Database Info

Gear 2 First Impressions - use this thread for all observations

First impressions? What are your favorite features/apps on the Gear 2? Post pictures of the some of the best features etc...
I am still waiting on mine from Amazon

Haven't any pics or fav apps as of yet but very impressed with what it does and how it looks. Saves a lot of hassle not having to get phone out every time you get a call/message/email etc and although answering calls is kind of strange it is clear enough to use if need be. Heart rate monitor is more of a gimmick with not being able to constantly monitor, maybe it does in fitness mode but have as yet to use. Bit expensive but certainly a big leap forward from all other wearables avaiable, hopefully Tizen oS won't hod back the Devs from doing some of their magic with it.
S Voice works better than I thought, actually didn't know it was available, there is more of a delay than using phone but not overly so.
Tizen itself is very smooth and I can actually use the key pad. The camera is about what I expected but easy to use.

My first impression was "Man, that Neo looks pretty good in black." lol. I still opted for the Gear 2 because of the camera and I think it looks more professional and would probably look better with different bands like brown leather or metal. I owned/returned the Galaxy Gear and can say that the Gear 2 is noticeably lighter, more comfortable, and more attractive. The interface is mostly the same but it seems quicker and there are a few more animations I think.
My favorite features are the notifications, text templates, camera, 4GB storage + music player, S Voice integration, battery life, and that the home screen Notification shortcut has an unread counter lol. I know that last one sounds corny but there are occasions when I don't have time to pay attention to notifications and forget about them. This happens mostly at work/meetings or in a movie theater. The Galaxy Gear didn't show you unread notifications at a glance like that (not even with root + Nova Launcher) and it bothered me I had to wake up the watch, swipe to the Notification screen, and tap the screen just to see if I had unread notifications.

I got mine last night. I'm very impressed with it's feel on my arm. I was worried it was going to feel huge and awkward, but it's actually quite comfortable. I haven't played with everything yet, but I love the ability to see messages and notifications quickly, since that's the main reason I got it. I spend a lot of time driving every day, and it's nice to not have to pull my phone out for every single notification, especially since I'll end up ignoring almost all of them, since I'm driving. This way, I can tell quickly and easily if it's work related (or otherwise important), and I can deal with it accordingly.

I wish I could turn the shutter sound off. I wish I had a keyboard. Other than that, I love mine after 1 day of use.

Its okay since I cant download 3rd party apps because I have a nexus 5. Waiting on Moto 360, that is first day priority.

BlackZenith said:
My first impression was "Man, that Neo looks pretty good in black." lol. I still opted for the Gear 2 because of the camera and I think it looks more professional and would probably look better with different bands like brown leather or metal. I owned/returned the Galaxy Gear and can say that the Gear 2 is noticeably lighter, more comfortable, and more attractive. The interface is mostly the same but it seems quicker and there are a few more animations I think.
My favorite features are the notifications, text templates, camera, 4GB storage + music player, S Voice integration, battery life, and that the home screen Notification shortcut has an unread counter lol. I know that last one sounds corny but there are occasions when I don't have time to pay attention to notifications and forget about them. This happens mostly at work/meetings or in a movie theater. The Galaxy Gear didn't show you unread notifications at a glance like that (not even with root + Nova Launcher) and it bothered me I had to wake up the watch, swipe to the Notification screen, and tap the screen just to see if I had unread notifications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, i almost want the Neo because the black looks more versatile, but also want a camera. Did you get the silver or the bronze? I dont really like how light the silver is, the bronze looks much more classy, just afraid it might not match as well (i wear a lot of blue)

nymviper1126 said:
Yea, i almost want the Neo because the black looks more versatile, but also want a camera. Did you get the silver or the bronze? I dont really like how light the silver is, the bronze looks much more classy, just afraid it might not match as well (i wear a lot of blue)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Silver.

