Samsung Gear Fit2: Time for action

When you first look at it, you would be forgiven for thinking Samsung’s Gear Fit2 is just a super-sized fitness band with an extra large display. But this gadget is not to be underestimated as there is a lot it can do. It is based on Samsung’s own Tizen operating system yet is usable with any smartphone running a relatively recent version of Android.

Wearables are as much about looks and fashion as they are about utility and the Gear Fit2 leans towards that cool sporty look. Its display wraps over the wrist and a waterproof band that can be worn for long hours comfortably. This is important if you want to track activity all day and then wear it into the night to log your sleep patterns.

Having owned the original Gear Fit, I can see immediately that while the overall bracelet design is the same, version 2 is bigger. You get two sizes: 125 to 170 mm for small wrists and 155 to 210 mm for larger ones. Available in blue, pink and grey, it does have changeable straps, if one gets ruined.

The most prominent feature, visually, is the display on the Gear Fit2. It is big bright and beautiful. Not as good as it should have been out in direct sunlight — specially if you have dark glasses on — but in a bit of shade or indoors, it can be read from across the room. There are free and purchasable watch faces that are a huge part of the fun of such a device. When you start using the Fit2, you have to first download the Gear Fit app and, after which you can get watch faces, adjust settings and get apps from its own store.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Fit2 is the number of parameters it tracks and the way the data is presented to you on the watch itself. The device has a heart rate sensor with which you can actually auto track your rate at intervals all through the day. You will get a max and minimum and current rate displayed. Among the Fit2’s sensors also is a GPS, extending its capabilities. So you can see routes on a map, for instance and weather data, except that it does into the stats on the app. The device can auto detect when you start exercising, whether it is running, walking, Pilates, Yoga or some other form of exercise including climbing stairs – because why should not that not count? Daily, weekly and monthly stats are also reflected in the Samsung S-Health app though you can see them by swiping the watch face. You can get ‘health nudges’ by enabling them from the band’s settings.

The Fit2 can access your phone much as a smartwatch would do, pulling in notifications, missed calls, messages, etc. It has no microphone, so you cannot interact with it beyond a point (Samsung has a smartwatch for that called the Gear S2) but you certainly can do a lot including store some of your music on the watch itself and go off with it leaving your phone behind.

The battery on this device lasts approximately three and a half days though it depends on how much you use it and what for. For its price, this smarter than usual fitness band does a lot.

Price: ₹13,990

Love: Rich colourful display, cool watch faces, generates detailed fitness data, value for money

Hate: Sunlight visibility should be better, no Google presence, no microphone

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