Samsung galaxy gear watch review. Samsung Galaxy Gear Review - Smart Sports Watch

Recently launched in Russia official sales smart watch Samsung Gear S3, inheriting elements of the “ancestor” Gear S2 and expressing them in a new combination of design and functionality. Today we will look at what innovations Samsung company implemented in this device.

Specifications

• Screen: 1.3", IPS Super AMOLED, 16 million colors, 360x360 pixels, capacitive, 392 ppi;
• Operating system: Tizen 2.3.2;
• Processor: Exynos 7270, 1 GHz;
• RAM: 750 MB;
• Built-in memory: 4 GB;
• Battery: Li-Ion 380 mAh;
• Dimensions: 49 x 46 x 12.9 mm;
• Weight: 59 g (Classic), 63 g (Frontier);
• Communication: WIFI: 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2 (A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP), GPS/GLONASS;
• Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, barometer, light sensor;
• Available versions: Classic, Frontier.

Equipment

The watch is supplied in a cylindrical box made of thick matte black cardboard. The design of the lid is made in the form of a now popular technique - relief concentric circles. The company and model names are embossed. Depending on the version, the color of the top edge varies.

Unpacking is the main ritual after purchase, on which the first impression of the type of device depends. The Samsung Gear S3 is straightforward in this regard. You lift the top part of the “cylinder” - and there the watch lies beautifully on a stand for wireless charging, and the inscription “Samsung” is engraved, like the signature of the author. As they say, “you just have to extend your hand and they are yours.”

The above is placed on a plastic platform (the entire inner surface of the box is made of plastic), under which there are a user manual and a warranty card, in which everything is written in a tiny font; to read it, you need to strain your eyes, as well as a 5V 0.7A charger with a wire 1 meter long, which connects to a magnetic stand via a microUSB connector.

Appearance and features

The overall appearance of both versions of the Gear S3 is relatively similar, with a stainless steel composite body held together by four screws. A metal bezel rotates around the 1.3-inch display, making it easy to navigate through the interface. The watch has a standard mount for a 22 mm strap - this expands the possibilities of customization appearance, limited only by the variety of straps available.

The lower part is identical in both cases and contains an optical heart rate monitor with two LEDs, inscriptions indicating the model name, country of manufacture - Vietnam, and CE marking.

On the right side of the watch there are two buttons: “back” and “home”, next to the second there is a microphone.

On the other side there are three small speaker holes.

External differences concern the front part. Starting from the color (black for Frontier and silver chrome for Classic) and the shape of the buttons, to the material of the strap (genuine leather for Classic and silicone for Frontier), as well as weight - the weight of the watch officially indicated by the manufacturer is 59 and 63 g for Classic and Frontier respectively, but due to the straps the weight increases to 72 and 87 g, which is already more noticeably felt during direct use.

Samsung Gear S3 is protected according to the IP68 standard, which means complete protection from dust and moisture, as well as immersion in fresh water up to one and a half meters for 30 minutes, however, the manufacturer notes on the official website and in the quick start instructions that swimming, showering and exercising Diving in them is prohibited. On the contrary, a consultant at the official Samsung store assured that you can swim in them safely. It is worth noting that the warranty does not cover damage caused by disruption or interruption of operation of the device due to flooding.

Unfortunately, in practice we were not able to test their water resistance, since someone opened the samples before us and did not tighten the screws completely, we decided not to risk it.
The Gear S3 Frontier also differs from the Classic in that it can withstand extreme temperature changes.

Regarding shock resistance, it is assumed that the steel case should withstand an ordinary drop from a height of one and a half meters (a typical height when putting a watch on the wrist), and the protruding bezel should protect the screen from direct physical impact. The display itself is protected from scratches and can withstand accidental contact even with metal objects such as a subway handrail or a car door.

Despite the same price for both versions, Frontier looks more expensive than Classic. It seems that the Classic was created as an addition to the "core" Frontier. Perhaps it’s the “whale” strap; on the Classic it looks rustic, poor, and not at all elegant, while on the Frontier it only adds even more brutality.

Frontier is very difficult to put on due to the thick silicone strap, which does not slip at all, but it is wider and fits snugly on the hand, and also better withstands diving, temperature changes and other extreme situations. Classics, on the contrary, are aimed at calm behavior of the “wearer”; with classic analogue dials, they look like ordinary wristwatches, which is why the user will be able to surprise “unenlightened” friends by raising his hand to see the time, and then twist the bezel to check the weather, notifications, find out the latest news, or even answer a call or write an SMS.

Display

What makes the Samsung Gear S3 look like a watch is its 1.3-inch (32.9 mm) round screen, equipped with IPS matrix Super AMOLED with a resolution of 360x360 pixels, the density of which is 392 ppi. The clarity of the image is colossal, even the smallest symbols of the additional dials are visible without graininess.

The degree of brightness change is measured in 10 points, but the adaptive adjustment function depending on the lighting eliminates the problem of constant adjustment.
Color rendition is at the highest level, viewing angles are as wide as the maximum angle possible when looking at the watch.
The screen is covered with a layer of scratch-resistant glass and has an oleophobic coating.

The Always-on-display feature, as the name suggests, instead of turning off the screen, reduces the backlight level to a minimum so that the user does not have to shake his hand to activate the clock and see the time.

Iron

Samsung has equipped the Gear S3 with a dual-core ARM Cortex-A53 1 GHz Exynos 7270 processor, built on a 14 nm process technology that provides lower power consumption and improved performance (The Gear S2 uses Exynos 3250, 28 nm, ARM Cortex-A7, 1 GHz).

The applications and watch faces installed on the watch do not require as many resources as, for example, for smartphones, so 750 MB of RAM (500 MB in the Gear S2) is enough to quickly switch between elements of the Tizen OS interface.

