Attractive curved screen and good looks, lightweight, changeable strap, water and dust proof
Leather strap option would have been nice, no option to add third-party apps, no option to filter messages, accelerator doesn't always activate screen when you move
The new Samsung Galaxy S5 is packed with features designed to take advantage of Samsung's latest range of wearables. That'll be the Gear 2, Gear Neo and this cheeky little biometrics-measuring wristband, the Gear Fit.
With its curved sliver of a screen and quality-looking wristband, the Gear Fit is coming close to that elusive concept -- a smartwatch that you'd actually want to wear.
Chassis
It's reasonably discreet, measuring 23x57x12mm and weighing 27g.
The strap is plastic rather than leather but it looks modern without screaming "geeks only" and is available in a range of colours -- black, grey, blue, green, red or orange.
It looks very similar to a digital watch, in other words, and it does its best to blend in. Until it comes on that is. Then its curved screen erupts fairly brightly with a beacon of Super AMOLED light. Fortunately you can reduce the brightness of the display if you're indoors, though the full effect does come in handy in bright sunlight.
The screen looks lovely though. Its gently curving shape stands out and looks like it's been moulded to the shape of your wrist. It's rocking an IP67 dust and waterproof rating, which means it will survive a dip in water up to a metre deep for up to half an hour -- we wouldn't recommend going swimming with it though. The battery managed pretty well -- it saw us through three days of regular use without a charge, though that was with the screen brightness turned down a tad.
Operation
You fire it up by pressing a button on the side to activate the screen (this can also be set to take you to a specific function).
The onboard accelerator can also switch on the display when you move, but we found you had to give it quite a jerk to get it to kick in. You're then presented with time and date -- hey, just like a real watch. That doesn't have to be your first display though -- there's a range of options available, including different combos of time, date and weather, plus your latest calendar notifications or a step counter.
Navigation couldn't really be much more intuitive. You slide the screen either right or left to show three icons at a time which you can arrange according to your preference. You can also set it to read horizontally or vertically and add a range of background colours and themes. These elements aren't just fripperies, they're essential aspects of the design that will make the difference between a device that will be worn by some or worn by many.
When you scroll to the right you get Notifications (SMS, email and social media), Media Controller (to manage the music playing on your phone) and Settings. To the left are your Pedometer, Exercise and Heart Rate. In each case if you keep sliding in the same direction you'll get to the other icons too, including Find My Device (useful for locating your phone, though you'll need to be within Bluetooth range), Timer, Stopwatch and Sleep (which tracks your data while you're in bed). A "back" button appears if you delve into any sub menus so you can always find your way back to the start.
The S Health app on the Galaxy S5 and other devices will collate the information from the Gear Fit to help you keep track of your health and exercise plans. It was easy to link via Bluetooth and integration between the two devices was smooth.
It will prompt you with your latest message notifications.
You'll feel a little haptic buzz when a message comes through, and see the sender. Then you can press the screen to go to your inbox and see whassup, or reject a call. Unfortunately, there's no option to filter the messages you receive -- you either get 'em all or none at all.
Conclusion
The Samsung Gear Fit manages that difficult hat trick of being genuinely useful, while being technically advanced and actually desirable. It passes the test as a smart-looking and smart-acting watch, but also packs in a range of health-related data gathering, including an exercise tracker and heart rate monitor. It's on the pricey side for an impulse buy, but if your current phone is a Samsung Galaxy (it's supposed to work with 17 different models), it may be time to splash out on your first bit of wearable tech.
Display: 1.84in curved Super AMOLED, 432x128 pixels
Features: Pedometer, Exercise, Heart Rate, Stopwatch, Timer
Strap: Plastic, changeable
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, heart rate
Radio: No
Battery: 210mAh
Size: 23x57x12mm
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