EVOme said:
I wish I could turn the shutter sound off. I wish I had a keyboard. Other than that, I love mine after 1 day of use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hang in there on keyboard, as I have read that Fleksy keyboard is coming very soon to the Gear 2.

nymviper1126 said:
Yea, i almost want the Neo because the black looks more versatile, but also want a camera. Did you get the silver or the bronze? I dont really like how light the silver is, the bronze looks much more classy, just afraid it might not match as well (i wear a lot of blue)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the neo black cause I didn't care for the camera since I almost always have either my phone or dslr and to be honest I just change my wallpaper to go with what I'm wearing lol
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using xda app-developers app

EVOme said:
I wish I could turn the shutter sound off. I wish I had a keyboard. Other than that, I love mine after 1 day of use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why would you want to turn off the shutter sound.
as to the keypad, the gear 2 is designed to supplement the phone so whats so hard about taking it out and using it?
are my expectations too low? I'm happy with the fact I don't have to check my phone now but if I need to use keyboard I need to use the phone is how I see it.
As an aside the fitness trackers isn't too bad the speed was same as my bike computer as was heat rate just be good if it linked into S Fitness

I'm really happy with my gear 2 so far! The stock features are great! I just wish there was a way to sideload apps, or that there were more apps for it. I suppose it's early days. Kind of frustrated with it being Tizen and not android, but it may have its advantages after some time, who knows. Maybe I just want to tinker with it because it's my new toy.

jeffnz said:
why would you want to turn off the shutter sound.
as to the keypad, the gear 2 is designed to supplement the phone so whats so hard about taking it out and using it?
are my expectations too low? I'm happy with the fact I don't have to check my phone now but if I need to use keyboard I need to use the phone is how I see it.
As an aside the fitness trackers isn't too bad the speed was same as my bike computer as was heat rate just be good if it linked into S Fitness
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the purpose of vibrate is to silence the noise. Just as you don't want your phone to ring everywhere, there's times I can pics where I don't want the shutter sound.
As for the keyboard, when I get home I sit my phone down and just use watch in house. It would be nice to be able to respond with something other than canned responses.

jeffnz said:
why would you want to turn off the shutter sound.
as to the keypad, the gear 2 is designed to supplement the phone so whats so hard about taking it out and using it?
are my expectations too low? I'm happy with the fact I don't have to check my phone now but if I need to use keyboard I need to use the phone is how I see it.
As an aside the fitness trackers isn't too bad the speed was same as my bike computer as was heat rate just be good if it linked into S Fitness
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How could anyone take a good "people of walmart" picture with that stinkin camera sound on? LOL

Bjtrim said:
I'm really happy with my gear 2 so far! The stock features are great! I just wish there was a way to sideload apps, or that there were more apps for it. I suppose it's early days. Kind of frustrated with it being Tizen and not android, but it may have its advantages after some time, who knows. Maybe I just want to tinker with it because it's my new toy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's an option to allow unknown sources in the settings section of gear manager so sideloading is possible, there's nothing to sideload yet though!

dominoid said:
There's an option to allow unknown sources in the settings section of gear manager so sideloading is possible, there's nothing to sideload yet though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good:

I should have mine today. Gear 2 Neo for $166 shipped from ATT!

TwoStroker37 said:
I should have mine today. Gear 2 Neo for $166 shipped from ATT!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice I paid 230 after tax here in Canada
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using xda app-developers app

As an AVID Pebble user, it doesn't even compare to the Gear 2 Neo. I was skeptical ordering it thinking I'll probably just return it because no way can it compare. Yeah. It's leap years ahead. Wow. Sorry Pebble, time to collect dust next to my iPod Nano smartwatch!

Seems like suck a gimmicky little thing but oh well.

Poll: Who is going to/has already moved on from their Sony SmartWatch 2?

Just wondering who is planning on changing smart watches from their Sony SmartWatch 2 to one of the newly announced Android Wear smart watches? Also interested in who has already made the swap.
Vote in the poll and leave your comments below.

no, im not. i still like my sw2 and other smartwatches still dont offer any reason to replace sw2.
Sent from OPO.

still very much liking my SW2, waiting for the G Watch R and ZenWatch to become available so i can check reviews, not buying anything before that

Staying with SW2 until something better comes along. The Android Wear offerings right now just can't compete.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

n3vry said:
Staying with SW2 until something better comes along. The Android Wear offerings right now just can't compete.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
None of the new watches seem to be an improvement.

