H Traveling with Gear Fit2: how Samsung did everything right in the drafts. Gear Fit2 software update helps you get more active in your workout Gear fit 2 watch faces

A full review of the Samsung Gear Fit 2 fitness bracelet and instruction manual in Russian will help you learn and set up this sports watch the right way.

The Fit 2 has a nice display, a decent design, a heart rate monitor, and also built-in GPS. In addition, it is possible to store music and play it directly from the device. With so many features, this fitness bracelet is more like a smartwatch.

The package includes the Fit 2, a charging cradle with a USB plug, and a user manual.

Design and comfort

The bracelet has an attractive and fashionable design, offering a curved responsive display with oleophobic coating and a rubber strap with a sporty style. The Super AMOLED screen size is 1.5 inches with a resolution of 432 × 216 pixels.

However, reviews regarding this form factor vary. On the one hand, this can make it difficult to absorb information, especially when displaying large text, such as in a message notification. Sports watches or fitness trackers that have a large square screen have a clear advantage in their ability to display information, as content from a wider display is more comfortable to read. But on the other hand, its curvature makes it easier to work with the gadget when you have to scroll through content with your finger.

Along with the fact that the bright colors of the Super AMOLED screen can be so intrusive that they even interfere with falling asleep, outdoors in direct sunlight the display does not look as expressive as we would like. Of course, monochrome or reflective displays are better suited for sports bracelets, but in this way the user loses the functionality of a fitness tracker.

As for the strap, it is very flexible, made of soft, comfortable elastomer material and is attached to the case using a proprietary connector. This means that it can be replaced with a bracelet of a different color or size, but only designed specifically for Fit 2.

Samsung ships the second-generation Gear Fit in two sizes:

1. small S - for wrists 125-170 mm
2. large L - for wrists with a circumference of 155-210 mm

On the “back” of the tracker there is an optical heart rate monitor. Next to the sensor are two point contacts for the wireless charging pad, which holds the Fit2 horizontally while charging. The tracker does not have ports for wired connections.

Two physical buttons on the side of the device are used to return home and move back to the previous screen. Each other button function depends on the active screen.

Interface

The Fit 2 has a series of horizontally scrolling screens, each with a specific function. You scroll through the screens with your finger, and an additional way to interact with the bracelet is the “back” and “home” buttons located on the side of the device.

You can also cover the screen with your palm to turn it off.

Informs about the time, and also provides data on the number of steps taken, steps and calories burned.

Swiping left brings up the notifications screen, while swiping right lets you scroll through widgets, which we'll discuss in more detail below.

• 24 hour log. Shows a linear progression of your activity over the past days: periods when you were inactive, active, asleep, or not using the fitness tracker on your wrist.
• Exercise. Allows you to start a sport or workout by setting the type of activity, time goal and other parameters. You can also view a history of previous active activities.
• Steps. Step counter and indicators of how close you are to your daily goal.
• Steps. The number of steps you have climbed/descended today is shown, with the ability to view historical data for the week.
• Heart rate. Shows your most recent heart rate and when it was recorded, as well as your highest and lowest heart rate for the day. You can view weekly data here.
• Water. Record the number of cups of water you drink per day.
• Caffeine. Note how many cups of coffee you have consumed today.
• Together. Set up challenges to tally your scores against your friends' scores and track your progress against them.

In addition to these screens, by pressing the side-bottom home button, you can bring up Music Player, Find My Phone, Timer, and Stopwatch. There's also the option to record how many cups of water or coffee you've drunk, start a timer, or use the Find My Phone feature.

Here you can see icons for network indicators, battery indicator, screen brightness level and more by scrolling down on the Home screen.

Applications

You can use all the functionality of the tracker if you download the mobile application to your phone. Paired with a sports watch, it will help you keep track of all your workouts and will generate graphs and display statistics of your daily physical activity and other activities.

Samsung S Health app

S Health displays everything the Fit 2 collects, and also opens up even more options for inputting data through your phone, like your weight or food intake. It's a fairly user-friendly piece of software that displays information well, but keep in mind that if you've used a fitness tracker before and already have a lot of data stored elsewhere, importing into S Health won't be possible. The program is freely available.

The separation of functions between S Health and another application called Gear can confuse the user. In this case, you can use the Gear to control the Fit 2's connection to your smartphone without having to resort to S Health.

On the other hand, Fit 2 is capable of working autonomously, without a connected phone, but it is unlikely that anyone will wear a fitness bracelet without the ability to view statistics in the mobile application.

The Gear mobile application is a channel for connecting a smart bracelet to a phone and is available for almost any smartphone running Android 4.4 KitKat and higher. You can download it.

Here you can control which apps can send notifications to Fit 2, change quick replies to messages, switch and customize watch faces, change app layout, and install more apps when they become available.

With the Gear, you can use music files from your phone to play them on your device without using your smartphone.

If your Fit 2 gets lost, the software's Find My Gear feature will vibrate the tracker to help you find it. In addition, before the smart bracelet is detected, you can remotely block it from reconnecting from another device.

Functions

Fit2 is not just a gadget that counts steps and distance, shows time and heart rate, but also a multifunctional tool for monitoring health and communicating with other users of the same device.

Notifications

Fitness watch Samsung Gear Fit 2 (Gir Fit 2) provides the ability to receive notifications sent to your smartphone. However, responses will be limited due to the small screen size of the device. Through a program on the phone, the user is given the opportunity to choose which software can send alerts to the smart bracelet. You can only reply with quick messages, which are also configured in the mobile application.