Of the 4 GB of internal memory, only 1.6 GB is available to the user. They can be used as a storage for installed applications, images both sent to the Gear, and screenshots of the watch itself, as well as music tracks for playback by the built-in player through the watch’s speaker or a Bluetooth headset connected to it.

On back side Gear S3 is equipped with an optical heart rate sensor, which reads very clearly, accurately repeating the heartbeat rhythm during the measurement process.

For lovers of hiking (especially mountain hiking), the Samsung Gear S3 has a built-in barometer and altimeter. The first measures pressure in hectopascals (hPa) and inches of mercury (inHg), and also shows a graph of further pressure changes based on data for the last 6 hours. If we convert hPa to mmHg. and compare with a regular home barometer, the difference in readings is minimal.
Altimeter (altimeter) is a device for measuring the altitude of an object’s “flight” based on GPS data.
The Samsung Gear S3 has a built-in NFC module for using the Samsung Pay service.

The watch can work either in tandem with a smartphone or as an independent device; to do this, you need to activate the Offline mode, which breaks the Bluetooth connection with the smartphone and all functions such as answering calls, showing notifications, receiving messages, etc. Uses built-in Wi-Fi to install apps and watch faces, and Bluetooth for connectivity wireless headphones. This mode Designed primarily for training without a smartphone.

Software

Samsung Gear S3 runs on an open operating system platform based on Linux kernels- Tizen 2.3.2, adapted for the “watch” shell.
The public today debates especially actively about the benefits and functionality of smart watches, because the wearable electronics market is “blooming”, new players are appearing, and competition is growing.

Some say it's a waste Money, and those who confirm the benefits are divided into two “camps” - the first put sports functions at the forefront (pedometer, altimeter, heart rate monitor with appropriate software, etc.), and the second believe that it is not the functionality that is important, but the design and first of all, convenience, manifested in the fact that the watch allows you to constantly stay up to date with events, and not waste energy every time taking the phone out of your pocket (new notifications, instant reading and replying to messages, checking the weather, BT headset functions, etc.) etc.), and fitness functions are perceived only as an addition.

Samsung Gear S3 may well reconcile the controversial supporters of smart watches, as it perfectly combines functions that will suit everyone.

To connect the Gear S3 to a smartphone and configure some programs, you need to install the Gear S application, available on Google Play and AppStore; the features and nuances of how the application works with iOS and Android will be discussed below.

The watch face is the central element of the “home page”, where you can add widgets and switch between them on the right side, and to the left of the watch face you can scroll through new notifications.

Pressing the home button opens a list of installed applications. They are also arranged in a circle. Some pre-installed applications aimed at fast access to smartphone functions:

• Phone - opens a list of recent calls, contacts, and also allows you to dial any number and call directly from the watch.
• Contacts - allows you to select a contact (search) and call or send SMS directly from the watch. There are 4 types of input available to choose from: keyboard, dictation, drawing, emoticons.

• Weather - updates the weather data of cities selected in the Gear S application via a smartphone and displays the information on the watch screen.

• Music - combines the function of controlling music playback on a smartphone and a full-fledged mp3 player. Selected tracks are transferred to the watch's internal memory via the Gear S app on your smartphone.

• S Voice - voice assistant, analogue of Siri, is capable of many things - from calling a contact or phone number, to viewing weather data, getting directions and searching for places. Displays information on the screen of a watch or smartphone.

• Organizer applications: Reminders, Calendar, World clock, Alarm clock.

• Flipboard News Briefing - a short, up-to-date news digest.

• Find phone - a useful utility that launches sound signal on a smartphone. Helps to find it not only if it goes missing in an apartment or house, but also if it is stolen or lost.

Samsung claims there are over 10,000 apps available in the Galaxy Apps store - which doesn't seem to be true. Besides the huge number of watch faces (including paid ones), most of which were developed during the Gear S2 era, the applications that are suitable for installation on the Gear S3 mainly belong to the “health and fitness” group, or these are utilities from industry giants, like Yandex with a metro map and traffic jams.

S Health

S Health is an application developed by Samsung to track the activity of the owner of the Gear S3 watch (or Gear Fit bracelet). First, you need to download the application from Google Play, then create or log into an existing Samsung account, and then indicate your physical data and activity level.

The watch app counts steps, calories, floors (based on altimeter data), regularly measures heart rate, monitors activity, reminds you to warm up every hour, and recognizes sleep time. You can keep track of the amount of water and coffee you drink,

S Health is a great training assistant. The database contains 16 types of exercises, each of which has a specific set of monitored activities. So, for example, while riding a bicycle, the watch will count speed, calories, distance and heart rate.

The smartphone program has a wide range of functions. The main goal is to maintain statistics, not only based on data from the Gear S3, but also by manually entering data. Using the program, you can control the number of calories consumed by choosing a dish - you can search through restaurant menus! You can also monitor your weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc.

The “Goals” mode will clearly show the progress of achievement the required level activity, nutrition, sleep.

In the “Together” tab, you can compare your results with all S Health users, or with your age group, or you can add friends and arrange a competition.

Working with Android

It's no secret, and it's obvious that this watch will work flawlessly with Samsung smartphones, including instant connection, fast exchange content and the Samsung Pay function (but this is not certain, we have not checked). The manufacturer also promises stable operation (or explains how to eliminate the shortcomings as much as possible) on the page of the global website with a list of devices compatible with the watches being reviewed, therefore, in order to answer the question about the interaction of the Gear S3 with any interpretation of Android OS, we chose the hero as a “guinea pig” recent review, Chinese Umi Max.

A pleasant surprise was that after installing the Samsung Gear application, as well as the two plug-ins required for operation, all functions except Samsung Pay work as they should. The connection was easy and quick, applications downloaded and updated reliably.

Despite the fact that our device is far from Samsung, S Health works to the maximum.

A couple of times there was an unexpected break in the watch-smartphone pair and to restore the connection I had to reboot the watch.

