Review: Samsung Gear S

Introduction and display

Samsung has jumped into the wearables war with gusto and launched quite a lot of smartwatches and fitness trackers in 2014. Aside from odd features here and there - like the camera on the Gear 2 which it thankfully got rid of with the Gear 2 Neo - Samsung looks like its slowly but surely improving its wearables selection.

The Gear S for instance, is the first from the company that acts as a standalone mobile phone - but that doesn't mean there aren't some caveats - you still need a compatible Samsung phone for the smartwatch to work. More on that later.

Regardless it's definitely a leap forward in functionality and can potentially make Samsung mobile devices the go-to for wearable fans who want to carry around one device. Granted, the Gear S isn't exactly there yet but it's one of the closest independent smartwatches out now.

However, cooler features means a higher price tag and the Gear S isn't cheap at $350 (£329, AU$449). That said, it's not much more than a LG G Watch R and seems to do more. But is the standalone smartwatch option enough to make the Gear S a standout smartwatch?

Display

The first thing you'll notice on the Gear S is its 2.0-inch curved AMOLED (360 x 480) screen. The AMOLED display has a higher pixel count than other Android Wear watches and previous Samsung Gears.

Like the Gear Fit, the screen is curved to better sit on the wrist. It really is quite lovely and drew a lot of eyes whenever I wore it out. But it's also gigantic - which also probably caught a lot of eyeballs. In comparison, I thought the the circular LG G Watch R (1.3-inches in diameter) was massive but it seems like Samsung thinks bigger is better and went a full inch larger. In some ways, it is nice and makes sense since you can use the watch to make calls and text - but it doesn't make it very comfortable.

With the ambient light sensor, the display will also automatically brighten when you're outside. Even though the curved glass fits your wrist better, it doesn't help the glare. At its peak brightness, the screen is still difficult to see.

The bezel itself takes up a lot of real estate and is part of why the watch face is so large. Perhaps Samsung should consider cutting down the bezel on future iterations to allow more screen space.

Design and comfort

The Gear S band (245 x 23.8 x 1 mm) is made from a surprisingly comfy, semi-flexible rubber (Urethane) that stretches around the face and meets up with a metal clasp. I also should emphasize "semi-flexible;" the band is able to bend like rubber but it retains a curled form most of the time. The strap is adjustable up to 10 different sizes and is able to fit a wide variety of beefy wrists, or in my case, tiny baby wrists.

There are also five different proprietary Samsung straps you can choose from: Cobalt Blue, Blue Black, White, Mocha Grey and Supreme Red. However, only black and white are available in the US right now. If you do plan on several switches, the watch body pops out and snaps on to the strap.

The band isn't like the faded leather of the Moto 360, but it's also not an uncomfortable plastic either. It's more sporty and seems pretty durable though the rubbery look makes the watch feel less premium.

Luckily the body of the watch makes up for that. As mentioned before, there's a curved screen along with a curved body that cradles your wrist. It's definitely meant for larger wrists but fit mine decently. Though it was hard to see the full face of the watch because it was angled further away - meaning I had to tilt the watch towards my face a bit more than say, the smaller, flat Pebble Steel.

There is one physical home button on the Gear S that sits on the bottom of the watch face. Pressing it takes you to the main watch face. On the left of the watch, you'll find a microphone, placed there for making phone calls and voice activated actions. There's a small speaker on the right for sound output.

On the rear of the watch, you'll find a centralized heart rate monitor and five gold connector pins on the bottom which connect to the charging dock. The back is made of a hard plastic matching the feel of the rubbery strap. It doesn't seem like it would get easily scratched.

Samsung Gear S

The watch is IP67 dust and water-resistant but you can't hop in a pool with it on. It just means you can gently submerge a device in a tank of still tap water up to a depth of one meter at room temperature for about 30 minutes. You can also get a bit of sweat or rain on both the face and strap without lasting damage - which is good news since it's a watch you can't easily hide, bringing us to the next topic.

Comfort

Again it must be mentioned: the Gear S is a big smartwatch. Coupled with my small wrist, it's positively massive. I can't figure out who it would look "normal" on - maybe someone who's over six feet tall with wrestler sized wrists? It also makes taking coats on and off a pain. The watch tends to get caught on sleeves often. I even had to roll up my longer sleeved shirts because the Gear S wouldn't fit.

I can also feel all of the Gear S's 2.3 ounces when wearing it. Like the LG G Watch R, both could gain a lot by shedding some weight.

The Gear S is probably one of the most uncomfortable watches I've worn. The strap makes turning my wrist inward - or just using my hand to do anything - feel awkward, like I have an ankle bracelet slapped on my arm.

If you're used to big, unwieldy bracelets or analog watches, then it may not be a problem for you. But for someone who doesn't wear jewelry or giant watches daily, it's not very comfortable.

Specs and performance

The Gear S has 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory. That lines up with its smartwatch brethren: the Moto 360, along with other Samsung and LG watches also come with 512MB and 4GB of internal storage.

