What is an intelligent band for runner? Is it really necessary for running? These are two questions that my friends have made to me these weeks when talking about the Gear Fit 2 Pro.
We would like to summarize in a simple way what possibilities it offers us to have a sports band. As we will explore about it throughout this analysis. Not for all the fitness watches, but in the case of the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro review we can do the following:
Contents
Design and Build: Gear Fit2 Pro bands
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro bands maintains the aesthetics of the previous Gear Fit bracelet. Gear Fit2 Pro offers a vertical design that is not like the round design of Gear Sport smart watches.
Its rectangular screen curves to fit the shape of the wrist. The surrounded edge by a black metal frame, matching the outside of the strap. The inner side of the bracelet is made of plastic resistant to sweat and water.
On the right side of the bracelet, we find two buttons: one to go backwards within a menu, and another to turn the bracelet on and off. Also to activate the Settings menu. Just cover the screen with the palm of your hand to sleep the bracelet
The power button can be programmed to execute a task quickly with a double press. For example, we can controls music, start the last exercise session, etc.
The body of the Gear Fit2 Pro is attached to a silicone strap in the red model. That has a 3D “flake” design. While in the black model, it has a fluted design.
On the inside of the Gear Fit2 Pro, we found a heart rate detector. Uses green LEDs and infrared light to measure blood flow like other devices.
Gear Fit2 Pro wristband
Many of active wristband finally reside in a drawer, if is not comfortable. Luckily, this will not happen in the case of Gear Fit2 Pro. Anyone felt very comfortable and light (as it only weighs 30 grams) on the wrist.
The bracelet is quite thin, so you can wear it comfortably even when wearing shirts with cuffs. Although its size is quite generous, it is not exaggeratedly large in small dolls. Now, if you are one of the people who do not like to wear a wristwatch because you find it annoying. Probably you will not get used to wearing the Gear Fit2 Pro either.
The Gear Fit2 Pro bracelet has a wrist adjustment system using a conventional buckle. This mechanism is more comfortable than that of the Gear Fit 2 last year. Which gave the feeling of being much less resistant.
The bracelet is available in two different sizes to fit the thickness of each individual’s wrist: small/ medium and large. We have had the opportunity to test the model of large size. Although it could possibly have done better with the smaller model.
Regarding the materials, the strap is made of rubber and the band of a hard plastic with a soft texture. We know that they are not the most premium materials in the market. But considering that, it is an accessory intended for sport, it seems to us the most correct decision, if we consider the durability factor.
Display
The AMOLED type display of the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is one of the sharpest and brightest. It has a size of 1.5 “with a resolution of 216 x 432 pixels with a pixel density of 322 ppi. Offers high contrast and bright colors. As well as a high brightness that favors visibility outdoors.
The frame that surrounds the screen is quite narrow and, being black. Gives the feeling of having a screen design from side to side.
The sensitivity of the touch screen is excellent and you will not have any problem in handling it comfortably. In addition, the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 glass to resist scratching.
Samsung has chosen to display all the data vertically. It means that it is not necessary to turn the wrist to read things as notifications. In addition, it shows as much information as possible. So that, it is not necessary to alternative to the app at all times.
Hardware
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro has an Exynos 3250 dual-core processor. The same one we found in the Samsung Gear Fit 2 last year. This processor is comes with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, of which 2GB are free for the user.
Samsung opts for this bracelet by the Tizen operating system. Which is also introduce in its smart watches and other connected household devices. Luckily, despite wearing this operating system, it is compatible with any Android phone with KiKat 4.4 or higher and with iPhone.
As we know the analysis of the Gear Fit 2 wristband, the power of the wristband hardware combined with the lightness of the Tizen operating system. The wristband very easy to operate with no stoppages or any sign of slowness.
Functions
The pairing process is quite simple since you just need to download the Samsung Gear app and follow the instructions on the screen. If you use a Samsung smartphone (we have tested it with a Galaxy S8), you may already have these apps. You just run the initial steps.
From the Gear app, you can choose which fitness and entertainment applications you want to install in the Gear Fit2 Pro. Among the options to choose, include Samsung’s own health (Samsung Health), as well as popular third-party services including MapMyRun and MyFitnessPal.
What about samsung gear fit 2 pro battery life
Obviously, Gear Fit2 Pro cannot compete with other devices that offer weeks or even months of power support. Since its large screen and GPS chip, are big consumers of battery.
Samsung says that the 200mAh battery of the Gear Fit2 Pro offers three to four days of battery life with a full charge. In practice, it depends a lot on the physical activity you do and, above all, on the use of GPS and Bluetooth music playback.
Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro review
Image Credit: https://www.samsung.com
Setting up the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro bands is very simple. Although the process requires a little free time. It is compatible with any Android phone that has at least Android 4.4 (4.3 if it is from Samsung) and 1.5 GB of RAM. Once Samsung Gear apps installed, the installation process will be-next-> next-> next …. Some extra applications need to be install. You can log in with our Samsung account, having to create profile if we do not have any.
Once the configuration process is finished, we will be on the main screen. We may find in watch with information such as calories burned, steps traveled during the day or heart rate.
Another great missing is the alarm application. However, that is not problem. As, we can install it from the app store. To access the app store we just have to go to the Samsung Gear app on the mobile and open Samsung Galaxy Apps. In the store, we can download applications such as Alarm and Spotify, as well as new aspects for our watch.