Alarm

Despite the fact that the device detects sleep phases, the bracelet does not have a smart alarm clock. And in order to use a regular alarm clock in your watch, you need to install it by first downloading it from the Gear Market.

According to user reviews, the tracker emits rather weak vibration signals to wake up the owner. Therefore, if you sleep soundly, you may not feel the slight vibration on your wrist.

Heart rate monitoring

The heart rate monitor requires several seconds of standing still to measure your heart rate. Fit2 automatically records and tracks your heart rate when you're at rest, but when you're active you need to stop for a moment to check your pulse.

The optical monitor also performs automatic tracking, focusing on your heart rate through measurements every 10 minutes.

When Auto HR control is turned on, Fit 2 will track your heart rate whenever it detects rest periods. The results are displayed in heart rate widgets on the tracker itself, and you can also view them in the S Health app.

In order for the tracker to track your sleep, you must make sure everything is set up correctly in the S Health app. If you are an iPhone owner, this may be difficult since the device is designed to work with the Android app.

Launch the program and go to the “Options” section, select “Manage Elements”, activate the “Sleep” item.

You also need to register your device to create a connection between your phone and Gear Fit2. In the mobile app, the device breaks sleep quality into three categories - restless, light and restless - and displays them on a graph with a corresponding timeline.

Active Activity Tracking

Samsung has packed a variety of sensors into the Fit2, including a pedometer, GPS, and a heart rate monitor. Most of these sensors function automatically depending on the selected function or fitness panel. They also automatically detect when you exercise and what exactly you do. Fit2 clearly tracks walking, running and lap running. Additionally, it recognizes when the user has been stationary for too long and advises them to move a little (these notifications, as well as exercise detection, can be turned off if desired).

There are various activities that you can choose from and they include:

• walking
• hike
• Bike Lane
• orbitrek
• exercise bike
• elliptical trainer
• treadmill
• lunges
• twisting
• squats
• Pilates
• rowing
• other workouts

You can set goals based on pace, duration, distance, calories, or core workout. Whatever aspect you choose as your goal, the Samsung Gear Fit 2 fitness bracelet will show you your best result. Once you start an exercise, you'll get updated information with important metrics like pace, calories burned, time elapsed, and more. It also notifies you when you reach half of your goal and when you complete a given goal. If you are stationary for more than an hour, the tracker nudges you to take a walk.

During and after a tracked workout session, the user can access information such as:

• duration of training
• distance
• calories
• speed
• maximum heart rate
• % time in active intensity zone

Training with GPS

With built-in GPS, Fit2 can track your walks and runs and record the route you take. However, it will not track location when automatically detecting exercise. You need to manually set up your runs through the Exercise panel. After entering your activity type and desired run time, Fit2 will track your movements as soon as you press Start.

The tracker will record your location and display the shape of the route you choose yourself (you can check it in the watch's exercise log). But it won't display a map to provide details and surroundings of your route until you sync it with your smartphone so it can download map information. Once this is done, the results will be detailed and accurate.

Your heart rate and speed graph, along with a map of your tracked GPS session, are shown on the display of the Fit 2 itself, provided location detection is turned on.

During the GPS-enabled workout itself, swipe the screens right or left to view duration, distance, heart rate, pace, speed, and calories burned.

Static exercises

There are a total of three types of exercises that can be performed under the close supervision of the tracker: lunges, crunches and squats. By following the recommended methodology for performing them, you can be sure that the device will accurately count the number of repetitions and record them directly into the tracker.

The ideal method of execution is displayed immediately before the start of classes on the bracelet display.

However, it is not entirely convenient to start and end each time by pressing a button on one or another exercise and move on to another. It would be much more practical if the user was given the opportunity to create his own training sets from these three proposed types.

In addition, training mainly focuses on the legs and abs, neglecting the arm muscles. Although you can download third-party software from the Samsung app store.

Peculiarities

The fitness bracelet has some features that allow the user to use it comfortably: these include battery life, moisture protection, the ability to play music without pairing with a smartphone, and others, which we will discuss in detail below.

Hardware

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 comes with a bunch of extras a proper fitness device needs, including GPS, Bluetooth, a heart rate monitor and 4GB of internal storage.

While the Gear Fit2 connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth, it also has a Wi-Fi connection, allowing your network data to be automatically transferred from your phone.

Compatibility

The Fit 2 has one drawback: it only works with Android smartphones (4.4 or higher).

Samsung notes that it can be used independently of a mobile phone, so if you have an iOS device and would really like to wear this particular fitness tracker, it can be done. But in this case, you will not receive smart notifications from your phone, and you will have to view your workout data directly on the bracelet display.

You don't have to use a Samsung smartphone to enjoy the benefits of the Fit 2, as the device can be paired with other phones that have Gear Manager and S Health installed. From other devices you can also view the information transferred to them through the S Health program installed from the Play Store.

The sports band is certified and IP68 water resistant, meaning you can submerge it up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes without worrying about water damage. However, this does not mean that it is seaworthy. It is also not recommended to wear the tracker while showering: water pressure varies depending on the type of shower head, and the device may not be able to handle high pressure.

Moisture protection is designed for intense sports with high sweating and accidental splashes when washing hands and rain.

Fit 2 without phone

You can use Fit 2 without a mobile device. However, some functions will not be available without connecting to a smartphone.

