, typing out something on the small touchscreen, sending a smiley or voice dictation.

 
Buddy list

The integrated S Voice functionality allows you to issue commands to Samsung's S Voice, as well as respond to messages across the interface. In our testing, the voice recognition fared decently. The microphone pinhole is between the two buttons and depending on how noisy the surrounding area is, you'll get mixed results. Our main gripe with it was not being able to easily set a wake-up word. The smartwatch was unhappy with the slight differences in the tone of our voice for some reason.

  
S Voice commands, complete with a wake-up word

Anyway, you can also type out a message with the Gear S2's keyboard. As hard as it might look to type on it, with a little patience, you can send an occasional emergency text. However, having the phone at hand for the task is a better idea. We recommend using Samsung's ready responses. Naturally, you can add custom ones of your own, too.

   
Typing on the Gear S2 is doable, but hardly preferable

Of course, you can always opt for a simpler on-the-fly response with pre-defined messages and emoticons. All of the aforementioned options are valid across the Gear S2, even when replying on third-party apps, like Viber.

 
You get a selection of response choices

Fitness tracking, apps

As stylish as it is, the Gear S2 is also a great sidekick for the times you participate in any type of sports. The companion S Health app on the Gear S2 is excellently designed and gives you an easy overview of your daily activity. It tracks steps and runs, calories, heart rate as well as coffee and water intake (if you care enough to input those on every consumption). All the data is stored on the watch, but also synced across to the full S Health app on your phone if you have it installed (and you really should get it with this particular watch).

   
S Health integration is extensive and spread all throughout the Gear S2

We love how the Gear S2 reminds us in a friendly manner to move a bit after long periods of inactivity. It's motivating and, if you don't ignore it, it's potentially quite beneficial in the long run. Opening the S Health app greets you with an aggregated view of your runs, walks and duration of inactivity. Tap it and you get a breakdown of everything you've done throughout the day complete with an approximate calorie burn.

If you fancy running, the Gear S2 offers a handy assistant for that. You can start your running session and with the GPS guidance the smartwatch will tell you when to end the run, the distance you've reached and will draw your course on the map. The data is nicely synced with the full blown Android S Health app. In fact, the two are so tightly integrated that we often found ourselves wondering where each interface was coming from and who is actually doing the heavy lifting - the wearable or your phone. The level of integration is truly impressive.

As previously mentioned, the custom Tizen-based OS powering the Gear S2 actually allows a lot of freedom for integrating functionality. Besides the traditional application approach, smart and often actionable interfaces can be baked straight inside a watchface, made available in widget form for your own designs and can also reside as separate interactive panes inside the main menu. Naturally, Samsung has made sure to utilize all of these features and the same goes for a lot of its partners, which have developed third-party content in all forms as well.

   
S Health integration is extensive and spread all throughout the Gear S2

Thus, despite having significantly less additional software than, let's say Android Wear or the Apple Watch, the Gear S2 does offer a nice variety. The aforementioned watchface widgets might not sound like much, but we found them to be quite powerful and convenient, especially since they are visible at first glance and most of them even offer additional info when tapped.

The default set includes basic things like battery, alarms, notifications and app shortcuts, but there are also things like steps, heart rate and water or caffeine counters, which clearly come courtesy of the S Health app.

If this "slot" system seems a little confining, there is always the option of creating an entirely custom watchface with some custom functionality, just like the default heart rate ones. A lot of Samsung partners have also gone down this road with their offers, like Nike, Twitter and LINE, which all offer custom watchfaces.

   
Watchfaces can have widget slots or offer entirely custom functionality

A lot of the aforementioned watchface widgets and the functions they offer also have another, more spacious place to reside within the Gear S2. Each pane in the main menu can also act like a widget, displaying information and offering shortcuts, but this time around, the entire screen can be utilized. Samsung's own S Health seems to be the main contributor to the core set of these interfaces with things like a 24-hour activity tracker, Heart rate, Recent workout, Steps and Water and Caffeine counters. These all offer a lot of info and shortcuts to different parts of the S Health app.

But the focus isn't only on activity and sports, by default, the Gear S2 also offers quick alarm and music player controls, complete with beautiful album art backgrounds, as well as a couple of schedule and calendar interfaces and a weather one. Naturally, developers can contribute to this list as well.

Last, but not least, the Gear S2 also supports more traditional apps. They are housed within the convenient menu structure we saw earlier and the watch does come with quite a few of them baked in. Phone, Email and Messages are among them. You can browse your call history and place a call to any entry on the list, favorite contact or even punch in a number, so the freedom is definitely there, but unlike its predecessor the Gear S2 can't be used for calls as it lacks a built-in speaker - a feature that a lot of people might actually miss.