I'm kind of hanging out for the Moto 360 to be released in Australia. The reviews don't seem to be all that positive at the moment but it is an attractive watch

I will move on. Sony abandoning SW2 tells me I should too.
Sent from my TouchPad using XDA Free mobile app

The Sony Smartwatch 2 does everything I need it to..the way I like it too. Very sad that Sony have jumped to Android Wear. I don't like Android Wear so far and I cant see that changing. And Google are far to intrusive for me.
I intend to buy another Smartwatch 2 as a spare, just to be safe. I tried not wearing the Smartwatch 2 for a couple of days and every time my phone got a text or a call I looked at my wrist. Its a hard habit to break once you get used to a Smartwatch.

well,i'm going to stay with the sw2 until google will release android wear 2.0 and the new smartwatch.

enigma_x said:
no, im not. i still like my sw2 and other smartwatches still dont offer any reason to replace sw2.
Sent from OPO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't have said it any better. No current touchscreen smartwatch has addressed my primary concern, which is battery life. Right now, I can squeeze two full days of battery with my SW2, anything less than that is not worth taking the leap.

i charged my sw2 two times a week. it lasts 3-4 days in my light use.... notification, reading sms/emails/news/browsing web...
Sent from OPO.

enigma_x said:
i charged my sw2 two times a week. it lasts 3-4 days in my light use.... notification, reading sms/emails/news/browsing web...
Sent from OPO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It last a week for me, but thinking to buy de moto 360 becaus it looks better with the round display.
only point i will miss is that it has not a transflective screen.

I won't because I'm not fan of Android Wear. If SW2 will die some day, I'll have a look on things actually at this moment. For now I can't imagine to change Smartwatch...

I love my sw2 and I thought it could not change. I have everything I need. I got a free LG GWatch and I wear two watch right now.
LG is really much easier to use and does a lot more than something practically doing nothing. "OK Google" : setup an alarm in 4H, weather, reminds me dentist 27 september at 13H, takes a note take the car to the garage next month, my remind for today, new event doctor october 28 at 18H34 .... everything is done almost without touching anything and without hands.
just try wear one day and we can not do without

dersie said:
I love my sw2 and I thought it could not change. I have everything I need. I got a free LG GWatch and I wear two watch right now.
LG is really much easier to use and does a lot more than something practically doing nothing. "OK Google" : setup an alarm in 4H, weather, reminds me dentist 27 september at 13H, takes a note take the car to the garage next month, my remind for today, new event doctor october 28 at 18H34 .... everything is done almost without touching anything and without hands.
just try wear one day and we can not do without
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah this is something I'm looking forward to as I use google now on my phone and find it quite useful. But battery life is still a concern for me.

i wonder if we'll ever see another update for the SW2
i'd still really like to see a selectable screen/message timeout
and official whatsapp support
what would you guys really want from an update?

i love my sw2..i am goin to stick with this for work nd i ordered a moto 360 on release.. thats for me to go out with or if i want to feel real dressy at work. not sure how much i will like android wear but i do like the new designs of watch..360 nd zen r my fav..the new sony looks cool but they make buy there bands only...good luck on your decision.
Sent from my Moto X using XDA Free mobile app

I'd like to see Sony add a pseudo Google Now feature in which you trigger Google now from your watch but it uses your phone's microphone and displays info on the watch.

julz said:
Yeah this is something I'm looking forward to as I use google now on my phone and find it quite useful. But battery life is still a concern for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never seen too much of interest to Google Now on the phone. I thought it would be the same on the watch. In fact it is totally different on the smartwatch. Voice commands are used instead of the menus on the screen and response. "Start Evernote" instead of power + home + swip and find evernote icon + click icon. The smartwatch remains lit shorter and it consumes less energy.
Many Android applications already run with wear without the need for an additional application to find for the smartwatch. Ex : AllTheCooks -> you have a Wear Shopping List, CalenGoo -> you have an "Add new Event" with vocal command in Wear.....

I just got a SW2 and im not changing for a long while, maybe when battery drain improves. This ones lasts 2 days with regular use. Moto 360 has received bad reviews about battery drain and slow performance. The new LG G Watch R seems a lot better and looks even better.

Smartwatch Suggestion

So i'm currently wanna get a smartwatch and I wanna get the Samsung gear fit 2 but I heard that the gear fit 2 is really picky and will not compatible/connect to the N6P, is it true? If it is then which smartwatch/smartband should I buy? I'm open to suggestion from you guys.
Thank you

I have the Huawei smartwatch and I had a lot of other smart watches but the Huawei watch is perfect I get two days battery life and it has a speaker. I would recommend byou don't root it because getting out of root is well annoying.