Obviously, notifications, music downloads, and fitness information syncing won't be able to happen when the tracker is in phone-free mode, but it can still do a lot. Fitness elements will be available, including heart rate monitoring, as well as a variety of options and customizations, such as different watch faces and changing the order of apps in the Fit2 menu. The fitness band also works great, allowing you to set the display to always-on and manually set the time via the touchscreen.

Battery life

According to the company, the tracker is able to hold a sufficient charge of its 200 mAh battery for 3-4 days of use. Standby time is 5 days. Samsung estimates that running GPS during exercise drains the battery within 9 hours. But even turning off GPS while tracking your exercise will reduce battery life expectancy to about 2 days.

Keep in mind that the brighter the display, the faster the battery will drain. The display is not always on, you can choose a timeout of 15 seconds, 30 seconds or 1 minute.

Fortunately, the manufacturer has included a special power saving function for the gadget, which is very similar to the Ultra Power Saving mode for smartphones. When the power is insufficient, you'll be prompted to turn it on, effectively disabling most features (except exercise and time) and turning the interface into a single workspace, entirely in grayscale.

The proprietary charger includes a magnetic stand in its design. It has a magnetic clamp, which should hold the tracker well in a vertical position. The charging cable connects to a standard USB port.

Full charge time is about 40 minutes.

How to extend battery life

Your device provides various options to help you save battery power.

• When you're not using your device, switch to standby mode by covering the screen with your palm.
• Turn on power saving mode.
• Turn off Bluetooth
• Deactivate the Wi-Fi feature when not in use.
• Reduce screen brightness.
• Deactivate the "always on" function.
• Configure notification settings in the Samsung Gear app on the connected smartphone.

Besides GPS, one of the best features of the Fit 2 is the 4GB of onboard storage, which you can use to upload music to your band. Those who listen to music while working out can use the Spotify app on the Fit 2, but it requires the phone to be in range. On the other hand, users can transfer local music files to the device through the Gear Manager and listen to music that way - just connect a Bluetooth headset to the Gear and it will play music from the built-in music player.

The player works quite well and provides a convenient way to stream audio while playing sports without having to rely on your smartphone. Audio prompts about how long or how far the physical activity has progressed are also transmitted through the headphones, which is very convenient and useful for the user.

Gear Fit 2 specifications

Weight	28 g, 30 g
Band size	Large: 108 mm x 95 mm (4.25 x 3.74 inches), for wrists with a circumference of 155-210 mm Small: 84mm x 95mm (3.3 x 3.74 inches), fits 125-170mm wrists
Screen	Super AMOLED 1.5-inch display with 432 x 216 pixels resolution
CPU	Dual-core, 1 GHz Exynos 3250
Battery	Li-ion 200 mAh. Charging time 40 min
Battery life	Up to 4 days
Bluetooth	v4.2, USB 2.0, NFC, Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n
GPS	Yes
WiFi	Yes
Sensors	accelerometer gyroscope heart rate monitor barometer
Smart alarm clock	No
Player	Yes
Audio formats	MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, M4A, AMR, AWB, OGG, OGA, 3GA
Protection	IP68, not suitable for swimming
Color	Black, blue, pink
OS	Tizen
Memory	RAM - 512 MB For storing music - 4 GB no support for iOS smartphones The Samsung Gear Fit2 SM-R360 fitness bracelet comes in dark gray, blue and pink and costs $179. For a mid-range sports watch from a major brand, the price is quite reasonable, although e.g. , Fitbit Alta as an alternative to Samsung Fit 2 is more attractive with its price of $130. While the tracker has features like GPS and a music player and is priced lower than some competitors, the lack of iPhone support and short battery life limit its appeal. Assuming Samsung can iron out some issues, the Gear Fit 2 could be one of the best fitness trackers out there, although it does need a lot of work.

Samsung Gear Fit2 invites users to "sweat smarter" by accurately tracking a wide range of exercises and providing information that helps them take charge of their own fitness. The GPS sports bracelet's latest software update improves heart rate monitoring and exercise tracking capabilities, and motivates every user to exercise more.

The Gear Fit2 software update allows you to track a variety of fitness activities in a more intuitive and efficient way. For example, if a user performed an exercise with the Gear Fit2 on their arm and looked at the statistics after the workout, they would see a color graph displaying the time spent in different heart rate zones. Divided into three difficulty levels - Moderate, Vigorous and Maximum - the chart takes into account the user's maximum heart rate to provide an easy-to-read display of exercise performance specifically for them.

The developers have also improved the automatic activity detection function. Whenever the user remains active for more than ten minutes, the Gear Fit2 automatically turns on workout tracking features. Additionally, with a software update, the map that appears after an auto-tracking workout will show your approximate location.

To help users get into their heart rate zone during runs, the update also includes support for customizable running pace goals. You can create a personalized workout program that will help you achieve your goals by simply entering your desired distance and time using the Samsung Health app on your smartphone. Users can choose between running workout options designed to burn fat or increase cardiovascular endurance, and determine the intensity level that will help them achieve their goals. Once the Gear Fit2 owner sets a goal, the device will help every step of the way, guiding him like a coach until the finish line.

The update also allows you to customize the display of information during workouts. Gear Fit2 offers simple and logical options for presenting a variety of useful workout data, including distance traveled, calories burned, exercise duration, and heart rate. To customize the data display, just swipe your finger across the Gear Fit2 screen. Tapping the bottom of the screen once will show other options for presenting information.

