THE Samsung Gear S2 is the best smartwatch available for Android smartphone owners right now. But it is in desperate need of some killer Tizen apps.
- Pros – Stylish Round Design, Always On Watch Face, Rotating The Bezel Is Fast, Intuitive And Fun, Great Notification Support For Android, Solid Fitness Tracking
- Cons – Lack Of Killer Third-Party Apps for Tizen OS, No GPS, Samsung Pay Not Yet Available In The UK
Samsung has released seven smartwatches to date. So, it was about time the South Korean firm produced the perfect smartwatch.
And the Samsung Gear S2 could be the hardware that finally has a shot at kickstarting the much talked-about wearable revolution.
Enter the Gear S2 – a device that breaks all of Samsung's previous rules.
Unlike previous attempts, Samsung has decided to style their latest wearable computer like a watch. And it looks great.
Secondly, the Gear S2 can be linked with a number of rival smartphones including devices from LG, Sony and HTC.
But don't get too excited in your an iPhone user, since the Apple handset can't be linked to the Gear S2 just yet. Although, Samsung is reportedly hard at work fixing that.
Finally – the biggest change of all – Samsung has dropped Google's open-source Android Wear OS and replaced it with their own software, Tizen OS.
So … do all of these changes make sure a must-have smartwatch?
Yes. And no.
Express.co.uk has had the Samsung Gear S2 strapped to our wrist for the last couple of weeks – and there are a lot of exciting features packed into this nifty little timepiece.
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| Samsung sells a base model for £249, which is made from plastic and rubber |
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| Straps can be swapped at the touch of button. Samsung sells a slew of different styles |
Samsung's wearable will count your steps, check your heart rate and tell you if you've achieved your daily fitness goals.
There's also a handy Nike+ running app bundled with the Gear S2 which tracks your runs alongside Samsung's own fitness offering.
That wealth of information can be sorted by spinning the bezel on the front of the watch.
Using the Gear S2 feels very natural, like idly clicking around the bezel on a divers watch.
The spinning bezel gives a satisfying click every time it's turned, which adds to the enjoyment of flying through menus, news articles and text conversations.
Samsung’s new navigation tool is also a surprisingly fast way to move around the operating system and it keeps the AMOLED display fingerprint-free.
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| The watch faces are restrained and stylish, like those on its rival, Apple Watch |
It's also much better than the touchscreen-focused solution currently used by the majority of Android Wear devices, including the disappointing LG Watch Urbane.
There are also two physical buttons, a Back and Home button, which sit on the right hand-side of the device, when it's worn on your left wrist.
But navigating the Gear S2 isn't perfect.
Granted, the spinning bezel is a great solution but since it scrolls at a consistent speed – quickly twisting it does not allow you to fly through a draw-out email conversation – chugging through a lengthy email or text message chain soon becomes frustrating.
Overall, navigating around the Samsung Gear S2 is fun. And that’s not something we have been able to say about South Korean firm’s previous smartwatches.
The Gear S2 can also make calls via your smartphone although, unlike some of its rivals, there’s no speaker for hands-free chatting on-the-go, which is a little disappointing.
S Voice commands are also supported in Samsung's seventh smartwatch, but these are pretty basic and nowhere near as comprehensive as rival voice assistants.
Like every other full-featured smartwatch on the market, the battery life in the Gear S2 doesn't last more than a day.
But it will comfortably last as long as you do – and takes no time at all to charge on the handy night-stand charger cradle.
Be aware, battery life also takes a hit if you decide to opt for the always-on watch face setting.
It's a really nice feature, since it means you can always glance and double-check the time – which is the point of wearing a watch, right?
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| Samsung's battery will get you through the day, but don't expect any more |
Stylish, compact and powered by a novel and genuinely useful navigation mechanic, the Gear S2 has plenty going for it.
Unfortunately the biggest problem with the smartwatch is Samsung's Tizen OS.
Unlike rival Apple Watch, there are only a very limited supply of apps for the Gear S2 – and it is missing a number of key players.
Many third-party app developers haven’t shipped software for Tizen OS and smartwatch owners are likely to be very disappointed by what's currently on offer.
The standalone Tizen App Store is brimming with downloadable watch faces, but very few powerful apps that add to the experience of wearing the Samsung timepiece.
It's a big problem, and it's something Samsung needs to sort out soon.
Another disappointment is the lack of support for Samsung contactless payments in the UK.
Samsung Pay – which will allow users to pay at the checkout with a quick tap of the Gear S2 smartwatch – is coming to the UK at some point in the near future, but if you grab a Gear S2 before Christmas you're still going to need to carry around a wallet.
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| Samsung's seventh smartwatch is missing some headline-grabbing third-party apps |
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| Strangely, the £299 Classic edition feels flimsier than its budget counterpart |
The Gear S2 is also pretty pricey with the basic model costing £249, whilst the Classic model will set you back £299.
Unfortunately the Classic does not feel as premium as the publicity shots on Samsung’s website would have you believe.
The spinning bezel felt flimsier than its fitness-focused counterpart and the metal body did not have the premium heft of Apple's pricer offering.
But the sport model feels durable and will look good on smaller and larger wrists. It also comes in both 3G and Bluetooth variations, unlike the Classic.
Final Verdict
After years of trying, Samsung has finally produced a smartwatch worth buying.
The Gear S2 is well made, looks great and has some neat features tucked inside its lightweight frame.
The rotating bezel is intuitive and a lot of fun to use.
Samsung has also been clever by finally making the Gear S2 available to any Android handset running KitKat 4.4 and with at least 1.5GB of RAM, which certainly broadens its appeal.
Sadly, it's not all positive as the wearable is let down by the lack of compelling and big-name apps available on Tizen and the absence of contactless payment in the UK (for now).
Hopefully both of these issues will be fixed in the coming months, but it's certainly something you need to consider before splashing the cash on a Gear S2.
Battery life is still annoying and the lack of GPS means you'll have to strap a smartphone to your body every time you go for a run.
This device certainly isn't perfect but with Samsung hard at work on bringing its tap-to-pay solution to the UK and pushing developers to embrace its Tizen operating system – the Gear S2 is only going to get better and better.
For now, the Gear S2 is a stylish smartwatch with a unique and fun spinning bezel and great notification support for Android smartphones.
It's easily the best smartwatch Samsung has ever released.
But with iPhone support, contactless payments and more must-have smartwatch apps on the way – this wearable is only going to become more appealing over the coming months.
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