Phones Picked up Gear S2 - Review compared to Gear S1 - Hated it

[pdqgp]

Well I bought and tried the new Gear S2 3G as a possible upgrade to the original Gear S. I like the style better but it’s functionality and ergonomics still have a lot to be desired. The Gear S while larger and not as attractive just has by far better usability for me.

One thing I had trouble with that while I admit I’m not 100% sure about but am pretty confident is a PIA is that having both 3G watches paired isn’t simple nor smooth. One would think that it would be just a matter of selecting the watch you wish to wear. Not so. Once paired they are both recognized but when moving from one to another Gear Manager constantly says it needs to install 3 updates to the software and then in doing so it resets and fubars my notifications. DEAL BREAKER right there.

Now when comparing the two the reasons I like the original Gear S better:

Larger Screen: Not only is it easier to see, use but also shows way more information. I know many reviews rave about the bezel on the S2 but the swipe screen of the original Gear S is way better. More intuitive and easier to use.

Shortcuts: The original Gear S allows for my contacts and their full information including various PH#’s and Emails to show. Not so on the S2. The S2 shows the PH#’s but you don’t know if it’s a work, cell or personal cell or work cell. It also doesn’t show emails thus I can’t simply click and send an email. Not to mention I can’t just scroll to the contact in general and see all of this. That’s a deal breaker for sure.

Notifications: Notifications are broken down and much easier to see, manage and scroll through on the original Gear S. The S2 they look nice one by one but to see and manage them in a list, forget it. Screen is way too small and doesn’t show nearly enough data to be able to do it.

Keyboard and input: Not that I used the keyboard a lot on the Gear S but I did. It’s very intuitive and the smart-recognition make little things very very easy. Especially nice when in an area where I can’t voice dictate replies. The new Gear S2 input via keying in flat out sucks. It’s like using a flip phone and is even smaller! Sucks.

Benefits of S2: I do think the responsiveness of S-voice on the S2 is a little better but that’s probably only because I used it in place of keying in things. The ONLY thing that I’ve found is way way better and worth it, is that the Gear S2 has a much nicer charging system. The Original Gear S chargers are crap, but thankfully the replacements via amazon or ebay are cheap and work great. So far they haven’t broken like the original did.

Cliffs: Reasons Original Gear S is way better than the Gear S2

• Screen Size makes huge difference
• Interface overall is better
• Email capability
• Notification capability
• Keyboard and input way better

In summary, I have a couple weeks to try out the S2 3G through my rewards at Best Buy but in the end, I’ll be returning it and sticking with Version 1. Hopefully the points I’ve made give others a few things to think about.

Thanks for Reading.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Wearing a Gear 2 Neo for a while now. I think the Gear S2 would be a downgrade for me.

The non-3G version of the Gear S2 is not able to recieve or make calls. This is not a feature I use often, but it comes in handy. Like when I recieve an important call and my phone is wedged between the couch cushions.

No IR blaster. Again, rarely used on my watch. But it has come in handy once or twice.

My Gear 2 Neo is pretty tough without looking like some oversizsed gadget on my wrist. Out of the countless times I banged it up, it still looks mint besides a tiny micro scratch on the bottom. I played with the Gear S2 at Bestbuy and I don't think it can survive what my Gear 2 Neo has been through without obvious damage. And moving parts is another factor of durability.

Although the Gear S2 watch faces look extremely realistic and the display is excellent. Everything else on a square face is more efficient. Also the Gear S2 sits much higher on my wrist than the Gear 2 Neo.

I'll probably wait until the Gear S2 price lowers drastically. For now, it's not worth it.

 

[Mxbzz]

I was an early adopter of the Gear S2, and returned it before my 14 days were over. It didn't seem like it was worth the $299 price tag. Notable issues for me were the extremely delayed processing time for S Voice actions, S Voice speech recognition itself, and lack of apps.

However, there was a deal for the S2 for $199 on Black Friday, so I decided to give it another shot. I really like the screen and Tizen UI. The S Voice processing time feels infinitely better, and apps are starting to appear in the store (although I'm still disappointed at the selection). I think this is a fine smartwatch at $200, but not $300.

Also not too thrilled that Samsung stated they would have Samsung Pay available on the watch in Nov, but has since backtracked to a release date "early next year"