Users who need to be reminded from time to time to get up from their chair or sofa will benefit from another new feature of their smart fitness bracelet. After 50 minutes of inactivity, notifications will appear on the Gear Fit2 screen with step-by-step instructions for simple stretches to help you get back on track and increase your activity levels throughout the day.

Of course, getting the most out of your workout is essential. But a good night's rest afterwards is just as important. Carefully tracking your sleep processes will give you a deeper understanding of how you sleep and how to improve your sleep.

Nighttime sleep is now displayed on a simple, multi-colored graph. There are several phases of sleep - “Anxious”, “Light” and “Deep”. The fitness bracelet will show how much time you spent in each phase of sleep. Users can view sleep data directly on the Gear Fit2 or through the Samsung Health app on their smartphone.

Other notable innovations include the ability to quickly send SOS alerts with current coordinates by triple-clicking the main Gear Fit2 button, viewing and downloading watch faces directly to the device, as well as through the Samsung Gear app.

The new version of the Gear Fit2 software is now available to download and install using the Samsung Gear app for your smartphone.

A new generation of fitness bracelet turned into a smart watch

In 2014, Samsung released the Gear Fit fitness bracelet. The device turned out to be very successful: its main feature was a beautiful curved Super AMOLED screen, and in terms of functionality the gadget was between traditional fitness trackers and a full-fledged smartwatch. It could display the time and notifications, but did not allow the installation of third-party applications. And now, two years later, the South Korean manufacturer quietly and somehow even too modestly presented the second version of the bracelet.

The new product was called Samsung Gear Fit2 and retained the concept of its predecessor, as well as its main feature - a curved screen. However, the elements that were added took the functionality of the Gear Fit2 to a completely different level. Firstly, GPS was built in. Secondly, the gadget is now compatible not only with Samsung smartphones, but with any Android smartphones with more than 1.5 GB of RAM and an OS version of at least 4.4 (hence, even mid-budget devices are included here). And thirdly, it is now possible to install third-party applications, and this already turns the Samsung Gear Fit2 into a full-fledged smartwatch. But how adequate is the bracelet as a smart watch? And how successful was the device as a whole?

Let's look at the specifications of the new product.

Specifications Samsung Gear Fit2

• Screen: touch, curved, Super AMOLED, 1.5″, 432×216, capacitive
• Water and dust protection: yes (IP68 standard)
• Strap: removable
• Compatibility: Samsung devices running Android 4.4 with at least 1.5 GB RAM
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 LE
• SoC: Samsung Exynos 3250 (dual Cortex-A7 cores @1 GHz)
• RAM: 512 MB
• Flash memory: 4 GB (about 2 GB free)
• Sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, GPS, barometer
• Cameras, Internet: no
• Microphone, speaker: no
• Battery: 200 mAh
• Weight 28 g

For clarity, let's compare the characteristics of the bracelet with its immediate predecessor and some competitors we tested earlier.

	Samsung Gear Fit2	Samsung Gear Fit	Garmin vivoactive HR	Sony SmartBand 2 SWR12
Screen	touch, color, curved, Super AMOLED, 1.5″, 432×216 (317 ppi)	touch, color, curved, Super AMOLED, 1.84″, 432×128 (240 ppi)	touch, color, transreflective, OLED, 1.38″, 205×148 (183 ppi)	vibration signal, 3 LED indicators
Water protection	IP68	IP67	5 ATM	IP68
Strap	removable, silicone	removable, silicone	removable, silicone	removable, silicone
Camera	No	No	No	No
Sensors	GPS, accelerometer, barometer, heart rate sensor	accelerometer, barometer, heart rate sensor	GPS, accelerometer, altimeter, heart rate sensor	accelerometer, heart rate sensor
Microphone, speaker	No	No	No	No
Compatibility	Devices running Android 4.4 and later with at least 1.5 GB of RAM	Samsung devices running Android 4.3 and later	Android 4.x and later devices / iOS 8 and later / Windows and macOS computers	Devices running iOS 8.2 / Android 4.4 and later
Third party app support	There is	No	There is	there are extensions that allow you to control various smartphone applications from the bracelet (Android only), as well as transfer data to third-party applications
Weight (g)*	28	28	47,6	25
average price	T-14018528	T-10787829	N/A	T-12901384
Samsung Gear Fit2 Retail Deals	L-14018528-10

*according to manufacturer information

The table clearly demonstrates the main differences between the Gear Fit2 and its predecessor. The screen has shrunk a bit, and at the same time the aspect ratio has changed: it used to be about 3.5:1, and now it’s 2:1. We mentioned the rest (GPS, compatibility, third-party applications) above. Compared to its competitors, the new product also looks very good, but, however, it is inferior in compatibility. Samsung stubbornly refuses to support iOS in its wearable gadgets.

Well, let's move on to getting to know the device in person!

Equipment

The box looks quite traditional and does not evoke either positive or negative emotions. Its advantage is that you can see the bracelet itself (at least its main part) without opening it.

Inside the box we find the bracelet itself, a short manual in Russian, a warranty booklet and a charger that must be connected to a USB output or smartphone charger.

The bracelet must be placed on it so that the contacts on the back of the bracelet body coincide with the contacts on the charger.

Of course, you can complain that they didn’t do wireless charging, but we don’t see a big problem in this.

Design

The appearance of the bracelet as a whole inherited the features of its predecessor, but there are a lot of differences, and all of them are significant. And the new colors (blue and pink) are far from the most significant (yes, we had pink in testing!).

First of all, the principle of connecting the main unit with the silicone strap has changed. Previously, the strap was single, and the block was inserted into it. Now the strap is made of two halves, which are attached to the electronics unit using special latches.