I love my Martian Notifier, but it might not be what you're looking for. It's much more of a notification assistant than a smartwatch. Basically notifications get forwarded to your watch so you don't have to pick up your phone to see what's making your phone ring or buzz, but if you want to do anything about it you'll have to pull the phone out to respond. Upside is it looks much more like a normal watch than the others (they're more like a second screen on your wrist with simpler apps, this is a watch with a ticker and vibration motor) and that the battery lasts about 5 days or so before needing recharging (the rechargeable battery is for the notifications only, there's a separate watch battery for the time-keeping part). Lastly, it's dirt cheap compared to the Gear Fits of the world...

I have a Pebble Time and Pebble Time Round, both of which work really great on my 6p. Battery is great, functionality is great, and overall doesn't take a big toll on my battery.

Huawei watch works a treat!

Since Motorola, Huawei, and LG have all stopped making watches. I would not get one until the rumored "Google" one comes out and wait to see if it's good or sucks. If its good get that one. If it sucks then I wouldn't get one at all since Smartwatches are kinda dying out.

The Huawei Watch is the best. No doubt about it. The sapphire crystal itself is a tiebreaker.
Enviado de meu Pixel XL usando Tapatalk

I am using the Gear S2 and it works flawlessly, I wouldn't mind moving back to android wear for the "google" experience but so far I can do everything on my S2

HerySean said:
So i'm currently wanna get a smartwatch and I wanna get the Samsung gear fit 2 but I heard that the gear fit 2 is really picky and will not compatible/connect to the N6P, is it true? If it is then which smartwatch/smartband should I buy? I'm open to suggestion from you guys.
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LG Urbane Second Edition, it's also a phone.
It has a DP of AW 2.0.
I wouldn't trade mine for anything.

Does the Huawei watch work with custom ROM? I'm thinking of getting one for Christmas.

kaatisu84 said:
Does the Huawei watch work with custom ROM? I'm thinking of getting one for Christmas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shouldn't be a problem, pretty sure it runs on android wear. I've been using my 360 on custom ROMs since I've had it.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

I'm using Asus Zenwatch 2. Perfectly pairs without an iota of issue. Battery backup of 2 days. All notifications including weather, pedometer etc., are bang on.

I have the Ticwatch 1 and it works well, never misses a notification, one day of battery life with the screen on time turn up to 30 seconds. Installed modded huawei watch firmware. I think the huawei watch has a better battery though.

I have been using the Asus Zenwatch 3 for about a month now. It works perfectly with my 6P running Nitrogen rom. The watch itself has a microphone, speaker and most sensors. The only thing that it lacks is gps which most likely would only drain the battery anyway. I can get two days use without charging easy.

rocking a moto 360 2nd gen here

live4vball said:
I love my Martian Notifier, but it might not be what you're looking for. It's much more of a notification assistant than a smartwatch. Basically notifications get forwarded to your watch so you don't have to pick up your phone to see what's making your phone ring or buzz, but if you want to do anything about it you'll have to pull the phone out to respond. Upside is it looks much more like a normal watch than the others (they're more like a second screen on your wrist with simpler apps, this is a watch with a ticker and vibration motor) and that the battery lasts about 5 days or so before needing recharging (the rechargeable battery is for the notifications only, there's a separate watch battery for the time-keeping part). Lastly, it's dirt cheap compared to the Gear Fits of the world...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would love to get one of these but I hate the fact that it isn't even water resistant in the slightest. There's so many people I've seen complain about just washing their hands and a little water touches it gets inside somehow.

Samsung Gear S2 works fine with my N6p.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Jammol said:
I would love to get one of these but I hate the fact that it isn't even water resistant in the slightest. There's so many people I've seen complain about just washing their hands and a little water touches it gets inside somehow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can shower with the Huawei!