By the way, to change the look of our watch we just have to keep pressing on the main screen, and choose the theme that we like the most.
Main screen with time and other information depending on the sphere you select.
Sliding to the left, list of notifications that arrive from our mobile.
Sliding down, brightness level, do not disturb function, water blocking mode and music player.
Sliding to the right: fitness widgets (calories, steps, pulse, floors up, physical activity menu), glasses of water ingested, coffee cups, time, calendar and challenges. You can choose up to 8 of them.
(they are the same widgets of the main menu plus the installed applications) phone settings, music player, Speedo On (application to monitor swimming), 24h registration, exercise (the same as the physical activity widget) , steps, heart rate, challenges, water, caffeine, find my phone, countdown, stopwatch, calendar and time.
We can configure the type of activity, objectives (mark rhythms, duration, distance, calories), the location (activate and deactivate GPS), automatic pause, and guide intervals (register laps every certain distance or every certain time that we program).
Notifications
We will synchronize the bracelet with our phone through the applications of Samsung Health and Samsung Gear. It can visualize messaging, calls, and emails. We can configure them from Samsung Gear. Having internal storage is useful for Spotify application to train with music without carrying the phone. However, you can also store music directly from your computer. If we do not synchronize with the phone but have access to a Wi-Fi network, we can also receive messaging.
GPS analysis
The measurement of the GPS is at first quite reliable when compared to other devices, however on several occasions the bracelet seems to lose signal and throws errors of up to 300 meters in a 10 km route in the worst case, according to my experience. Perhaps it would be pending to do more tests to see where the problem lies, because in some occasions it has measured well.
Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro bands for Runner
The market for wearables has been at the center of the controversy since its birth. Many thought that it would be the next revolution after the smartphone. Over the years, we have ended up seeing that it would not have the same success.
We do not use a watch for the same thing that we use a mobile. So sometimes, it is better to have a device dedicated to fewer functions, but to do them, as it should. The new Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is an example of this. A device oriented for those who seek to quantify their daily exercise, in addition to having some extra features.
Running, walking, cycling, hiking, elliptical, static bike, step machine, treadmill, swimming, strides, sit-ups, squats, star jump, pilates, yoga, rowing machine and function of “another exercise”.
Have a record of all the exercise we do up to date. Sometimes it is automatic, sometimes through an app.
- Measure our sleep record.
- Control of heart rate.
- Access to notifications and possibility to answer them.
- Calendar, alarm, countdown, time.
- To be able to find our phone.
- Music player.
Application for swimmers: The great exclusive
The South Korean company had collaborated with Speedo to launch an application dedicated to swimmers. For those who do not know, Speedo is one of the leading brands in the world of swimming.
I liked the results, because the application is able to measure the distance we are swimming, in addition to continuously monitoring our intensity during the exercise. The accuracy is usually quite accurate, although sometimes it does not show exactly what we have swum, but update after update works better.
The Gear Fit2 Pro is water resistant to 50 meters, so you can use it perfectly for any water sport. This is a significant improvement over last year’s model.
Music player: A very useful feature
A feature that I liked to highlight a lot about the Gear Fit 2 Pro bands. This sports band does not include a speaker, but we can synchronize any Bluetooth headset, which will work without problems.
From the music application, we can use the clock itself to control the music that sounds on our mobile, although it is not the most interesting function.
Through the application of Samsung Gear, we can send our music to the watch by connected Bluetooth. Either manually or synchronize all our music. However, you must take into account a couple of things:
- The music is transferred by Bluetooth. If you want to transfer many tracks or a heavy podcast (30-50MB) it will take a long time to be sent.
- The Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro has 2 GB of storage for the user. You can put in a lot of music, but maybe not your entire library.
What I liked the most, is that once we add music to the sports band, we can listen to our music regardless of whether we leave our mobile at home. Very useful to avoid taking the phone to run or exercise.
Automatic record of exercises
Another function that we liked a lot is the automatic recording of exercises. Thanks to the sensors of this bracelet. The Gear Fit 2 Pro bands knows itself when we are walking, running or riding a bike.
The following exercises that are automatically detected:
- Walk / race.
- Cycling
- Elliptical bike.
- Rowing machine.
- Dynamic exercise
The result? Well, quite accurate on most occasions With the exercises, everything worked perfectly.
Price and competitors
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro bracelet can be purchased for a little less price from Amazon.
In the market there are other wristbands that compete in features such as Fitbit Blaze and Garmin Vivosport, as well as watches that also allow monitoring of sports activity such as the Apple Watch or, also the recently announced Samsung Gear Sport.
Given the similarities between those bracelet that of last year, consider is the Samsung Gear Fit 2 bracelet. None of them offer can be found at a lower price for same features of this year.
Conclusion
The design and construction of the Gear Fit2 Pro bracelet bear a great resemblance to those of its predecessor. The interface of the bracelet is quite comfortable and intuitive, although the process of installing apps from the phone is somewhat tedious.
It took a few years for wearables manufacturers to realize that the main use of bodily devices is not to substitute the functionality of our smartphone, but to complement it with functions for health.
Samsung has accepted this idea perfectly. In fact, the product to wear on the wrist with a sober and attractive style. In our Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro review, we explore that the main objective is monitoring of physical activity, without neglecting other aspects such as receiving notifications.