Perhaps this solution is less elegant, and it is more difficult to disconnect the halves of the strap. However, in everyday life such a need does not arise. It can be assumed that the manufacturer had some serious reasons for changing the design in this way.

The second point is that the shape of the device has become less elongated. As we already wrote, the screen changed the aspect ratio, and therefore the overall shape changed. Whether this is a plus or a minus, everyone can decide for themselves. In our opinion, the first generation of Gear Fit looked somewhat more interesting and sleeker. The new product is more similar to competing devices.

However, another feature of the first Gear Fit is retained here - the metal edging around the screen. But if the first version had a shiny, glossy frame, then the Gear Fit2 has a matte edging, painted in the color of the bracelet. And therefore it does not look so impressive. Without examining the device up close, it is difficult to tell whether it is plastic or metal.

Plastic, however, is also used here: the back of the case is made of it. It contains contacts for connecting the charger and a heart rate sensor.

In addition, it is on the plastic part that there are two buttons (the first Gear Fit had only one button). Clicking on the smaller button opens the menu if we are on the main screen, or returns us to the main screen when we are on any other screen. And the larger button is responsible for taking a step back.

The bracelet sits quite comfortably on the hand, and the silicone strap with a standard clasp in the form of a metal pin is also convenient. But we can’t call the Samsung Gear Fit2 stylish and eye-catching. Yes, not bad, yes, quite comfortable, but there is no “wow” here.

This is not to say that the design of the Gear Fit2 is much worse than that of the Gear Fit, but there is a feeling that the originality has been lost here, and in general the style has become duller, despite the bright colors. However, from the point of view of convenience and functional features, we did not notice any disadvantages. And the appearance of another button is only a plus, because on the first Gear Fit you had to press a small virtual button on the screen to go back.

Screen

We only had the bracelet for a short time, so we weren’t able to carry out full testing using specialized equipment, but the screen here feels about the same as the first Gear Fit, if we mean colors, contrast, brightness and image clarity. More precisely, the last parameter, judging by the numbers, is even better for the new product (317 versus 240 ppi), but for a wearable device with a relatively small screen this is not so significant.

In general, the screen looks very beautiful, it has perfect black color (which is quite logical for a Super AMOLED matrix), rich saturated colors (in the case of smartphones, we sometimes complain about their oversaturation in AMOLED, but for wrist gadgets this is even a plus), sufficient brightness in order to use the bracelet in the sun. And, of course, the Gear Fit's screen delights with its beautiful curve. Years go by, and curved screens still do not become mainstream, remaining the lot of a few experimental devices (remember that Samsung had the Galaxy Round smartphone, and LG has the G Flex line). That's why the Gear Fit2's curved screen looks every bit as impressive today as its predecessor's screen did two years ago.

True, the bend increases the amount of glare, that is, in bright sunshine you will have some difficulty turning the bracelet towards you without catching glare. But this is not to say that this is too significant and can ruin the experience of using the Gear Fit2.

Interface

Now let's see what the bracelet interface looks like. The main screen is the watch face. Moreover, the dial can display not only the time, but also other information, depending on the specific option (date, number of steps, etc.). If you long press on the screen, you can select a watch face.

If you do not long press, but simply swipe right or left from the main screen, we will see widgets. Each widget displays some information related to the fitness functions of the bracelet, or there may be controls.

To see the application menu, you need to press the small button on the side of the bracelet. Round icons of installed applications are arranged in a vertical row, which we can scroll through using the touch screen. The applications you download from Samsung Galaxy Apps are added to the same row (in the right screenshot below you can see the icon of the third-party application FitEvolution).

In the settings menu you can see quite a lot of useful options regarding interaction with the bracelet (see two screenshots on the left under this paragraph). In general, which is significant, you can customize the Samsung Gear Fit2 for yourself practically without using a smartphone. This is the most autonomous device. But if the smartphone is connected, the bracelet displays notifications, calls, etc.

Important point: the GPS module is turned off by default (otherwise the battery consumption will be too high). In order to turn it on, you need to select the “Exercise” application and there any type of activity (see screenshot above this paragraph on the right). And below the “Geodata” item should be activated. After you press "Start", the bracelet will activate GPS and build a track. Of course, the track and other training results can be viewed not only on the bracelet screen, but also on the smartphone after synchronization. But you don’t need a smartphone to record the track itself.

Smartphone pairing and functionality

Like the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch, the new product works with any Android smartphone that uses Android 4.4 or later and has at least 1.5 GB of RAM. We used a Sony Xperia XA for testing and there were no problems with it. True, the need to install four (!!!) applications in order to work with the Gear Fit2 seems excessive to us. In addition to Samsung Gear and S Health (it is with these two applications that we will interact while using the bracelet), this is also Gear Fit2 Plugin and Samsung Accessory Service.

Another oddity: to launch the S Health application for the first time, you need a SIM card in your smartphone. Without it, launching is impossible. But if you launch an application with a SIM card and then remove it, then the SIM is no longer required for subsequent launches.

So, the Samsung Gear application is necessary to control the bracelet itself, and S Health is necessary to receive and display fitness data. Let's start with Samsung Gear

Samsung Gear

The application interface is very simple and intuitive. We can select a watch face, mark which applications the bracelet can receive notifications from, change the order or remove applications we have installed from the bracelet, transfer music from the smartphone memory to the bracelet's built-in memory, make the bracelet vibrate if you can't find it and finally open it Samsung Galaxy Apps store. There is nothing interesting in the “Settings” item (there is purely auxiliary information there).