I have a Verizon gear s and the watch works great but I can't connect it to my 6p so don't get that one

Inthus said:
I have a Pebble Time and Pebble Time Round, both of which work really great on my 6p. Battery is great, functionality is great, and overall doesn't take a big toll on my battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gluck with updates now they have been bought by fitbit

Love / Hate relationship with my S3

Ok, before I start, I have to say that my S3 Frontier is the best Smart Watch I have ever owned. I have had an apple watch. I own an LG Urbane, Gear S2 and now the S3 Frontier LTE version.
Now I have to say that this is an awesome watch but I have been having several issues that are bugging me but I am sure they can be fixed with software updates so I'm hanging in there but here are my issues and they are getting annoying:
Watch constantly locks, thinking I took the watch off my wrist. If I tighten it real tight it won't. The heart beat sensor constantly tells me to reposition the watch on my wrist or clean the sensor. I have to move it or tighten it several times before I can get a reading. The altimeter is always all over the place. I can recalibrate it in the same spot every time and get everything from - 100 feet to 200 feet. Mind you I live at sea level. The barometer stays at 30 and never moves even though I am sure the barometric pressure is changing. The GPS doesn't lock very quickly so using it as a standalone GPS isn't really feasible yet. Locks great with phone hooked up. Samsung Pay does not integrate with the phone version. Works great but when I pay with my watch, I don't get rewards points. Also, I kept my S2 for a more sporty look and when I was going somewhere that I didn't want to mess up my frontier. I connected to my S2 the other day and when I connected back to my s3, Samsung Pay had to be set up all over again. That is to inconvenient for those of us who would like to switch between watches. The gear app does a good job at being able to switch seamlessly but messes up Samsung Pay every time you switch. I only use it to impress people or don't have my phone with me but honestly Samsung Pay on the watch has been more of a hassle than it's worth for me. Now if Samsung were to integrate the promotions and the gear app wouldn't keep deleting my cards every time I switched watches, Samsung Pay would be dope.
Now you may say that I have defective sensors but upon trolling the net, I see others are having some of the same issues. I am sure that with some updates it will improve. I see that there has already been one update that improves the GPS but unfortunately I have to wait for Tmobile to push it out since I have the Lte version and have noticed that with my S2, you have to wait for updates if you have the LTE versions.
Now please don't get me wrong. I loved my S2 and am loving my s3 even more but still needs some improvement.
I still think it's the best on the market! Some say there is a lack of apps but there is an app for all my needs and between all the watch face apps and gear designer, I have even designed my own faces. I think hands down it even beats android wear in the watch face designing department. I also think this is definitely an apple watch killer. Only wish they would have made it a little more water resistant so I could swim with it but it's all good.
This watch has a lot of potential and I hope Samsung starts working on updates to fix its shortcomings but for now it's the best smart watch in my opinion.

Just curious (because you seem to use the watch all the time), how's the quality of the bezel? It became in time slightly loose and it's clicky when you tap on it?

I recognize your story but the love prevails for now, probably until a better S4 or Huawei Watch comes out.
Don't use Samsung pay but I don't recognize your GPS comment. Maybe I live under a satellite cause mine locks in about 3 to 5 seconds.
Btw coming from the doomed Pebble, I had a time steel and backed (%|#!) a time 2, I'm glad to find the S3 does the same plus more and looks like a proper watch. So I'll just have to live with it's quirks.
Edit: Been thinking about this. If Garmin would release a smaller Fenix 4 I'll probably get that, I like always on reflective displays better than oled.

reglaspv said:
Just curious (because you seem to use the watch all the time), how's the quality of the bezel? It became in time slightly loose and it's clicky when you tap on it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had any problems and actually I like the smoothness and it hasn't gotten loose on me. I have heard complaints about the behalf but I think it's perfect.

blackspp said:
I recognize your story but the love prevails for now, probably until a better S4 or Huawei Watch comes out.
Don't use Samsung pay but I don't recognize your GPS comment. Maybe I live under a satellite cause mine locks in about 3 to 5 seconds.
Btw coming from the doomed Pebble, I had a time steel and backed (%|#!) a time 2, I'm glad to find the S3 does the same plus more and looks like a proper watch. So I'll just have to live with it's quirks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the Bluetooth or LTE version? It is my understanding that there was an update that improved the GPS lock on the Bluetooth version. I'm still waiting for the update.
I am sure most if not all these quirks will be fixed with updates. Samsung did a good job fixing several issues with the S2 so I am confident they will do good with the S3. I just hate having to wait a few extra months because I have the LTE version but at the same time I use the standalone features with call forwarding and tmobile digits looks promising.
Trust me, I'm still more on the love side.