Working with iOS

In the last quarter of 2016, a beta version of the Gear S application based on iOS began to circulate on the Internet for connection with the Gear S2 and S3 smart watches and the Gear Fit fitness bracelet. Then, to install this application, you had to do several machinations in iPhone settings. On January 7, 2017, this application became available for download in the Russian AppStore. Its rating is unimportant, although there are not enough reviews, which suggests that there are quite a few perverted individuals who are ready to “connect the incompatible.”

First iPhone contact with Gear S3 is the most difficult and patient task. To connect to the phone, the device uses two Bluetooth channels: Bluetooth LE (Low Energy - a standard with lower energy consumption) to maintain the connection and management functions such as sending messages, reading notifications, controlling music, etc., and to use the watch as a Bluetooth headset , that is, for conversations using the built-in speaker and microphone, it is used standard bluetooth channel.

You cannot close the application. It should always be running at least in the background.
The connection is quite fast, but downloading, installing and updating applications takes a very long time. So long that this may not happen at all. It is better to install applications one at a time, maximum two at a time, otherwise you will have to restart everything and get rid of installation errors that constantly pop up.

The release version of the Gear S app is not far from the beta version. While using it to write a review, there were permanent freezes, lags, and disconnections. Many features, such as sending images from your watch to your phone, are not available.

S Health for iOS does not exist, it is included in the Gear S. Available measurements: steps, floors, water, caffeine, sleep, heart rate and 4 activities: walking, running, cycling, hiking.

Unfortunately, with the release of the tenth iOS versions, containing many additional features, in particular the effects of sent messages and stickers that will not be displayed in notifications, there is no point in buying the Gear S3, and the brand itself seems to oblige you to buy an Apple Watch, despite its price. If you remove the heart rate monitor and altimeter with barometer, the benefits from the Gear S3 for iPhone are as much as from Chinese clones of popular smartwatches for 2000 rubles.

Battery

Samsung Gear S3 is equipped with a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 380 mAh, which is 130 mAh more than the Gear S2. Charging is carried out by connecting to a magnetic stand and there is no other method provided. Samsung promises fast charging, but in fact the watch charges up to 50% in 2 hours, and fully in 4 hours.

After fully charged and immediately paired it with a smartphone at 17:00 on the first day, without breaking the connection and considering that 70% of the time the watch and phone were just lying on the table, sometimes notifications came social networks- thus the charge lasted for 70 hours.
Those who want to get the most out of their watch, that is, use it for training, for talking, monitoring sleep, constantly receiving and responding to notifications, messages, and all this with always-on GPS and the Always-on-display function, can expect an average of one and a half days battery life.

To (emergency) save battery power, the Gear S3 has a power-saving mode that switches the home screen theme to grayscale, disables all features except calls, messages and notifications, disables Wi-Fi, limits maximum performance. In this mode, the watch can work up to 5 hours on the remaining 10%.

Results and conclusions

Compared to the previous generation of Samsung Gear, the watch marked with the number 3 has, in a word, grown. The screen has become larger, and most importantly, more convenient to use (although some may consider the size of the Gear S3 a disadvantage). Processor performance and RAM capacity have also increased. Gear S2 looked somehow frivolous, like a toy. Gear S3, if desired, can look like an expensive Swiss watch, you just need to set the desired dial and choose the appropriate strap.

Lovers of hiking and active image life will be chosen by the brutal Frontier. For people who are closer to business and business style, elegant Classic ones are suitable. With S Health it will be very easy to start managing healthy image life, and with a high-capacity battery, you will be less distracted by recharging.

Unfortunately, there are not very many applications in the local store, and for some watch faces the developers require a (sometimes considerable) fee. Internal memory is enough only in words, but iOS support still too raw.
In addition, the Gear S3 is not a cheap pleasure. Price in the Samsung store is 24,990 rubles.

Pros:

• Design, rotating bezel, large screen with excellent brightness and color reproduction
• Long autonomy
• Variety of watch faces
• S Health
• Works with any smartphone running Android above 4.4 and RAM from 1.5 GB
• Almost complete freedom of choice of strap
• Heart rate monitor, barometer, altimeter.

Minuses:

• Working with iOS
• Paid watch faces
• Few applications
• Price (as for a separate good smartphone)
• Long charge.

Despite the fact that Samsung was supposed to update its line of smartwatches to the Gear S4 in the middle of this year, the manufacturer released the Samsung Gear Sport sports watch. So, instead of a new watch, we got a slightly simplified sports version of the Gear S3.

Thus, users now have a good choice between two watches: classic and sports, not to mention the new cool fitness bracelet Gear Fit2 Pro at a lower price. But what about the Samsung Gear S4? What will the watch look like, what functions will it receive, and most importantly, when should we expect it? The Galagram publication has collected all the available information about this gadget in this article.

Samsung Gear S4 release date

The last announcement of wearable gadgets from Samsung was at the end of August 2017. And in November, the new items officially went on sale in Russia and Ukraine. Given the trend, we likely won't see the Gear S4 until IFA 2018 at the end of August.

It is also possible that Samsung will present its flagship watch, as usual, in February 2018. We really hope that the presentation will take place at the beginning of 2018 and fans will not have to wait another half a year until IFA 2018. After all, during this time, users tired of waiting may look towards the Apple Watch or more affordable Xiaomi (Huami) watches.

Specifications

The Gear 4 will continue to feature a high-resolution circular touchscreen display. In 2017, Samsung announced its new processor Exynos 7 Dual 7270, most likely it will become the heart of the new smartwatch. This chipset is powerful and does not consume a lot of power - perfect for wearable electronics. In addition to all this, it is equipped with a 4G LTE modem, which you will not find in the Gear S3 Sport.

Among others Samsung specifications The Gear S4 is worth expecting protection from moisture and dust, physical keys on the body and, as usual, an excellent design and stylish appearance.

