Gear Update offers Stylish Gadgetry
- Standard 22mm watch band for easy customization
- Still and video camera
- Heart Rate monitor and IR blaster
- Compatible with most, recent Samsung Phones (full list at *bottom of page)
The Gear 2 is not a redesign of the original gear, but it has plenty of upgrades, including longer battery life. The Gear 2 (like the first Samsung Gear) is one of the few watches that can accept and make phone calls (most others only notify you of the call). Also like the original gear, it has a brushed metal watch body, and a plastic strap similar to the one before, with an almost-identical clasp mechanism. The microphone is no longer housed in this strap and thus that part of the clasp is now thinner. The camera (which also used to be in the strap) has moved back up in the main watch housing as well. This means you can easily customize the Gear 2’s watch band, using any standard 22mm band.
Beyond some small aesthetic differences, there are some important internal upgrades of the Gear 2. It now has an optical heart rate monitor (like the one found in the Samsung Galaxy S5) and an IR Blaster, meaning it can function in place of many TV/Stereo/set-top box remote controls. The Gear 2 has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance (dustproof, and submersible to 1 meter, for 30 minutes). Its compatible with Bluetooth 4.0, has an accelerometer, and an updated charging cradle that utilizes a micro-usb charging cable.
Unlike Android Wear Smartwatches, the Samsung Gear 2 will require that you have Samsung’s Gear Manager App installed, which you can get from Samsung’s App Store. Speaking of apps – its important to point out that the original Samsung Gear’s apps will not work on the Gear 2. That being said, the Gear 2 does have some pretty nifty functionality out of the box:
- Stopwatch
- Phone dialer
- Media controller
- Contact list
- Call logs
- Exercise app (a Spartan version of the Samsung S Health app, monitors distance)
- Heart Rate Monitor – on back of the watch. It emits a light that penetrates your skin to find your pulse rate
- Media player (plays music via the watch, not your smartphone)
You will also find all of the functionality that is to be expected anymore in a smartwatch (social media notifications/alerts, turn by turn directions, time/date, change watch faces, etc.).
If you are looking for a Smartwatch Compatible with your [recent] Samsung Phone, but aren’t specifically looking for Android, the Gear 2 is a good fit.
SPECS
- Resolution: 320×320
- Ram: 512mb
- Processor: Exynos 3250 dual-core 1GHz
- Storage: 4gb
- Battery: Li-ion 300mAh
- Screen: 1.63in Super AMOLED display
- Water and Dust Resistance: IP67
- Operating System: Tizen
- Size: 1.45 inches, 0.39 inches, 2.3 inches
- Weight: 2.4 ounces
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
- Gear 2 Smartwatch w/ black rubber watch band
- Quick Guide
- Charging Cradle / wall adapter
*Compatible Samsung Devices for the Samsung Gear 2:
Samsung Galaxy S5
Galaxy Grand 2
Galaxy Note 3
Galaxy Note 3 Neo
Galaxy Note 2
Galaxy S4
Galaxy S3
Galaxy S4 Zoom
Galaxy S4 Active
Galaxy S4 mini
Galaxy Mega 6.3
Galaxy Mega 5.8
Galaxy Note 10.1 – 2014 Edition
Galaxy NotePRO – 12.2
Galaxy TabPRO – 12.2
Galaxy Tab 4 10.1
Galaxy Tab 4 8.0
Galaxy Tab 4 7.0
Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1
Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4