Sirdragonx said:
Do you have the Bluetooth or LTE version? It is my understanding that there was an update that improved the GPS lock on the Bluetooth version. I'm still waiting for the update.
I am sure most if not all these quirks will be fixed with updates. Samsung did a good job fixing several issues with the S2 so I am confident they will do good with the S3. I just hate having to wait a few extra months because I have the LTE version but at the same time I use the standalone features with call forwarding and tmobile digits looks promising.
Trust me, I'm still more on the love side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bluetooth...

Sirdragonx said:
I haven't had any problems and actually I like the smoothness and it hasn't gotten loose on me. I have heard complaints about the behalf but I think it's perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, your watch is nothing like this: https://youtu.be/QoqKgXq-KRA?t=12m15s
(min 12:18 if it doesn't load ok)

reglaspv said:
So, your watch is nothing like this:
?t=12m15s
(min 12:18 if it doesn't load ok)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried tapping mine and mine is fine. Not like the video. Not loose at all.

blackspp said:
Bluetooth...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the update included the GPS fix.

Mine taps too just like several others I checked. Very annoying but probably ok. I guess...

I switch between the gear s and gear s3 and have no problems with having to restart samsung pay. And you do get the points using the watch also.

blackspp said:
Mine taps too just like several others I checked. Very annoying but probably ok. I guess...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just don't know and I'm trying to make up my mind if I should return it or not.
The watch is fine otherwise but I'm thinking that MAYBE is just a bad luck and if I change it, everything it will be fine (like the one of OP).
I asked in a Samsung service about this problem and the technician said that at this point he has no clue if this is expected or not but that all the Gear S2 that he saw, had this little clicky thing.
Then I asked if the bezel is changed without disassembling the watch and he said that the bezel is attached to the watch face and it is changed as an entire unit, basically removing the bottom and the electronics and inserted into the new one.
Mine (in just 4 days after unpacking) is more than clicky when I tap it, the bezel is also slightly loose and there is enough lateral and vertical movement (when I press one side, the other is just slightly moving up).
I can't imagine that in time, it will be better but I can imagine all the dust and hair that it will be stuck under the bezel.
My watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iQd2AA8XPo

reglaspv said:
I just don't know and I'm trying to make up my mind if I should return it or not.[/URL]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have any doubt, return it. If only for peace of mind. You can always buy it again.

Mine is less loose but It's loose a bit nevertheless...
I'm going back to the shop tomorrow but I doubt i can swap it...

General So, I pulled the trigger and...meh. *UPDATED*

First of all, thanks again so much to all of those who helped me with my question of whether I should upgrade from my Gear S3 - your input was greatly appreciated, and my ultimate decision in no way invalidates it - I agree with all of the points you made. But after finally pulling the trigger and picking up a GW4 Classic 46mm, all I can say is... meh.
Nothing about the watch 'wowed' me. In fact, there wasn't even anything that I really liked, unlike my Gear S3. OK, maybe having Google Maps is cool, and I'm sure once we get Google Assistant - but right now, out of the box - meh. Plus, there were too many things that irritated me.
This watch is expensive - even with a $100 Best Buy discount - and that skinny, cheap @$$ed band (in only one size too!) really irritated me (although, TBF, it is comfortable). I've realized the health features are more of a gimmick to me than actually useful features (and the main ones aren't even natively available in Canada).
I hated the look of the Wear interface. I hated that the number pad is not optimized for a round watch like in Tizen. I couldn't find one watch face I really liked. Not one. (And what's with that stupid initial that's always present on the stock watch face, even when you customize your initials??)
I love the punchy, blue Frontier face on my Gear S3 - those mostly greyscale stock GW4 watch faces don't do anything for me. Sure, I might be able to find one from a dev, make one, etc. - but I shouldn't have to, and when I shell out big $$ for a piece of tech, I expect it to have at least something I love, and a few things I really like.
The GW4, at least in it's current state, does nothing (or perhaps more accurately, nothing that I need) that my Gear S3 doesn't do. My Gear S3 will continue to suit my needs just fine for the foreseeable future.
I completely understand why others might like it's design, features, etc. - but, for me, I realize now I was just eyeing it and buying it because it's new and shiny and, for my money, it's got to do more than that. It should at least impress me, 'wow' me somehow, in some way - and it doesn't. It's going back. Sorry guys.
*UPDATE* OK, so - I decided to keep it after all. Well, I did return the first one, but then they went on sale for a lower price in addition to the $100 trade-in discount, so I couldn't resist at that price. And I figured I should give it more time, and see how things go. Not gonna lie, I tried out the Google Maps navigation on the bike today, and was thoroughly impressed, with the directions on my wrist and voice turn-by-turn through my Galaxy Buds - so, finally a 'wow' feature.
*UPDATE #2* GBoard is a treat too - the swipe typing and voice input are so much better/easier to use than T9.
Anyway, thanks again everyone for all the advice, your experiences etc. - let's see how Samsung and Google do with this thing.