Features of Gear S4

There are already so many features available in the Gear S3 that, according to statistics, the average user does not include about 70% of them. Everyday life. Good news for geeks: the Gear S4 will have even more of these features.

Edge display

If it works on the Galaxy, why not do the same trick with the Gear S4? So we've seen phones with curved screens, but will such a display be used in watches? One of Samsung's patents suggests that such an outcome is very likely.

On the side of the screen, the Gear S4 will offer quick notifications with basic information such as date, time and weather. The display will also only rotate 90 degrees and is divided into top and bottom sections, although it's not clear from this patent why.

Charging via smartphone

It is possible that one of the main features of the Samsung Gear S4 will be the ability to charge directly from your smartphone. Today, almost all flagships and mid-range devices have large batteries (hello iPhone). Such devices can not only hold a charge all day, but also recharge external devices.

The same Xiaomi Mi Max 2 with a 5400 mAh battery can act as an external battery. In fact, the Samsung Gear S4 watch can be charged using a smartphone by simply connecting it via a USB Type-C port.

For several years now, smartphone manufacturers have been trying to gain a foothold in the watch market, and watch companies have been trying to expand the functionality of standard accessories. And if for the latter this is just an attempt to find a new market without compromising basic sales, then for the former not everything is so smooth.

More recently, Motorola (Lenovo) abandoned the production of smart watches, Pebble was sold to Fitbit and will also not produce wearable accessories. In fact, there are still two strong players on the market who are not abandoning the watch direction - Apple and Samsung.

Both companies recently introduced new generations of smartwatches. The Apple company launched its Watch series 2 in September, and a week earlier its top-end wearable gadget, the Gear S3 Samsung.

We tested both versions Gear S3 - Classic and Frontier. Their only difference for Belarusians is the design (Frontier, in addition, received 4G support through the so-called eSIM, but we don’t have them yet).

On the left is the Gear S3 Classic, on the right is the Gear S3 Frontier.

See the table below for device characteristics:

Display	1.3″, SAMOLED, 360×360 pixels
CPU	dual core, 1 GHz
RAM	768 MB
Persistent memory	4 GB, of which 3.5 GB available
Wireless modules	Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, Wi-Fi b/g/n, NFC
Sensors	gyroscope, accelerometer, heart rate sensor, barometer, altimeter
Water and dust protection	IP68
Battery	380 mAh, 3−4 days of operation
Dimensions	46×49×12.9 mm
Weight	63/59 grams (Frontier/Classic)
Compatibility	Android 4.4 or higher, 1.5 GB RAM

Design: not a watch for girls

Samsung, like Apple, is going in the right direction by releasing smart watches that are as similar as possible to regular watches. Indeed, in the age of cell phones, watches have partially lost their main function, acting more as an accessory.

Everything is fine here. The brutal matte black metal body of the Frontier and Classic, made of polished metal, looks cool and expensive. Notice how the buttons and bezels are designed on both models:

The advantage of the devices is that they have replaceable straps. standard size(22 mm). Thus, you can choose this part to suit your taste, even if you do not like the options offered by the manufacturer.

The watch we tested had a polyurethane designer strap from Arik Levy (for the Frontier) and a classic black leather strap (for the Classic).

As for the dial design, it’s probably hard not to find something for yourself. In addition to several pre-installed options, there is a huge app store with paid and free options. Most of them can be further customized (for example, choose color scheme and font).

The watch faces are downloaded using a smartphone (via the Samsung Gear application). You can select one of the preinstalled/downloaded options either through your smartphone or directly on the watch (long tap on the screen).

The fly in the ointment is the size of the watch. If they look harmonious on a man’s hand, then most girls will clearly prefer a more compact option.

The watch looks very bulky on a girl’s hand.

Apple wins in this regard, offering customers two sizes for each variant of its watches.

And here’s how this watch looks next to the rather large “regular” Fossil:

Convenient control and pairing with a smartphone

For the second generation in a row, Samsung smartwatches support control using a rotating bezel above the display and two physical buttons on the right side. This option is convenient for people with large fingers and winter time years (no need to remove gloves).

In addition, no one bothers you to use it to control touchscreen, however, in our opinion, using the bezel and buttons is still more convenient.

That is why the menu, standard and downloadable programs and games are adapted to fit the rim. I rarely use the screen on my watch.

There were no problems connecting to a smartphone either. All you need is an Android device (version 4.4 KitKat or higher) with 1.5 GB of RAM, optionally made by Samsung, and the Samsung Gear application, which can be downloaded from Google Play.

Screen, battery and water protection

Before moving on to the most important thing, a few words about the screen and battery.

The screen is very bright and contrasty - Super AMOLED, after all, is easy to read even outdoors on a sunny day (yes, we caught such a day in December). In normal mode, nothing is displayed on it, but when you turn the dial towards you - standard movement to view the time, the screen lights up.

In addition, there is an Always On mode - when the time on the clock is constantly displayed (with dimmed brightness), but in this case the battery consumption occurs much faster. Considering the good operation of turning on a gesture, there is no need for it.

Speaking of battery life. Samsung promises 3-4 days without recharging, and this is true.

We tried the watch in two modes. In the first case, very active use: responses to notifications, including using voice dialing, calls by speakerphone, downloading and selecting watch faces, playing games and running built-in applications. In this case, the gadget lasted a little more than 3 days.

In normal mode: viewing the time and notifications, a couple of calls on the speakerphone (convenient in the car), an alarm clock/calendar and 20 minutes of games - the watch was able to withstand about 4.5 days. In both cases, the Always On function was not used.

So you can fully count on 3 days of work even with the most active use of the Samsung Gear S3. By the way, there is a power saving mode that limits the operation of the modules and makes the picture black and white.

Another important point - full protection moisture protection devices - IP68. So they are not afraid of heavy rain, showers or swimming pools.