There are a whopping seven sensors in the Gear S: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, UV and Barometer. That's quite a lot more than both the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R, though it's not as many as the Microsoft Band (which has 10 sensors).

On the connectivity side, the Gear S has Bluetooth 4.1 to connect up with supported Samsung phones. But it also has standalone Wi-Fi (b/g/n) and a Micro SIM slot for use with 2G and 3G networks when you're out of Bluetooth range.

Calling and texting

While driving and using the Gear S as a phone, friends could hear me very well with my hands on the steering wheel - about a foot away, give or take. It ended up being pretty handy going hands free. I even used it to make calls while typing with no huge audible issues on either end.

While doing chores around the house like decorating for Christmas or doing laundry, I would call people to get a sense of how well they could hear me. Background noise wasn't too loud and when my arm was at my side while walking, it sounded like I was just on speakerphone - a little far but not inaudible.

I can also see it being useful when I'm cooking, though I'd be afraid of getting the watch dirty. However I can't see myself using the watch to call people in public since it's pretty much a speakerphone on your wrist - meaning everyone can hear your conversation. You can connect a Bluetooth headset which will pair up with your Gear S, but what's the point of adding another awkward device to your body when you already have one?

Texting is also a nice feature. Though the keyboard is an itty bitty thing, it's very intuitive. Aside from "how now Beyonce cow," the auto-correct was helpful making the texting process quicker. Ultimately, I can't see texting on a small smartwatch being that great. After all, you're typing away with one finger which makes the process pretty tedious. I will say, it is nice for quick little messages.

It's almost like Samsung knew this because there's a character cap for each text message. You can use your voice to dictate messages but it cuts off around 10-15 seconds depending on how fast you're talking. There are quick pre-written responses you can choose from though, if you're in a rush.

Interface, apps and fitness

The first thing you'll see on the Gear S face is the clock, which can be switched out from a selection of pre-loaded faces - or you can download more from the Galaxy Apps store. A swipe left will take you through the following seven customizable widgets: S Health, news reader, calendar agenda, contacts, weather, a music player and settings. The order can be changed up however you want, though you can only pin five widgets.

Since these are basically shortcuts, you can still access the other widgets as apps if you swipe up from the bottom. Swiping right from the clock will show a list of notifications. Emails, fitness goals, calendar reminders, phone calls and text messages can be found swiping right where you can dismiss them - but they also pop up on the home screen with short vibrations. If you keep swiping that direction, you'll get more details like reading and responding to your mail or text messages.

Swiping from the top also takes you to information about sound and vibration preferences plus the battery state and connection when you're on the home screen; if you're on another screen, swiping from the top takes you back to previous screens - or the home screen if you're perusing the widgets.

Despite the familiar Samsung and Android pairing, the Gear S runs on Tizen OS - Samsung's own Linux-based operating system - instead of Android Wear. There's even a separate Gear app that's needed to get the watch to work. There's a lot more going on with Tizen OS - to a point where the interface feels a little cluttered - but it's not hard to figure out.

Specifically, you'll need a lot of patience to fiddle around with the different settings because there's quite a lot. If you feel inclined, home button shortcuts, motion controls, power saving modes, privacy locks, sound profiles, connection preferences, brightness and interface colors are all customizable. And that's on top of the widgets you can customize. I've actually liked using Tizen a little more than Android Wear because of this.

Apps

Before you can download any apps, you need to pair the Gear S with a compatible Samsung phone running Android 4.3 or higher. In fact the first thing you have to do in order to even turn on the the watch is download the Samsung Gear app. Only then will your smartwatch officially turn on and allow app downloads. Future app additions will require you to peruse the app store on your phone first which will sync your downloads with the watch. The same process is required for app deletions.

It kind of defeats the purpose of having a smartwatch if you need a phone to do all of this. I didn't exactly need to download any apps when I didn't have my phone but several pre-loaded options - like Milk or Running - on the Gear S still required installations through the phone which I hadn't done yet.

There are several things you can do without the phone like customizing the watch's display and wallpapers but you'll need the Gear Manager app to transfer images, audio, transfer contacts and sync fitness information to the S Health app. The Milk app can also be a standalone radio but there are those pesky data charges you'll have to deal with.

There are pre-loaded apps like S Health, Schedule, Email, Weather, Music Player, News Briefing, S Voice and Find My Device but in general, the Gear S app selection is a bit lacking compared to the growing choices of Android Wear. Dedicated apps for Facebook, Twitter or Google+ are missing in action despite the popularity of the social media apps on other smartwatches.

If you have the apps on your phone, you'll be able to get the notifications but it's not really the same since you can't respond. It does however let you store other apps on your watch without worrying about taking up memory which is a better perk than none. If only there were apps worth downloading … one day, Samsung, one day.

Fitness

There are two built in apps you can use for fitness - Nike+ Running and S Health - which both require you to log in and create profiles. You can also download MapMyRun if the bloatware isn't up to your standards for exercise. However the S Health app is pretty detailed and can be found on other Gear watches or Samsung phones.