Have you heard of paragraphs? I don't think anyone is going to read that unformatted wall of text.

shawkes said:
Have you heard of paragraphs? I don't think anyone is going to read that unformatted wall of text.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, sorry - I guess I'm not used to writing such long posts, and it's kinda hard to break up a rant - but good point, fixed that.

Thanks for the writeup.
Interesting to see everyone's reviews, quite a few have your take on it. Personally, I upgraded from a gen 1 Moto 360 so I this was a definite nice upgrade.
While it would be nice to have Google assistant, I rarely use it (and don't see using Bigby either) so it's not a game changer for me. Love being able to use Gpay on it though. I was having issues with Riru and being able to use Gpay on my phone for a while so being able to pay with the watch was a life saver.

Having upgraded fro Gwa2 to gw4c, I must say that the watch is indeed an upgrade, save for the battery life though. I was charging my Gwa2 every 3 4 days for the first 1.5years of ownership and once every 2 3 days the last months before it died on me while swimming.
Considering tho that I only spent 75euros to get the gw4c 46mm (I got a credit from Samsung for the cost of the Gwa2, instead of them repairing it, which was WAY too perfect for me since it happened one month before the gw4 official release), I can only say good things for the watch; if I could only stretch the battery to charge it every two nights, for the time being it barely makes it.

rmiles7721 said:
Thanks for the writeup.
Interesting to see everyone's reviews, quite a few have your take on it. Personally, I upgraded from a gen 1 Moto 360 so I this was a definite nice upgrade.
While it would be nice to have Google assistant, I rarely use it (and don't see using Bigby either) so it's not a game changer for me. Love being able to use Gpay on it though. I was having issues with Riru and being able to use Gpay on my phone for a while so being able to pay with the watch was a life saver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I was looking forward to using GPay (in addition to Samsung Pay) as I have a credit card linked to GPay that Samsung Pay won't accept - but it turns out that GPay can't use that card for tap payments either.
I do think Google Assistant will be useful for starting navigation, making calls etc., as it is simply so much better and accurate than Bixby.

thanito said:
Having upgraded fro Gwa2 to gw4c, I must say that the watch is indeed an upgrade, save for the battery life though. I was charging my Gwa2 every 3 4 days for the first 1.5years of ownership and once every 2 3 days the last months before it died on my while swimming.
Considering tho that I only spent 75euros to get the gw4c 46mm (I got a credit from Samsung for the cost of the Gwa2, instead of them repairing it, which was WAY too perfect for me since it happened one month before the gw4 official release), I can only say good things for the watch; if I could only stretch the battery to charge it every two nights, for the time being it barely makes it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know my rant may leave the wrong impression for a lot of folks, so I just want to be clear that there is no question that the GW4 is an upgrade over its predecessors, especially my old Gear S3 - what I was really trying to say is that my Gear S3 does all the basic things I need it to do (notifications and calls while my phone is in my daypack on the bike, and Samsung Pay, even with international phones that can't use Samsung Pay). And I like the look and feel of it and Tizen better.
But beyond that, the folks who provided advice as to whether to upgrade or not were absolutely right, the GW4 is definitely an upgrade - I just struggle with justifying the cost when the Gear S3 does what I need it to do already, and so many things about the GW4 bugged me. Samsung is imitating Apple more and more it seems, and being cheap as f*ck doing it, too (i.e., just compare the Gear S3 box to the GW4, the chargers, the straps - and for less money!).
I should add that battery life and charging times were two areas where I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting the worst, but I found that the watch charged fairly quickly, and battery life wasn't as bad as I was thought it would be (although nowhere near the 3+ days I get on the Gear S3 of course).