What can Samsung's most advanced smartwatches do?

Almost everything a regular smartphone can do, minus watching videos, plus a more convenient fitness component.

Heart rate sensor in Samsung Gear S3.

The watch replaces the main gadget so much that during testing I left the smartphone on the table a couple of times. Luckily, the watch starts to vibrate when you move far away from the paired device.

Using the watch, you can receive and make calls, write and read SMS messages or e-mail, respond to messages in instant messengers, including using your voice (very convenient while driving, high quality recognition).

In the watch you can create reminders and view the calendar, use a calculator and currency converter, listen to music - both from a smartphone and from the internal memory (initially about 3 GB free), watch the weather forecast and the latest news (via the built-in application).

There are even a few simple games here - in case your smartphone is dead, and even a browser.

You can access the Internet using a smartphone or directly from the watch (via the built-in Wi-Fi module). True, such web browsing is very uncomfortable for the eyes due to the very small size Pictures:

Thanks to the built-in GPS, altimeter and heart rate sensor, the watch becomes an excellent assistant for fitness - with it, you don’t need a smartphone at all while jogging (you can listen to music through Bluetooth headphones from the built-in memory). In addition, the gadget signals if your heart rate is too high during exercise.

But even if you are not a fan of jogging, the gadget will not allow you to constantly sit or lie down, periodically requiring you to move. There’s even a “motivational touch” here - the watch “happy” when you get up or when you set a record for the number of floors covered on foot (yes, the Gear S3 counts floors).

What is not here (and not needed, given the specifics of the device) is a video player.

Is it worth it or not to buy the Gear S3 smartwatch?

In Belarus, the new Samsung smart watch was priced at 750 rubles (7.5 million in the old way or $385). Main competitor— Apple watches — cost from 715 rubles for the simplest 42 mm version of Watch edition 1 or 1,100 rubles for Watch edition 2. Thus, despite the high cost, Samsung's offer is very competitive.

Regular watch versus Smart version

For the same money (and even much cheaper) you can buy regular watches from well-known watch brands with good design. Is it worth paying extra for smart functionality? The question is complex.

I'm glad that latest versions Samsung smartwatches have become similar to regular watches. Now users don't have to pay huge amounts of money for a plastic trinket. It’s also good that the Korean company uses standard 22 mm straps in these watches.

As for the dial, regular watch it certainly looks better. However, on the Gear S3 (and other smartwatches) you have the option to change it at least every 10 seconds.

The big disadvantage of smartwatches is that they need to be constantly charged (this process takes a couple of hours), and if you forget to do this, they simply turn into an expensive accessory on your wrist. It’s good that the Gear S3 lasts much longer without charging than the Apple Watch (about twice as long).

Included wireless charging for Samsung Gear S3.

Smart watch vs smartphone

Why do we need smart watches if they simply duplicate (and not always fully) the functionality of a smartphone in your pocket or purse?

The watch will not let you forget your smartphone at home or at work, will not let you miss a call, will allow you to view and respond to an incoming message if it is currently inconvenient to do so on your smartphone, and will completely take over the fitness component (including its motivational part).

On the other hand, most of these amenities are covered up by much cheaper fitness bracelets (which, however, do not look as solid).

Samsung's smartwatches turned out great. It has an attractive design, ease of control, ample capabilities, and long battery life.

However, before buying a rather expensive (but only auxiliary) gadget, you need to weigh the degree of its usefulness for yourself.

We thank Samsung for providing us for testing smart watch Gear S3.

Specifications

• Screen 2 inches, 360x480 pixels, OLED
• Built-in Li-Pol 300 mAh battery, up to two days of operation
• Tizen OS
• Dimensions – 39.8x58.3x12.5 mm
• Silicone strap, body color white or black
• Water and dust protection IP67
• 2G (900/1800), 3G (900/2100), microSIM
• 512 MB RAM, 4 GB internal memory
• BT 4.1, Wi-Fi b/g/n, USB 2.0
• Dual-core 1 GHz processor
• Navigation Here

Contents of delivery

• Charger, combined with battery
• Instructions

Positioning

In the Gear line, the Gear S watch is already the third generation and the flagship among all devices. If the second generation of watches was a work on the mistakes of the first, and the same Gear Live is a cast from them, but only on Android Wear, then the current Gear S is a slightly different approach, an experiment in a different direction. Let's start with the fact that Samsung decided to equip the watch with its own microSIM card, that is, you can make calls on it without a companion phone. But they retained all the functionality of the previous watches - that is, you can use the watch as a companion to your phone or tablet, or you can call directly from it or enjoy all the benefits of civilization. This fundamental difference– the Gear S watch can be either an independent device that can be used without a phone, or a companion to the latter.

This opens up fundamentally different use cases for us. For example, you can take this watch to the pool and receive a call on it, without having to take your phone with you. The same goes for the beach and other similar places. The presence of a full-fledged communication module inside could not but affect the operating time when using it, as well as the cost of the device, which is the highest in the Gear line. This is the flagship among Samsung smartwatches and a rather interesting device, which implements a number of new functions.

This is not only a watch for enthusiasts, but a completely mature product for the market and ordinary consumers. On the other hand, this segment still remains undeveloped, and as a result, it is impossible to expect that anyone other than enthusiasts will pay close attention to them. Let's see what they have to offer.

Design, dimensions, control elements

Plastic case, rectangular shape - the watch is quite large, but quite thin. They look good on the hand, but it all depends on whether this shape suits you or not.

The strap clasp has changed, it is just a latch, quite reliable. The size of the strap is quite sufficient even for large hands. As in the second generation of watches, there is no electronics in the strap, it is just a regular strap. The watch is offered in white and black colors.

The strap is replaceable, whether there will be additional colors is unknown, keeping in mind previous models, you shouldn't count on it. But during the announcement of this product they showed “fashionable” straps with Swarovski crystals.