I couldn't say "OK Google" like with Google Fit on Android Wear devices and ask for the Gear S to automatically check my heart rate - not even S Voice could recognize my request - but the S Health app is a widget option. As for actual measurements, it's hard to say just how accurate the Gear S is. The numbers varied immensely when I used my Note 4 to take my heart rate then immediately trying it with the Gear S, then the Asus ZenWatch. I tried it out several times with each producing numbers at least 15 bpm off each time making it difficult to discern which one was the accurate device.

The pedometers seemed just as off with the numbers barely matching up; I reset both the Gear S and Asus ZenWatch to zero then walked around my house (with one smartwatch on each wrist) several times. After the first bout, the Gear S had told me I walked 70 steps versus the ZenWatch's 51 for a difference of 19 steps. How did the Zenwatch miss 19 steps, or the Gear S add 19? I have no clue. My own estimate was around 65 however, which leads me to believe the Gear S pedometer sensor might be more sensitive, especially after resetting both watches and walking around a couple more times.

The same issue came up when I walked nine blocks to a beach by my house - the numbers were all over the place. I walked back with the watches on one arm to see if there would be a difference and interestingly, the Gear S numbers were far lower than the Asus. Clearly, these sensors aren't as good as they've been hyped up to be and results must be taken with a grain of salt. But I suppose what really matters is that you're actually out and about fiddling with your smartwatch exercising opposed to sitting at home sinking further into your couch.

Compatibility and battery life

As I mentioned before, the Gear S won't work without a Samsung Galaxy running Android 4.3 or higher. This also means the watch is a picky beast and will only pair up with Samsung phones. It's a strange move for the company to lock in the Gear S.

On top of sneakily tethering the watch's calling and texting abilities, you'll need a data plan to even use the SIM card - which is another chunk of change you're giving up. In the US, Verizon and T-Mobile both charge an additional $5 per month while AT&T and Sprint want $10 a month. Though Sprint will waive the fee through December 2015 if your plan has 20GB of data or more.

The Gear S can remotely connect via Wi-Fi as well but only for certain notifications. If it's not set up with a SIM card, you won't get call and text forwarding if you've left your phone at home.

Battery life

At 300mAh, the Gear S has a significantly lower battery capacity than the 360's 320mAh and the G Watch R's 410mAh but I was able to get almost two days of usage before needing to charge up again. Usage here means having the pedometer on, getting notifications, messing around with apps, texting, checking emails and of course, using the phone. The main battery suck is using the Gear S over Wi-Fi or 3G. It lasted slightly longer over Bluetooth - by a couple of hours, specifically.

Samsung Gear S

The charging cradle is similar to that of other smartwatches. The cradle itself can be charged then unplugged to clip on and juice up the Gear S without being tethered. Essentially, you can take the cradle with you, pop it on on the back of the smartwatch and charge on the go. Then when both run out of battery life, you can plug the cradle in with a micro-USB cord and charge both simultaneously. The length of time to charge up to 100% isn't terrible - about two hours if completely dead and much less if the battery is at half. The cradle can also hold a charge for several days before needing to be plugged in.

Verdict

The Gear S is definitely a premium looking smartwatch but rather large. Instead of opting for a classic analog style like the Moto 360 or sporty analog look like the LG G Watch R, Samsung has made a rather futuristic beast putting the Gear S in its own unique place.

We liked

The biggest draw of the Gear S is definitely the lovely AMOLED screen. The colors are always vibrant - not as much as the Note 4 of course - but very reminiscent of how Samsung displays always seem to pop. The curved body is also a neat design choice that while I thought was weird at first, I came to appreciate because it sat well on my wrist.

Battery life on other watches has also been atrocious so the Gear S has impressed me by managing to stay alive longer than most. The calling function was also surprisingly handy when I wanted to type or use both my hands for other tasks.

We disliked

Frankly, the Gear S is super uncomfortable. I like how the band is able to fit my tiny wrist but it seems to restrict movement and mostly feels unwieldy. I've also been wearing the Gear S for quite some time now and I thought I would get used to it, but because it's so cumbersome, I never forget it's there - like wearing a billboard on my wrist.

The massive body also gets in the way of everything. Whether it's putting on a jacket or any long sleeved shirt, I'd have to take the Gear S off first. Sometimes, I wouldn't even be able to put it back on because the sleeve wouldn't cover it.

Verdict

The Samsung Gear S is two steps forward and one step back for smartwatches as a whole. The promise of standalone calling and texting is an amazing and needed feature for smartwatches to really feel useful - but not great in practice if it requires a smartphone. It's sad to say but the Gear S is not a truly independent smartwatch.

It's also not looking good value-wise. You're buying the Gear S for $350 (£329, AU$449), then shelling out another chunk of change for a higher end smartphone, like the unlocked $879 (£600, AU$960) Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Then to take advantage of the Gear S's most touted features - texting and calling - you'll have to pay an additional amount for a data plan.

At this point, the Gear S is simply not better than your run of the mill smartphone. In fact, you're just better off getting the Samsung Note 4 by itself.