Hands On: Samsung’s Gear S2 Brings Some Elegance to the Smartwatch

Yahoo ^ | September 3, 2015 | Rob Pegoraro

[bolobaby]

Samsung’s new Gear S2 smartwatch reminds me of an Apple product. No, not the Apple Watch — the original iPod.

Its clever spinning bezel, which lets you quickly switch between apps and select things within them, offers some of the same discoverable agility as the iPod’s click-wheel dial. “Elegant” is not the word I’d use to describe my experiences with many smartwatches. But after an hour of trying out the S2 (at this week’s IFA trade show in Berlin), that description seems to fit.

Fit and feel The Gear S2 — announced Monday and due in October at an unannounced price — comes in three basic versions: the regular S2 (at left below), the more traditional-looking S2 Classic (on the right), and a 3G-capable version that you can use as a phone on its own (with your wireless carrier collecting an extra fee for the privilege).

[SJSAMPLE]

Smartwatch and “elegant” have yet to go together.
Both Apple and Samsung products still demonstrate that there is a long way to go. Any device that attempts to replicate the phone will NOT, by functional definition and design, be “elegant” on the wrist.

[bolobaby]

Meh. We’ll see. I did think the bezel scroll was nifty.

[RJS1950]

Looks nice. I’ve had the Gear S for about a year. Nice functionality, beats the Apple watch from what I’ve seen to compare. Mine is a bit bulky (only slightly bigger) but I wear it every day. Tells the time in various formats, brings in my phone calls and can be used hands free, gives me detailed local weather, tracks fitness, plays music, lets me scan/read my emails, has a scheduler, messaging, a navigator, news feed, alarm, and a bit more. Syncs to my Samsung smartphone. The Gear series has been out longer than the Apple Watch and seems to be a better product.

[Swordmaker]

Ping for the Android list, ThunderSleeps

[ThunderSleeps]

Smart watches ... yea or nay, more and more keep coming... — ANDROID PING!
Android Ping! If you want on or off the Android Ping List, Freepmail me.

[kingu]

First impression is that it looks really nice; hard to say how functional when reviewers can't take it out into the sunlight to see how it performs in a little bit of real world. I'm curious to know if the 3G version is truly stand alone, not requiring a phone to perform all functions (including payment.) That actually could be a deal maker for some, as an extra sim chip can even be free on some plans these days.

I like the bezel control - figured that eventually someone would nab onto that idea. The expected battery life I guess is standard now, though I've long grown used to the once a week charging for the Pebble.

Slightly disappointed that they've abandoned Android Wear - proprietary designs are really susceptible to becoming abandonware in a very short time. The unique charger is one more thing to pack while traveling.

All in all, it looks good, it appears to function moderately well, and has options that let you get some functionality on an over night trip. Another contender for the wrist, but it really is hard to justify the expense and extra hassle of use when I've already got a smart watch.

[kingu]

First impression is that it looks really nice; hard to say how functional when reviewers can't take it out into the sunlight to see how it performs in a little bit of real world. I'm curious to know if the 3G version is truly stand alone, not requiring a phone to perform all functions (including payment.) That actually could be a deal maker for some, as an extra sim chip can even be free on some plans these days.

I like the bezel control - figured that eventually someone would nab onto that idea. The expected battery life I guess is standard now, though I've long grown used to the once a week charging for the Pebble.

Slightly disappointed that they've abandoned Android Wear - proprietary designs are really susceptible to becoming abandonware in a very short time. The unique charger is one more thing to pack while traveling.

All in all, it looks good, it appears to function moderately well, and has options that let you get some functionality on an over night trip. Another contender for the wrist, but it really is hard to justify the expense and extra hassle of use when I've already got a smart watch.

[bolobaby]

The standalone functionality was VERY interesting, imho. The ability to walk around and not worry where the phone is in relation to the watch seems very powerful. To me, this kind of functionality actually gives these smart watches a real purpose: it’s a more portable extension of your phone. I can leave the phone on the charger and still gain some measure of functionality.

With the iWatch, I didn’t get it. Why would I want a second device to see what’s happening on the other device *that I basically had to lug around anyway???*

No - the wifi link is huge.

Of course, I’m a pretty active guy, doing all sorts of crazy chores, so I’d love to see a model that looks more like a Casio G-Shock for durability instead of all this fancy-schmanzy jewelry-wear. I wear a sports coat at work most days, and I still prefer my G-Shock over “pretty” watches. I guess that’s just my military background.