For me, this is complete bad taste - the only consolation is that you definitely won’t find this “beauty” in stores, this is more an announcement of cooperation between companies than a real product that can be found in retail.

Putting the strap on the watch case is not difficult, but it will take a little effort. Still, the curved shape of the body has an effect.

OLED screen, curved to fit your hand, the diagonal is 2 inches, and the resolution is already quite decent - 360x480 pixels. Due to the curvature of the screen, it sometimes glares, but in real life this does not cause problems, the picture is visible in various conditions, it is quite comfortable.

On the inside of the watch you can see a heart rate sensor, as well as a slot for a SIM card, it is of the microSIM standard. When you open the connector, the watch will automatically turn off, insert a card, and it will turn on.

IP67 protection standard is supported, which means you can not only wash your hands in the Gear S, but also swim with it, which is nice. Among the controls, there is only one button under the screen, under the screen there is a light indicator, it can adjust the screen backlight. Nearby is an ultraviolet radiation sensor; for obvious reasons, it was moved to the outer surface. There is no camera on this watch, which makes it different from the Gear 2.

The charging block looks the same as in Gear 2, charging time is about 3 hours! This is one of the most serious shortcomings of the watch. The charging current is 0.15A, and the charging base itself is also external battery capacity 350 mAh. That is, after charging the watch, you can take the base and, if necessary, recharge it during the day. There is an indicator on the case that shows that the base is charging the watch.

I was confused by the issue with the external battery, it seems to hint that the watch cannot work for a long time on the built-in 300 mAh Li-Pol battery. The company claims up to two days of operation, without specifically indicating in what mode and how the watch can last that long. In my case, with an installed SIM card, a connected Bluetooth phone and notifications from all programs, plus email synchronization every 15 minutes, the watch always worked for about 1.5 days. A full day is guaranteed, less is impossible, and this does not take into account the external battery.

In the settings you can disable data transfer to installed SIM card(you don’t even have to install it at all!), then the operating time increases, and noticeably - up to two days or more, while all these watches are received from a companion smartphone. You can also play with other settings - limit the number of notifications, leave only the most necessary ones, change the screen brightness, and so on. Those who wish will be able to achieve it in 2-3 days stable operation, but no more.

I would also like to note that despite the fact that I almost always took the external unit with me, I never used it to charge the watch. There just wasn't a need. Rather, the watch was sent to charge in the evening, when I came home, at night I put it on already charged in order to control my sleep. IN real life I wouldn’t do this, since the full-fledged radio module in this watch emits, and taking such a toy to bed and leaving it on your hand is stupid. Therefore, the sleep control function is not very popular here, at least for me.

Perhaps it is necessary to say that the watch has a vibration alert and it feels great; I prefer to set it, since vibrating the watch on my hand is the best reminder. The signal may not be heard on the street, while the vibration is always felt.

There is a gyroscope and an acceleration sensor, so they are activated the moment you raise your hand to check the time. In our video you can see that this does not happen instantly, but with a slight delay. You cannot activate the watch by tapping the screen - this is done in a number of competing models.

The connection with the phone occurs via Bluetooth (version 4.1), and the watch can only work with one phone. In order to link them somewhere else, you need to reset all data. This can be considered a serious drawback, since you won’t be able to use the watch with a tablet and phone at the same time. And this is a very common scenario. Another serious disadvantage that struck me is that you can only set up the watch with a companion smartphone, despite the fact that this is a full-fledged device in all its characteristics. But the initial setup can only be done on the Galaxy Note 4 (Note EDGE as an option), no other devices are supported yet, and it’s unlikely that older models, even flagships, will be added to this list. We're already used to the fact that Samsung makes its smartwatches compatible only with its smartphones and tablets, but in the case of the Gear S, this compatibility is quite small. For many this will be a serious limitation.

Gear Manager on your phone - settings and applications

In order to use the watch, you need to pair it with your device (phone, tablets in the future). In the Samsung Apps application store, you need to download Gear Manager and then follow the prompts on the screen of your watch or phone.

In Gear Manager you can customize your preferences, select additional programs, which are installed on the clock. User-friendly interface for settings, since this is not so simple and easy to do on a watch due to the small size of the screen.

One of the pleasant surprises is the archiving of all your settings, that is, by resetting the clock, you will automatically get all the settings again, you will not need to do this work a second time.

I won’t describe all the manager’s capabilities. It is worth choosing a program that will launch when you double-click the center key.

Clock interface - management and work with them

You raise your hand, and the watch turns on the screen for 7 seconds, which by default displays the time, date and weather, or simply the dial you have chosen. The backlight time can be changed to longer, then the battery consumption will be greater. You can also choose different watch faces or clocks with application icons or with a pedometer - you need to hold your finger on the screen for the different variants dials.

In the settings, you can choose the font size for both menus and messages - the function allows you to customize everything to suit you, your vision.

On the main screen, just swipe up from the bottom and the main menu will appear. Moving from top to bottom goes one level higher, closing the current menu. I will describe the main features of the watch.

In contacts you can see your address book, and it is sorted alphabetically of the language selected in the menu, but then follows the second language and the option quick search. A line of favorite contacts with icons appears.

In the list of calls and SMS you can see who you spoke with, dial these numbers and talk directly from the watch, using it as a headset (there is no headphone output) - you listen to the sound from the speaker and speak into the body. If you move your watch far away, the sound for your interlocutor deteriorates.

Since the Gear S has the ability to make calls from the watch itself, I was interested in how call lists would be implemented. On the watch itself, you can choose which lists to display - by default, this is a combined list from two devices, that is, you see all calls - but calls from the watch's SIM card are not highlighted separately. This may not seem very convenient to some; after all, different SIM cards, different numbers. But considering that calling from a watch is not always convenient, at least without wireless headset, then this shortcoming can be forgiven.