Let us comment in more detail on the most interesting of these points. In the “Watch Faces” menu, you can access settings for the bracelet’s main screen. You can choose from available options (including those installed from the app store), and some watch faces have fine-tuning options. For example, this could be the choice of color or some features of information placement.

"Send Music to Gear" is a very valuable option for those who like to play sports with music. So, you can use this command to download several hundred songs to the bracelet's built-in memory, and then connect a Bluetooth headset to the bracelet and control music playback directly using the bracelet. This means you don’t have to take your smartphone with you to class. This is a huge plus, since the first Gear Fit could only control music on a smartphone. Below are screenshots of the Gear Fit2: on the left we see the music player icon among the applications, and on the right we see the music control widget.

The Samsung Galaxy Apps store deserves special attention. As we remember, the first generation Gear Fit did not have support for third-party applications. Now it is, and Samsung Galaxy Apps already has a lot of interesting things for the Gear Fit2. Basically, of course, these are dials, but there are also some programs that expand the capabilities of the device. In general, the store’s assortment is still very modest, and there are a lot of paid applications/watch faces. But let's see what happens next and how Samsung will attract developers for the Gear Fit2.

Applications installed from the store appear in the bracelet's main application menu, and the location of the icon can be changed by moving it higher.

Once you have downloaded music and the necessary applications/watch faces to the bracelet, and also configured the basic settings, you will not need to launch Samsung Gear on any regular basis. But what you will need constantly (if, of course, you are going to use the Samsung Gear Fit2 intensively) is the S Health application.

S Health

We have already told you about this application more than once in connection with other Samsung wearable gadgets. Let us remember that this is a single aggregator of fitness information for Samsung devices, that is, all Gear Fit2 measurements will also be provided in S Health. Here's what the app's home screen looks like before you start using the Gear Fit2 (screenshot on the left) and after daily synchronization (screenshot on the right).

When it comes to sleep and step tracking, there's nothing out of the ordinary here. We just note that the bracelet can determine when you fell asleep and woke up, and does it very accurately. But what’s interesting is the automatic operation of the heart rate sensor - including during sleep. Measurements are taken every 10 minutes. Including when the user is sleeping. This probably also affects how the bracelet interprets the user's passivity - as wakefulness (in which case it can remind you to be active) or as sleep.

All measurement statistics are saved and accumulated. Then you can see the dynamics of changes in your heart rate for the whole day, including data for each measurement separately.

Another interesting thing is determining the number of ascents per floor. For the bracelet to record that you have climbed one floor, you need to rise three meters (the elevator, of course, does not count).

Of course, S Health saves all your workouts, including those that were recorded with a track (you can then see your route on the map). In addition, the bracelet and the application offer to record the amount of water and coffee drunk, but this, of course, must be done manually, so only the most meticulous users will be able to do this.

Autonomous operation

A wrist device with a color screen that requires backlighting, a heart rate sensor that automatically turns on every ten minutes, and even built-in GPS—how long will it last on battery life? One day? As it turns out, if you do not turn on GPS (that is, in just a fitness tracker mode), it will take about three days. That is, almost the same as its predecessor. Yes, this is less than the Garmin vivoactive HR, but more than the Apple Watch (remember, it also has an AMOLED screen and an automatically working heart rate sensor). At the same time, of these three devices, Samsung Gear Fit2 is the most compact.

Enabling GPS training mode will, of course, reduce the run time significantly, very significantly, so, for example, if you plan to use it all day (for example, going on a hike or a long bike ride), be prepared for the fact that at some point an insufficiently charged bracelet will simply turn off, and you may not have time to track this moment. But, say, a standard workout for an hour and a half after a working day, the bracelet will survive without problems if you charged it the night before.

conclusions

We still don’t understand why Samsung released the Gear Fit2 so modestly, without presenting it at any global exhibition, without arranging noisy presentations and other PR activities. After all, the product turned out to be excellent: taking all the best from the first generation of Gear Fit, the new product offers a number of important improvements. This is the presence of GPS, the ability to play music directly from the bracelet (without a smartphone), an automatically working heart rate sensor, compatibility with Android smartphones from other manufacturers and, finally, the ability to install third-party applications/watch faces.

Thus, the fitness bracelet with notifications has turned into a full-fledged smartwatch, which at the right time can turn into a GPS sports watch. Perhaps, for complete happiness, the only thing missing here is serious moisture protection (the IP68 standard does not imply swimming in a pool or sea - at least the manufacturer does not recommend such experiments). Well, there are no positive changes in appearance (although we are already accustomed to the fact that each next generation of wearable gadgets should look significantly better than the previous one). But even if you like the first-generation Gear Fit a little better on the outside, there's no reason to prefer it over the new one.

Fortunately, the price of the Gear Fit2 in dollars is almost the same as the first Gear Fit: $179. In Russia, the official price is about 12 thousand rubles. And this, at first glance, is a bit much, but, on the other hand, if you compare the price with other smartwatches (namely, they should be compared with them, and not with other fitness bracelets), it turns out that the Gear Fit2 is very affordable . So we confidently recommend the Gear Fit2 for purchase and will follow Samsung's new steps in the wearable device market.

For its curved screen and rich functionality without sacrificing appearance, we give the Samsung Gear Fit2 our Original Design Award.

