With hundreds of different fitness trackers and smartwatches on the market, there’s one thing that makes the Gear Fit 2 Pro stand above the rest. It can be answered with one simple question: Is the wearable made by a company that also makes phones?
While Fitbit, Garmin, and other traditional fitness tracker companies work to dominate the fitness tracker market, companies like Samsung, Apple, Motorola, and LG have started to carve out a nice customer base by doing things those stand-alone fitness tracker companies can’t.
The Fitbits, Garmins, and Polars of the world may have slightly better tracking than most, but even they recognize the convenience of offering more features from your wearables. While they’re starting to release fitness trackers with more “Smartwatch” type features, theoretically they’ll never get to the level of compatibility as a wearable made from the same company that makes the phone your using.
That’s how we get to the definition of what we expect from today’s trackers. The essential wearable has to be able to track a wide range of workouts, but also have the full functionality of a smartwatch…
Enter the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro. This wearable is everything the traditional fitness tracker companies are trying to emulate. It’s a sporty, durable fitness tracker with full smartwatch functionality.
That smartwatch functionality allows you to do things like send and receive text messages, answer calls, and view weather without ever picking up your phone. With all the features packed into Gear Fit 2, you’ll see why this is one of the best workout companions for any level of athlete.
The Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro requires your phone to be in Bluetooth range for calling and texting, but with built-in GPS, Bluetooth headset connectivity, and 4GB of storage space you can leave your phone at home when you go on your morning run. Integrated with Spotify, you can download up to 4GB of your favorite playlists or load your own MP3’s directly onto the watch for phone-free workout music.
Another great feature of this fitness tracker isn’t even on the watch at all. The Samsung Health app is, in our opinion, one of the best native health apps for 3 main reasons (Fitbit App is our favorite):
- Extensive biometrics and weight tracking
- Great variety of 1-on-1, group, and individual challenges
- 100+ partner apps like Runkeeper, MyFitnessPal, and Under Armour Record, so you can funnel all of your health and fitness data into one place. While you can use the Samsung Health App on an Android or iPhone without a wearable from the Samsung Gear line, but you won’t get the most accurate data unless you ALWAYS have your phone on you. This is also one of the only downsides to the Samsung Health app, but it’s a minor issue when you add up all the features.
Back to the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro. Let’s get into some of the specs:
Display: 1.5″; 216 x 432 pixels; OLED
OS: Tizen (Samsung)
Processor: Dual Core; 1GHz Exynos 3250
RAM: 512 MB
Storage: 4GB
Wireless Tech: Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS
Sensors: Heart Rate, Accelerometer, Gyro, Barometer
Battery: 200mAh; 3-5 days
Colors: Red & Black, Black on Black; replaceable bands
Compatibility: Android & iOS
If you’re familiar with all the various smartwatch options, you’ll definitely see that the Gear Fit 2 Pro can stand up to most on the market. The only spec that’s subject to change is the battery life. Using GPS kills the battery very quickly, just like any wearable with the technology.
It also varies depending on how much you have running through the watch, so while it doesn’t last longer that screen-less trackers, it does have a better battery life than traditional smartwatches because of the blacked-out, battery-efficient user interface.
Also, the blacked out background design makes the screen easier to see in sunlight and the water sensor disables the screen, so the capacitive screen doesn’t think water is a finger touching it. Once you get to using it, you’ll see that there are many different ways to conserve battery life for a few extra days.
Another thing that sets this fitness tracker/smartwatch above other “active” or “sport” style smartwatches is that you have the big, beautiful screen, but in a slimmer design. The slim design also makes it more comfortable during activities. This is something we didn’t take into account until we actually got to test it on some workouts.
The tall narrow screen design sets perfectly on the wrist, offering more range of motion than round or square faces. Now you get the best of both worlds with little-to-no sacrifices. If you want a wearable with extremely precise tracking or a smartwatch that looks like more of a traditional watch, then the Gear Fit 2 Pro may not be for you.
On the other hand, if you want a fitness tracker with all the major features of a traditional smartwatch, then we haven’t found anything better then the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro. With the tons of different third-party band options, you can match it to any style or event.
As an added bonus, Samsung is offering the Gear Fit 2 Pro bundled with the Samsung Gear IconX CORD-FREE Fitness Earbuds. Pair these premium cordless earbuds to your phone or directly to the Gear Fit 2 Pro and leave your phone safe at home or in the locker while you workout.