Returning to the previous menu is done by moving from top to bottom, unlike the first Gear, there are no false positives and everything works perfectly.

S Voice - in theory, this is an excellent function for voice dialing, adding things to the calendar, sending SMS - in practice it practically does not work (recognition occurs on the watch). Even in a quiet room, S Voice is practically unusable - it doesn't work. On the street you can safely forget about its use. With a Russian interface, it also does not know how to search for English names in notebook, simply ignores them. Compared to Google's native voice functions, this is a bit of a stone age.

Music – control the music that is stored on your smartphone or on the watch itself, here you are free to choose what you want to control. You can use the watch as remote control for smartphone or tablet.

During calls, you can call them from your watch and send SMS templates, this is convenient.

I want to go into a little more detail about how you can call by the clock, because it makes your head spin. Let me start with the fact that the call you receive on your watch can also be received on your smartphone, that is, it acts as a headset. The exact opposite situation is also possible, when you can receive a call received on your smartphone’s SIM card on your watch – considering that you will have to speak publicly, this is not very convenient.

I connected the Gear Circle Bluetooth headset to the Note 4 and Gear S, it can work with several devices at the same time; this trick did not work with third-party headsets. Regardless of which device the call was received on, it was possible to receive it on the headset. It was more difficult with the last number dialed; dialing occurred from the device that you connected to the headset first, it had priority. In my opinion, it is the use of a wireless headset that is convenient way in order to work with such a watch-smartphone if you are going to use it for calls.

On the watch you can view notifications from any program, be it a built-in mail client or SMS or Whatsapp, Skype. You can also respond to messages here - you can dictate by voice, which is inconvenient, and the quality of recognition is terrible. Or you can type on a QWERTY keyboard; it's very small in size, but you can actually get into it even with your big sausage fingers. It is worth enabling continuous input in the keyboard settings, then typing will become noticeably easier, more accurate and faster.

Among the new features, I would like to mention navigation from Here, it works quite simply - just type or say where you want to go, and they will build a route for you. But before you can use navigation, you will have to install the Here program on your smartphone, otherwise nothing will work (download from Samsung App Store). I found the navigation quite slow, in contrast to the same Google Maps. The streets are drawn slowly on the map, although the connection is fast and there are no problems with data transfer. Apparently, this is how a bunch of software works on a watch and on a smartphone. There is almost no practical benefit from navigation using a watch - it is more convenient to take out a smartphone and look at the road on it.

A new option has appeared in S Health, this is the level of ultraviolet radiation, it shows how much radiation or, more precisely, light you received per day. A non-core feature, purely additional. The pedometer now has an accelerated pace option; it is assumed that during the day you need to take at least 100 steps with high acceleration. Data synchronization with the smartphone and the application on it is fully supported. The heart rate sensor works during rest, when you move, it usually malfunctions. Interestingly, it is possible to turn on sleep mode, then they take into account how you sleep - at this moment the watch turns off all reminders. You don’t have to hold them on your hand, you can put them on a table nearby and put them on in the morning - plus or minus, your sleep will be taken into account correctly (in time).

Pebble watches are open when it comes to software and settings. Galaxy Gear, in turn, is not.

You can look at different variations of Pebble watches here:

The branded bracelet in which the camera is mounted cannot be replaced. To make matters worse, this watch is only compatible with a handful of original devices Samsung company. In other words, not everyone will be able to get on board the Galaxy Gear. And that's totally fine, because there are plenty of devices on the market for everyone else who isn't interested in buying a compatible device and a Galaxy Gear unless they own the latter.

Our review will help identify the positive and negative characteristics of the Samsung Galaxy Gear device.

Review

The Galaxy Gear watch has a pretty nice design. I can honestly say that the images, even in high resolution, cannot compensate for the shortcomings of this device. The square-shaped metal dial and strap look attractive, to say the least.

The watch fits quite nicely and firmly, but we'll get to that a little later in the Assembly section. Samsung has the upper hand when it comes to displays. They make good screens for TVs, outstanding displays for smartphones, and if the Galaxy Gear is any indication, the company will be heading toward Smart Watch models of the present and future.

Galaxy Gear watches on display with AMOLED display With a diagonal of 1.63 inches (41.4 millimeters) and a resolution of 320*320, such a screen is fantastic for a Smart Watch. Another plus, besides the display, is that the watch sits comfortably on the wrist. It's clear from the introduction that the biggest problem with the Gear watch is its limitations. For most people, including amateurs Galaxy lines, it won't be difficult. If the Galaxy Gear were compatible with more devices, I would have noted this above.

Bottom line: 3 out of 5 – Galaxy Gear is excellent Smart Watch and it's exactly what you'd expect, but there are some serious issues that keep the device from being truly great.

Assembly

The device feels great sitting on your hand. Stainless steel frame suggests it can withstand heavy loads, but although the case is indestructible, it may have abrasions and scratches. The display was made of Corning Gorilla Glass, so there is no need to worry here.

You can take a look at this smartwatch here:

This last feature is very important because you would be surprised if you accidentally hit the watch while twisting your wrist. There is no need to worry about the durability of the rubberized wristband of this device because it can withstand heavy loads. It has built-in things like a conversation device and a camera sensor, so, as practice shows, the device is unlikely to work properly without a bracelet.

It is clear that Samsung designed and manufactured the Gear watch as a single unit, from the dial to the strap, to the clasp. It is not as durable as the steel bracelet on Pebble watches, but, of course, much better than the plastic bracelet from the same company.

You can see different variations of Pebble watches here:

The Galaxy Gear is much more attractive than the original Pebble watch, and at least more durable when it comes to the stainless steel dial.

The Gear is waterproof, which means you can't take it in the shower, but if you spill a little water, spill beer, or drool on it, it won't matter - it will work great. This is also good because the device will be much easier to clean, especially the screen and the parts that are most prone to getting dirty.