  
Feature-rich phone application

It is worth noting that Email relies on Samsung's default Android email app and consequently, can't function in the absence on a Samsung smartphone. Overall, while using the Gear S2 with a non-Samsung device is theoretically possible, it is a somewhat limited experience.

All other basic commodities that you would expect to see in an app drawer of any sort are also present. The wearable can manage alarms, timers, has a stopwatch, schedule and a weather app. Some of the more advanced features include a Maps application that is surprisingly convenient. Besides powering the positioning inside the Find My Phone interface, it also allows fast and fluent map searching, browsing, as well as receiving and handling locations. With only a few taps, you can also forward your current position to a favorite contact - quite convenient.

The Maps app also stores your recent searches and is powerful enough to give you location-based suggestions for transport, dining, entertainment and businesses, even complete with contact information which can be used to initiate a call on your mobile.

   
The Maps app is truly powerful

The Gear S2 can also take down voice memos through a dedicated app, but you can also make S Voice do that for you, whatever suits you best. As for multimedia, the watch has its own gallery with a convenient thumbnail layout, easy scrolling and even double-tap zooming.

Music control is also available and offers quite a bit of flexibility. The Music app can be used to control your phone's player, but a quick tap inside the menu also allows you to switch to the wearable's internal memory. Anything you have stored on the watch is now available and can be played back on a Bluetooth headset without your phone getting in the way.

As for additional apps, Samsung has a store set up for that. The ecosystem is growing, but can hardly compete with the likes of Android Wear or the Apple Watch. Still, we can't really point out anything important that is missing. There is even a Flappy Bird port, so you can really take the torture to the next level with the 1.2-inch screen.

A few major Samsung partners have also contributed apps to the Gear S2, like Volkswagen and Alipay. Sadly, due to lack of local support, we can't really say if the latter utilizes the onboard NFC, like Samsung Pay.

Final thoughts

The Gear S2 is an interesting new player in the wearable realm that definitely offers a twist or two of its own to impress. Granted, that is still the case with most other offers in the fresh and rapidly-developing smartwatch niche, but the Gear S2 is a true change of pace within Samsung's rich portfolio. And that alone says a lot for such a seasoned veteran in the area.

Let's start with the obvious, the Gear S2 is Samsung's first round smartwatch, which, if you'd forgive the pun, pits it squarely against the likes of LG, Motorola and Huawei with their respective offers. That makes the Gear S2 a lot more "grown-up" and sophisticated than its predecessors, especially in the slick Classic variant and widening the target audience is a good idea. However, Samsung hasn't abandoned its previous wearable experience and expertise in this new generation. Far from it, the Gear S2 is just as powerful as a fitness companion and all the S Health feature are now more refined and well integrated than ever.

The rotating bezel is another fresh new concept worth mentioning. In case it wasn't clear already, we simply fell in love with the control and the natural way it's utilized in the Gear S2. Having this traditional watch element around just seems right and the Korean giant deserves lots of credit for reinventing it, not unlike what Apple did with its digital crown.

Key Test Findings:

• Compared to other round wearables, the Gears S2 is a smaller wearable, with a 1.2-inch round display. However, the AMOLED screen is nice and sharp with an impressive pixel density of 302 ppi and deep blacks.
• Build quality is top notch. The standard edition has its own proprietary strap, but it is rigid and nice to the touch and comes in two sizes in the box. The Classic one uses a standard strap that can easily be swapped for an after-market one;
• Having three distinct input controls, which can be used interchangeably, is quite user friendly, while the rotating bezel is truly innovative and works well;
• Connection options are plentiful on the Gear S2. All of the models have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for remote operation, which works well. Also NFC, specifically intended for use with Samsung Pay. The 3G model also has a network data connection and the added bonus of a GPS.
• You can count on 2 days of moderate usage on a single charge. Be prepared for less, however, if you are going to use the Wi-Fi connection regularly. Charging is convenient and allows you to sleep with the watch if you want. The base station also works well as a night-stand;
• The Custom Tizen OS is tailor made, looks beautiful and is blazing fast. Also, despite missing out on the Android Wear app ecosystem, the Gear S2 I packed with features, nothing important is missing and there are even some interesting Samsung-exclusive features and advanced customization options to enjoy;
• Samsung has made the Gear S2 compatible with any Android 4.4 or newer handset, that has an adequate amount of RAM and horsepower. It works pretty well, but does require quite a few large chunks of software to run on your handset and generally pairing with a recent Samsung phone ensures the best experience (the watch has Email functionality only when paired with a Galaxy smartphone);
• Samsung has gone the extra mile by getting a few partners on board the project. Their respective contributions to the Gear S2 are quite interesting and showcase the full customizability and flexibility of the custom Tizen OS;
• NFC is a nice addition to the mix and adds some extra value to the wearable, making it a convenient wireless payment accessory, much like the Apple Watch. Still, it is important to note that it does also require a merchant with a compatible NFC terminal (no LoopPay technology), making it most applicable in Asian markets and somewhat in the US;