Ease of everyday use

The Gear Fit 2 uses a 1.5" screen with a resolution of 432x216 pixels. It performed excellently in any conditions: the brightness and display quality are always at their best. As for the metal painted body, it is quite difficult to scratch it; we had to use a bracelet for this (almost deliberately ) dropped onto the asphalt. And even in this case, the scratches remained unnoticeable, and the curved glass was not damaged at all. The display edging visually merges with the body, and the body itself can be painted in one of three colors: black, and.

The rubber strap is attached to the case with clever latches; two versions of sizes are available for sale - large and small (letters L and S on the device box, respectively). The bracelet is attached well and it is very difficult to “shake” it off your hand by accident - even during training or while sleeping. We tested the version with a large strap - it fits well for adults. But for a child’s hand, you should choose a smaller strap.

We had a black bracelet in our test - it is practical and does not catch the eye even with a shirt. If you wear the bracelet with a T-shirt, it attracts the attention of others, because you can activate the screen by raising or shaking your hand. There are two physical buttons in Gear Fit 2: one is responsible for taking a step back, and the second for turning it on and off, quickly calling the main menu or returning to the main screen - it’s easy to get used to them, after a week they are controlled completely blindly. The strap is comfortable and does not interfere much, even if you do not remove the bracelet at night (the first version of Gear Fit had to be removed at night). Without removing the bracelet at night, you can track your sleep and use the alarm function. When notified, the bracelet vibrates gently; you can set the duration of the vibration.

The pixel density is 353ppi - the picture is clear and rich, but fades a little in the bright sun. This can be solved by setting the brightness to maximum (there are eleven brightness divisions in total, but after five minutes of work on the 11th division, the bracelet automatically reduces the brightness in order to save battery). In somewhat cloudy weather, and even more so indoors, the problem disappears by itself.

But there is no brightness sensor in the bracelet, but it can be easily adjusted from the notification shade. In general, this does not cause any inconvenience - in gloomy autumn weather, the brightness can be set to the third level and it will be enough for both indoors and outdoors.

A magnetic docking station is used to charge the bracelet. It is much more practical than the “snap-on charger” on the first Gear Fit, connects to any USB and can fully charge the bracelet in about an hour. The bracelet has symmetrical contacts for charging, so you can place it on the docking station on either side. The bracelet charges in about one hour, and while charging it displays the time.

Samsung Gear software, additional features and alerts

Samsung Gear Fit2 can connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth or remotely via Wi-Fi. Moreover, during a remote connection, messages are transmitted via Samsung servers, so the bracelet and the phone do not have to be within the coverage area of ​​the same wireless network. All networks for which passwords are saved on your smartphone become available to Gear Fit2. Additional programs and watch faces for Tizen (the OS on which the watch runs) can be accessed and downloaded via Bluetooth through the Samsung Gear app.

The number of different watch faces in the Samsung Apps store for the Gear Fit 2 is simply huge - both free and paid. Craftsmen have also launched other applications for Tizen on the watch, but in this case you will need to install them on the watch manually via a PC.

The fact that Gear Fit2 can work with any Android device is a definite plus. But there are questions about the convenience of “pairing” - for full operation you will need to install three (!) applications: Samsung Gear, the GearFit2 Plugin application and Samsung Accessory Service, and only after that the bracelet makes friends with MIUI on Xiaomi. This is true for all devices except Samsung.

The Samsung Gear application itself is well known to owners of Samsung S2\S3 smartwatches: here you can change the watch face, select which notifications from your smartphone should be displayed on the bracelet screen, send music from your smartphone to the Gear Fit 2 memory, and also change various settings. Why send music? Gear Fit 2 is not only a fitness tracker, but also an mp3 player that allows you to listen to your favorite tracks via Bluetooth headphones.

We tested this feature with - it works great, allowing you to easily play music without looking for your smartphone. The player itself has playlists, and songs with a rhythmic tempo automatically fall into the “workout” playlist. From the music player interface you can also control music playback on your phone - everything is standard here, you can switch tracks and adjust the volume. This function has shown itself to be excellent when driving a car (and in public transport too) - while you are stuck in a traffic jam or when it is inconvenient to take out your phone, you can switch the track on your smartphone with a slight movement.

Managing the bracelet is simple: from the “main screen” of the watch, you can scroll the screen to the left: notifications and messages about your sporting achievements are hidden here. This is much more convenient than a faceless icon or notification “you have a message from one of 100,500 programs on your smartphone” as in - most notifications are displayed on the screen in full, you can respond to them with pre-prepared phrases or an emoticon (if it is a message from a messenger or SMS). Additional functionality is also supported if provided by the program - for Gmail this is archiving and deleting letters, for instant messengers - replying with an emoji smiley, and so on.

A separate convenience is the ability to display passwords for two-factor authentication on the screen (if they arrive as a message or a regular Android notification). Looking at the password on the bracelet and entering it on a laptop is much more convenient than using a smartphone for this purpose. You can also quickly reply to a message with an emoji or customize your own replies. The most popular (except for emoji emoticons) in our case were the phrases “I’m writing from my watch, I’ll answer later” and the standard answers “Yes” or “No”. Another useful function is to activate the search for a smartphone from the bracelet - while the phone emits a loud signal. Helps you find a lost smartphone among other gadgets in the house!

If you scroll to the left, panels with widgets will open. No more than eight widgets work simultaneously. With a gesture from top to bottom, you can call up the panel: there is a brightness adjustment, a “do not disturb” mode and player controls. Additional programs (for example, an alarm clock) are hidden in the settings menu. This is confusing at first, but considering that there are only two places to “search” for programs (menus or widget screens), this does not cause much inconvenience.