If you want a virtually indestructible device, then you'll certainly have to look elsewhere.

Build: 4 out of 5 – Overall build quality is fantastic, but there are some questionable elements, such as the rubberized (and branded) bracelet.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy Gear device has hit the market to be one of the most stylish Smartwatch options, at least until a new Android Wear device comes out. The dial and watch case are made of stainless steel. From the contoured shape of the device, you can tell that it fits comfortably on the wrist, and the bracelet is appropriate. Touch screen Protected by Corning Garilla Glass, which means fewer scratches and visible damage.

Samsung Review Galaxy Gear. Gadgetarium (video):

This is especially great because the 1.63-inch (41.4 millimeter) screen with a resolution of 320*320 looks quite beautiful, although without HD. What's really important about this screen is that you can see a clear picture in sunny weather, which is important for the time of use of the device. On the sides of the frame you will find a lock button and a microphone, and at the bottom there is a charging socket. There is a camera on the top of the bracelet.

In addition, on the bracelet, next to the clasp, you will find a speaker. These positional features indicate that the bracelet is an indivisible part of the device and cannot be detached or modified. This is such a nuisance, because the device would actually look good with a replaced leather strap. The biggest problem is the camera, but it's not that it doesn't work properly, it's that it's simply not needed.

To measure the shooting angle on the Smart Watch, Samsung placed a sensor on the bracelet. If the watch face is located on the top of your wrist and you are looking at it, then the camera is “facing” forward. In fact, taking photos with the camera will not be difficult. And it's more convenient than many might think.

The real problem is that the bulge detracts from the stylish design of the device. As for the dial, what catches your eye is the unsightly arrangement of four bolts. I wouldn't say that this is the thing that makes the device look ugly, but it is nonetheless an aesthetic element that could have been avoided or implemented better.

Check out our other articles:

Design: 4 out of 5 - Only minor issues with the Gear, it's actually one of the best Smartwatches on the market, but it also depends on what color you choose (some of the band styles are just awful).

Settings

The Galaxy Gear runs on a special version of the Android platform with Samsung TouchWiz. In the tech world, it is called a forked version of the Android platform because it has essentially been tampered with by the manufacturer. In this case, this is justified because the Android platform is not designed for devices with small screens, type Gear.

Strictly speaking, the Samsung device also became more difficult to set up than something simpler like the Pebble. So what can you configure? You can install apps, personalize gestures and control functions, change font size, and even create custom watch faces through third-party apps.

For the most part, however, what you see when you turn on the machine for the first time is what you get.

You can purchase the Gear watch in several color options, which means that you will actually receive a different color bracelet. Unfortunately, the band itself cannot be detached or modified because it is an integral part of the device and has things like a speaker and camera built into it.

When everything comes together, there's little you can do to personalize the device and make it yours. It's not necessarily a big deal for most people, but it's what you need to get the hang of it.

Customization: 3 out of 5 – Most personal data changes are software based, but you have the ability to see one third of the apps to create custom watch faces, what you see is what you get.

Functionality

Concerning additional equipment, the Gear comes with a micro-USB cable, which is the only way to charge the device. Specifications include an 800 MHz processor coupled with 512 MB of RAM. The device has 4 GB of memory, Bluetooth and several other components, such as an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

Take a look at other fitness watch models:

Using the NFC (non-contact communication) function, you can easily and quickly connect your device to a compatible Samsung smartphone. It is worth noting that a meager 315 mAh will last for less than a day. So you will be charging the device quite often. Once the device has been paired with a compatible device, you will need to do everything necessary through an application called Gear Manager.

This is the Holy Grail of the Gear - the ability to customize settings, install and uninstall apps, and more.

When it comes to the user experience, the device may seem confusing at first, but after a while you will get used to it. In fact, the watch interface is quite large and this is one of the main points.

Of course, the device is not perfect and there are some shortcomings, but the reality is that the device is quite affordable. If a clock appears on the home screen while you have an app open, then the inactivity timeout has expired.

On the home screen, you can swipe to access a module or make a call, swipe down to access the camera, left and right to access apps. Tapping and holding the screen with two fingers will open full list application, while double tap two fingers will show the battery percentage and simple settings. In short, the device seems easy to use, which is important.

When it comes to added functionality, the Gear pairs with your compatible Samsung device so you can receive notifications and make calls from it. There is no other way to say it than “this is exactly what you expected from a Smart Watch.”

Functionality: 4.5 out of 5 – the device functions as you would expect, no more, but no less.

Compatibility

The device is not compatible with a large number of devices, to be precise, only with Samsung devices. Moreover, it is not compatible with a wide range of Samsung mobile phones, only a few of them.

By all rights, the Galaxy Gear watch should be considered one of the most exclusive devices of the year - VIP members only. As they say, Samsung has the majority of the market share when it comes to mobile device owners. If you own a Samsung watch-compatible device, the Gear will work great, otherwise you're just out of luck. You can check the device compatibility with the official and current list by clicking here.

Compatibility: 2 out of 5 – The Samsung Galaxy Gear is only compatible with select Samsung devices and that's the problem.

Conclusion

While the Galaxy Gear is one of the best Smart Watches on the market, there is one glaring problem - it's only compatible with a small number of Samsung phones. This means that if you're shopping for one of Samsung's latest and greatest devices, you'll have to look elsewhere.

The design is attractive, the build quality is excellent, and all the potential is there. There are even some fairly standard options for entering personal information if you want to make the Gear truly yours. Of course, there are some shortcomings, but overall, if you can actually use it, then this is a great device.

You will need a smartphone paired with the Gear watch to get over it full advantage, so don't choose Samsung Galaxy Gear if you think you can use this device without a smartphone. The device costs about $249, I think good way spend money. We hope you enjoy our review of the Galaxy Gear and find it useful in your search for the right Smart Watch. Stay tuned for Galaxy Gear 2 coverage!

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