Samsung has thrown its hat into the smartwatch category. The Galaxy Gear is their attempt to get ahead of the curve before Google and Apple join the party next year. About 30 days ago I got my hands on the Galaxy Gear. I had initially planned to have a review of it after a few days of use. Unfortunately life got in the way and it has taken me a bit longer to get this to you guys. However, after 30 days I have a different perspective on the I did 20 days ago.
To see the Galaxy Gear in action, here’s our hands-on video w/ it:
Design
The Galaxy Gear features a brushed aluminum face on top of a hard plastic body. It comes in a variety of colors including orange beige and rose gold. The Gear has a very modern, industrial look with a large face that make for a very nice sized screen. I personally like the look of the Gear, but aesthetics are completely subjective.
Despite being made of mostly plastic the Galaxy Gear feels premium to the touch and looks and feels great on the wrist. The band on the watch features a camera and a mic and speaker so its not interchangeable. It might look or feel big to some, but its a one size fits most kind of thing. and truth be told, fit does fit most. The band on the Gear gets ridiculously tight for those with tiny wrists and surprisingly large to accommodate those with larger wrists (like this guy!) I am curious to see what Samsung does with the next version of the watch, it will be interesting to see if they change the design of it and allow for a replaceable band.
“You won’t be looking for or worrying about pixel counts on this display.”
Display
The screen on the Galaxy Gear is a 1.63 inch AMOLED display, and it offers a very sharp image. Text and the myriad of watch face options look beautiful. Lines are crisp and clean. You won’t be looking for or worrying about pixel counts on this display. The touchscreen is surprisingly snappy. Watching all the hands-on videos at IFA and some of the reviews I wasn’t expecting it to feel as polished as it does. Swiping is fluid and smooth. Moving thru the menus is an impressively quick and easy process.
“I have easily gotten 2 days out of the Gear in my testing.”
Battery
Most reviewer of the Gear has been on a battery bashing spree. But the truth is Samsung under promised so they could over deliver. The bare minimum you’re gonna get out of the Gear is a day. I have easily gotten 2 days out of the Gear in my testing and I have seen many forum posts about users getting almost a week out of it. While everyone complains about how short that is people are forgetting how much the Gear actually does compared to its battery life.
Camera
The camera on the Galaxy Gear is not much to write home about. It’s a great for taking a quick pic when your phone is in your pocket or purse, or for saving something to Evernote. The same can be said about video. If you’re looking for quality, use your phone is a much better option. It’s serviceable. The one great thing about the videos is they are all great quality and are able to be attached to your favorite form of communication be it texts, emails or instant messages.
Software
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| The many watch faces you can give your Galaxy Gear |
Interface
Samsung has put a full version of Android on the Galaxy Gear and covered it in their Touchwiz UI. It is a very watered down version of their UI and to be honest, I wish that Samsung would take few cues from the Gear for their phones. Touchwiz is simple, elegant and understated with a clear color palette. All of your contact gestures are present which fit nicely with the swipe gestures to move around the phone. You swipe to the right to call someone and swipe to the left to message them. There is no actual keyboard on the phone so messaging is done via S Voice. Having tried it, I recommend only using this in emergencies. Its a bit tedious to use.
Notifications
Ahh, the purpose of the smartwatch, notifications. Don’t get confused by all the pomp and circumstance, the Gear’s purpose is to deliver notifications in a convenient and discreet fashion. And with the newest firmware update. the Galaxy Gear delivers. It’s wonderful to be able to get all of the notifications that matter to you in your wrist, available at a glance.You have the freedom to select whatever apps you would like to show up, and there they are. In using the Gear I have learned that the notifications are tied, ironically, to your notification bar. However much of a message shows up there is what will display on the watch. Also, notifications only show up on the Gear when your screen, a la your notification light. If you’re using the your phone and receive a notification it won’t come to the Gear. If you turn the screen off (without checking the notification) the notification will immediately go to your Gear.
Calls
Calling on the Gear is great its a great speakerphone option and it allows you the freedom of movement without having to be stuck wherever your phone is. Call quality is good and the speaker and mics work well. If you have issues with call quality its more than likely the Bluetooth connection and not the device.
Apps
There aren’t a lot of apps available at the moment for the Gear. There are a few social media apps, a couple of radio apps, eBay, Evernote and a few others. This is one of the problems with early adoption of technology. You will have to wait for a more robust catalog of good, usable apps but the potential is there.
There is a pedometer on the Gear that feeds right into the S Health app. In my use it is extremely inaccurate. As just about any movement you make with your wrist registers as multiple steps. I assume it’s a software issue and will be fixed over time. This will probably grow into a pretty substantial Nike Fuel band competitor over time, and more than likely be the fitness tool Android users were looking for since Nike has left them hanging.
“The Gear reminds me a lot of the original iPhone – an extremely flawed piece of tech but the things that it got right and it was full of potential.”
TG 2 Cents
The Galaxy Gear isn’t just a watch, it’s a smartwatch. And it’s not just a smartwatch, it’s an extension of your phone. This is the FIRST device of its kind that offers the features that it has. While there is the Pebble Smartwatch and one from Sony, none of them do what the Gear does. The features that they share, the competition doesn’t do anywhere near as well.
With the Galaxy Gear, Samsung has drawn first blood, and despite the early criticism, it’s a great first showing. The Gear reminds me a lot of the original iPhone – an extremely flawed piece of tech but the things that it got right and it was full of potential. The Gear is the same way. I am by no means saying it’s a perfect device. But it offers a great watch experience, while being an extension of phone as well.
There is so much untapped potential here in the apps department the amount of glance-able information that could be made available is mind-blowing. Stock brokers could have their stock information at the ready, the health and wellness information that could be available. It would function as a great remote control for other electronics as well. As I said before, the possibilities are endless.
To Buy Or Not To Buy
The infamous question… without a doubt I say that it’s definitely a buy. If you like the look and it feels good on your wrist, the Gear is a great watch. At $300 it’s cheaper than some of the watches in my collection and does substantial more. Truth be told, as I have started using other phones I still find myself wearing the Gear on a daily basis. It’s a great watch that I can customize to look any way I want.
Images + Words by Chris Mason
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