When you look at the history of the modern smartwatch, it’s hard to ignore Samsung’s involvement in the process. Though it hasn’t necessarily made blockbuster products that have ledthe wearable industry, Samsung has been eager to keep trying new things with each generation — whether it’s large screens, new software interaction orstandalone cellular connections in watches.
Samsung also hasn’t shied awayfrom different operating systems, starting with Android, trying Android Wear and finally settling on Tizen.With the launch of theGear S2, it’s clear that Samsung has been learning from its mistakes as well — and this is finally the first watch from Samsung that feels like a complete product. The new watch is compact, capable and designed tolook like a watch— and the new rotating bezel is a truly innovative way to interact with it. Perhaps most importantly, the Gear S2 works with Androidphones other than Samsung’s own, which was a bigger issue for most people than the overall qualityof its previous wearables.But while the Gear S2 is a better product than any previous Gear, the competition is a bit stiffer now as well. Android Wear finally has some legs, and Pebble has released new versionsof its own watches. Does the Gear S2 havewhat it takes to be considered as your new primary wrist computer?
We’re here to answer that question in our full review — read on.About this reviewI ( Andrew Martonik) am writing this review after a little more than a week using a silver and white Gear S2 ( with a cameo appearance by Phil Nickinson’s black and dark grey model) . It’s astandard Bluetooth and Wifi model ( not 3G) , and for the entire review period was connected to either aSamsung Galaxy Note 5orMoto X 2014.There are two distinct designs of the Gear S2. There’s thestandard model ( which I have here) that’s a bit sporty in design, and then there’s the Gear S2 Classic, which has a more standard watch design with proper lugs and a standard watch band on it. Bothare roughly the same internally — the only difference is the case design. There is also a3G model of the standard Gear S2, which is slightly largerand has a bigger battery.