Samsung has finally released a follow-up to the original Gear Fit, with the Gear Fit 2 looking to be quite the beast.
Samsung has taken note of what wasn’t so great about the Gear Fit and added so much more to their new fitness band. The Gear Fit 2 is looking to be a fitness band that will actually live up to promises. In the past we’ve had fitness bands with plethoras of features, with hope that we carry on wearing them.
Staying power is a massive issue with fitness bands, with many adopters of fitness band dumping their bands after only a few months. Humans get bored easily, what can you do? Samsung seem to be bringing a fitness band that’s worthy with notable features including: built-in GPS, excellent battery life and a revamped design.
The Gear Fit 2’s most noticeable feature is the massive 1.5-inch screen, being Samsung developed you’re getting an AMOLED screen. Samsung say the Gear Fit 2 was designed with maximum visibility in mind. Information is displayed vertically so you won’t have to turn your wrist awkwardly.
You can of course expect smartphone notifications, with the new screen size more information can be displayed. The standard wearable sensors are also seen here: steps, sleep and heart-rate. Another trait all fitness bands seem to be adopting is automatic activity tracking, which is present in the Gear Fit 2.
Battery life is an issue for wearables with excellent screens, the Microsoft Band 2 has a colourful OLED display, but could only muster two days of battery life. Samsung are boasting 3-4 days of battery life, perhaps due to the power conserving AMOLED panel.
Carrying as less as you can is the ideal situation for a runner. Your 5.5-inch phablet although may be awesome for YouTube, but can cause a detriment to your fastest 1KM. Built-in GPS will be appearing on the Gear Fit 2, meaning you can leave your phone at home.
It also works as a stand-alone device, thanks to the huge screen. You don’t have to sync to a smartphone to see your data, its all their on your wrist. A map of your run will even be displayed on the Gear Fit 2.
Music is a massive motivator during a workout, Samsung knows this so the Gear Fit 2 will be the second fitness wearable to integrate Spotify (first being the Pebble Core). Storage capacity is a decent 4GB, for you to download your favourite tracks from the Spotify library.
There isn’t a headphone jack but Samsung are counteracting by also announcing the IconX. The IconX is a pair of wireless earphone with seamless S Health sync and Voice Guide.
The original Gear Fit is only compatible with Samsung devices but now Samsung has rectified that slightly, by making the Gear Fit 2 compatible with all Android devices running KitKat 4.4 and above.
iOS devices aren’t getting the same love sadly, iPhone users won’t be able to take advantage of smartphone notifications and on-screen data analysis.
Samsung are banking on the strengths of the Gear Fit 2, to help the company grow even further in the expanding wearables market. It’s looking to be an impressive sequel from Samsung, only a thorough review will tell us whether Samsung have got it right this time.
For more on Samsung, visit What Mobile’s dedicated Samsung page.