You can change the watch face very easily - just hold your finger on the main screen. And to turn off the screen you need to cover the bracelet with your palm - you quickly get used to this gesture and it works flawlessly.

We actively tested the Together mode - this is a widget that allows you to compete with other S-Health users (no matter whether they have a Gear Fit 2 or not), and also compare your achievements with the average performance of all users. Setting competition goals, egging on your opponent - all these functions are implemented simply and beautifully. You can select goals by steps - from 10 to 100 thousand steps and monitor the progress of your friends. You can compare your performance with all users, with your friends, or with the performance of users in your age group.

Fitness functions

The bracelet is equipped with a bunch of capabilities for tracking fitness functions: it has a built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and barometer, which allows you to count steps, heart rate and even climbs.

Gear Fit 2 can automatically detect such physical exercises as: running, running on a treadmill, walking and hiking, squats, lunges, training on exercise machines (stepper, stationary bike and others), Pilates and even yoga. For those who did not find the desired workout in the list, there is an “other” mode - then in S-Health you can indicate what you did, and the watch will record the time and the approximate number of calories burned. Information about daily activity is presented in the form of a round chart.

Of all this variety, we actively used tracking of squats and lunges - it’s nice that before starting the exercise, the bracelet suggests the optimal position on the hand for accurate tracking. We had no questions about the accuracy of tracking when running and walking - everything worked stably and without surprises.

A separate feature is a GPS sensor, which is built directly into the bracelet. Some reviews concluded that its presence will save the smartphone’s battery, but this is not entirely true. If the bracelet is connected to a device with GPS, and you train with it, then the GPS sensor on the smartphone will be used. However, if you decide to go for a run without a smartphone, then the GPS in the bracelet will work. By turning off location detection on your smartphone, you can forcefully activate track recording on the watch itself.

The battery built into the Samsung Gear Fit 2 has a capacity of 200 mAh: this is really enough for more than 3 days of operation of the bracelet in normal mode (without an automatic heart rate monitor), a full two days of work with small daily workouts with automatic heart rate measurement turned on (the bracelet will ask to be charged when the end of the second day) or for one day when GPS, heart rate monitor, music player are activated and with continuous notifications. If you force the bracelet to write a track for many hours while cycling, you can discharge it in a few hours.

The results of your walk, hike or run can be seen on the watch itself: in the form of a map (using Here Maps) and in the form of a graphical summary of the results. During training, the heart rate monitor also works, prompting not only the results obtained, but also a brief hint on how to interpret them. The heart rate monitor also measures your heart rate throughout the day - this allows you to track your heart rate in various situations: for example, while driving, while watching a movie, and even while sleeping. You can view the results of these measurements both on the bracelet and through the S-Health application. You can track dynamics and separately indicate markers during manual measurement, for example, “After training.”

Over the course of a month of testing, we were unable to discharge the bracelet in less than a day, with a fairly active mode of use - without GPS, but with automatic tracking of heart rate, workouts and with a constant connection via Bluetooth. When the battery is deeply discharged, the bracelet prompts you to switch to energy saving mode - the screen turns black and white and displays only basic information, and alerts and sensors are turned off.

The most useful feature is the absolutely automatic recording of activity (this function can be disabled in the settings if desired). How long have you been walking? The bracelet will start recording your walk. Did you start running? Expect an encouraging message! Climbing stairs? Don't worry, everything is recorded. Only before starting specific workouts do you need to start recording them manually. This eliminates the need to monitor and be distracted by the bracelet - convenient and effective! We checked - everything is so. When walking quickly, recording starts after 10 minutes of activity, which eliminates too short movements (for example, when you catch up with the last bus).

Water and dust protection

The Gear Fit 2 case is protected against water and dust according to the IP68 standard. And this is good! You don’t have to be afraid of rain and dust, but you still shouldn’t swim or dive in it. Also, through Gear Fit 2 you can take into account the number of cups of coffee and water you drink. Let’s answer honestly - we didn’t track data on the water we drank, but it was interesting to track caffeine consumption.

All this data, as well as training records, are synchronized with the S-Health application on your smartphone. Leaving the bracelet on while you sleep will allow it to determine its effectiveness. On the bracelet itself, information about sleep is minimal (only duration and pulse interval), but inside S-Health all the details are hidden, both about sleep and about everything that happened with the bracelet.

conclusions

Based on the results of our long acquaintance, we liked the Samsung Gear Fit 2; it is definitely a successful bracelet. The fitness functions implemented in it are much superior in convenience to the first version of Gear Fit, and among the segment of “smart watches” with a similar price and among fitness bracelets with much more modest screens, the sports solution from Samsung looks just great. However, we also found several shortcomings, for example, there is still no application for pairing the bracelet with the iPhone, and there are comments regarding the ease of installing branded applications for Android.

But there is a way out in this situation - Samsung Gear Fit 2 can be used as a separate device! In this case, notifications from the smartphone are not received, but you can track exercise, calorie consumption, heart rate, steps and sleep. This is a big step up from the previous version of Gear Fit or other bracelets, which in principle cannot work as standalone devices.

If you need a beautiful accessory for occasional sports, with GPS and convenient informative notifications on the screen, as well as an unusual curved screen and many communication capabilities, we recommend choosing. If you need additional functionality, but fitness capabilities are not a priority, pay attention to.