But how does the Gear S2 fit into the ever-growing smartwatch market. Being unique can often give you an edge, but lately the Android Wear crowd has become increasingly competitive with some great hardware such as the Huawei Watch and the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition entering the scene.

Granted, the Gear S2 is still very early in its lifecycle and hasn't had time to extend its reach outside the home Korean turf, China and the US, but initial reports seem to show that the wearable is already enjoying an avalanche of success in Asia. Whether or not this will translate to popularity on the international scene is anybody's guess, but with a price tag of around $350 for the standard model and $380 for the Classic one, viable alternative for the Gear S2 are plenty. Naturally, some of them might be a better fit for your particular needs, so it's worth giving them a quick rundown.

First, let's take a quick look at the rest of Samsung's wearable family and see how different the Gear S2 truly is from its siblings. As already mentioned, the Korean giant is among the veterans in the niche, but we will confine ourselves to recent models. The first that comes to mind is, of course, the Gear S.

Looking at the pair, however, we can't help but wonder why Samsung didn't go with a new family name for the S2, as they are worlds apart. The only real similarity seems to be in the already discussed custom Tizen approach and the set of advanced features that are available on both models to some extent. But even this isn't exactly true. The Gear S2 might be a feature-rich smartwatch, but its predecessor is nothing short of a wearable smartphone. Its curved and spacious 2.0-inch rectangular display is the polar opposite of the relatively small 1.2-inch round one in the S2. So is the design, featuring rougher edges and even a home button. But, if you are all about the features and want nothing short of a full wearable replacement for your phone, then the Gear S will not disappoint.

Samsung Gear S

On the other hand, if activity tracking is what you are after, with a pinch of smart functionality, then you can definitely opt for the Gear Fit. It will set you back a lot less than the Gear S2, while still delivering Samsung's advanced S Health bundle. However, you might be a bit less inclined to wear it to a dinner party.

Back in the more traditional looking smartwatch realm, there are a few other options to look into. A $350 budget puts most any LG offer into reach. That includes the LG G Watch R and its metal sibling - the Watch Urbane. Both are quite similar in terms of hardware and still relevant and enjoying the latest Android Wear, despite their age.

 
LG G Watch R W110 • LG Watch Urbane W150

And if you don't mind something bulkier and have some use in mind for an added cell connection, there are also the LG Watch Urbane LTE and the Watch Urbane 2nd edition. The former is somewhat of a stretch, given its limited availability, but the latter is a true next-generation device, topping charts, as far as hardware goes with a 1.38-inch display and a resolution of 480 x 480 pixels.

 
LG Watch Urbane LTE • LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition

We haven't forgotten about Motorola as well. The original Moto 360 remains a true fan favorite. Despite being a first generation device and not offering a truly round display, its Android Wear OS is up to date, just like the LG range, it looks stylish, offers a bigger 1.56-inch screen, but perhaps best of all, is now extremely affordable. Motorola also offers an updated version that camo out this year, along with an additional smaller display option at 1.36 inches. Be advised that the flat tire screen form factor is still present, which could be a drawback for some.

  
Motorola Moto 360 (1st gen) • Motorola Moto 360 42mm (2nd gen) • Motorola Moto 360 46mm (2nd gen)

Of course, we can't fail to mention the exquisite Huawei Watch. Arguably the most stylish Android Wear device to date, it is still somewhat elusive, but can still be tracked down online. However, bear in mind that it's truly premium nature doesn't come cheap.

Huawei Watch

All things considered, the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 is a powerful and stylish, well rounded device and deserves every bit of the success that is coming its way. It is simply impossible not to like or at least be intrigued by the wearable, as it offers a fresh new take on things and if nothing else is simply different in every way. That, however, is both its biggest strength and weakness. The Gear S2 will be a perfect choice for the right fan.