Samsung Gear 2 - Conclusion

Social sharing

If you are receiving a notification from your phone for an application that isn’t compatible with the Gear 2, you have the option to call up the application on your phone. This works particularly well for social media platforms that are not available on the Gear 2.

Battery life

The Samsung Gear 2 comes with a wireless charging dock, though it also has a long battery life. The battery can last two to three days with low-to-moderate usage. Even with heavy usage, including fitness tracking, it can last close to 16 hours without needing to be recharged.

Maps and GPS navigation

You can initiate navigation or check the Here Maps app without needing to take out your phone, though if you prefer a specific navigation app you may want to use your phone anyway.

Fitness tracking

The fitness tracking options in the Gear 2 are integrated with Samsung’s S Health app.

S Health allows you to enter fitness goals or concerns, such as targets for movement, water intake, or calories. The watch has a built in accelerometer and pedometer to track your activity, and it can send you alerts if you have not moved for a specific period of time. If you are working out or going for a run, you can leave your phone behind and head out with just the Gear 2 on.

There is a heart-rate monitor built into the back of the watch, which can be called up from the watch interface at any time. You can also set it to measure your heart rate consistently throughout the day, and if you have the exercise tracking function turned on, it will automatically and frequently measure your heart rate during periods of activity.

The coaching feature of S Health will tell you to work harder or move more, but does not provide much guidance beyond that.

Software ease-of-use

The Samsung Gear 2 is fairly intuitive to use and quick to set up, though setting some features, such as alternate function for the Home button, take a bit of playing around to figure out. The fitness tracking capabilities are comprehensive without being overwhelming, making it a good choice for someone who wants motivation to be healthier without too many bells and whistles.

Though the Gear 2 can be paired with iOS, it loses a lot of functionality, and many of the apps are not available for iPhones. This is especially noticeable with the fitness tracking, which loses some of its ability to collate data from multiple devices if you are using an iPhone. The software is clearly designed to be at its most functional when paired with a Samsung phone.

Learn how you can upload and keep track of all of your fitness data and health information with the YourCareEverywhere My Wellness Dashboard.