You already know from my previous post I did the same transition and did have similar thoughts about the differences between the Gear S3 and the GW4 but for me it was worth the change. From reading across XDA and Reddit on the GW4 it is definitely not meeting everybody's expectations. There is a good deal of room for Samsung to improve the software (not unexpected for me given the Tizen journey) and this is an area it is not fulfilling expectations. Battery life is another as again there does appear room for better optimisation but I am not very optimistic about that.
More than happy with my transition, the benefits of working Samsung Pay, physical size and feel and fulfilling all the uses I put the Gear S3 to makes it a win for me. The only drawback thus far has been the slightly less (on average about 12 hours less than the Gear S3) battery life.
Getting a £115 trade in for the Gear S3 also tipped the balance in terms of overall value of the change.
Regards

spangelaregreat said:
You already know from my previous post I did the same transition and did have similar thoughts about the differences between the Gear S3 and the GW4 but for me it was worth the change. From reading across XDA and Reddit on the GW4 it is definitely not meeting everybody's expectations. There is a good deal of room for Samsung to improve the software (not unexpected for me given the Tizen journey) and this is an area it is not fulfilling expectations. Battery life is another as again there does appear room for better optimisation but I am not very optimistic about that.
More than happy with my transition, the benefits of working Samsung Pay, physical size and feel and fulfilling all the uses I put the Gear S3 to makes it a win for me. The only drawback thus far has been the slightly less (on average about 12 hours less than the Gear S3) battery life.
Getting a £115 trade in for the Gear S3 also tipped the balance in terms of overall value of the change.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, thank you so much spangelaregreat, your posts were very helpful, especially your review under Review/Comparison (Gear S3) & Mods. I definitely wondered (and still wonder, as I haven't actually made the trek back to Best Buy yet) if I shouldn't give it more time. I may still change my mind, not least because I know you're right, the GW4 is still new, and will no doubt improve rapidly, and I know I might regret it if I take it back. I'll be sure to let folks know if I do. Thanks again!

No problem.

I just rec'd my GW4-44mm late yesterday afternoon. I quickly set it up and swapped out my GA2 for it. I'd agree there's very close to zero wow factor since they are so similar physically, and One UI makes them operate similarly too. I purchased the GW4 because of the things Tizen can't do...namely Google Maps (when you're out walking or biking), Google Pay (my cards aren't supported on Samsung Pay), Google Keep. The display also seems a bit blacker/sharper but it's subjective.
So, it does what I expected it to, but it's a point upgrade. Unlike with Tizen, the watch can actually get better if there are more and different apps.

mickliq said:
I just rec'd my GW4-44mm late yesterday afternoon. I quickly set it up and swapped out my GA2 for it. I'd agree there's very close to zero wow factor since they are so similar physically, and One UI makes them operate similarly too. I purchased the GW4 because of the things Tizen can't do...namely Google Maps (when you're out walking or biking), Google Pay (my cards aren't supported on Samsung Pay), Google Keep. The display also seems a bit blacker/sharper but it's subjective.
So, it does what I expected it to, but it's a point upgrade. Unlike with Tizen, the watch can actually get better if there are more and different apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed - and this is something I was very conscious of as I weighed my decision - that is, as much as I like Tizen, it's a dead end, whereas as much as I dislike Wear OS, it can only (hopefully) get better.
I will be very disappointed however if Samsung and Google don't sort out the bugs, and bring Google Assistant to the GW4.

mickliq said:
I just rec'd my GW4-44mm late yesterday afternoon. I quickly set it up and swapped out my GA2 for it. I'd agree there's very close to zero wow factor since they are so similar physically, and One UI makes them operate similarly too. I purchased the GW4 because of the things Tizen can't do...namely Google Maps (when you're out walking or biking), Google Pay (my cards aren't supported on Samsung Pay), Google Keep. The display also seems a bit blacker/sharper but it's subjective.
So, it does what I expected it to, but it's a point upgrade. Unlike with Tizen, the watch can actually get better if there are more and different apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get Google Keep to work, mine just keeps saying syncing?

I didn't do anything special. I went into the Watch Play store, picked "apps on phone", selected Keep (among others), and when I first launched it, it asked me what account I wanted to sync.

Returned mine Watch 4 as well. Not much improvement over my Galaxy Watch 3. It maybe has sharper display, but I would love slightly bigger display area.

carlitos66 said:
Returned mine Watch 4 as well. Not much improvement over my Galaxy Watch 3. It maybe has sharper display, but I would love slightly bigger display area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would definitely hang on to a Watch 3 for a while - my Gear S3 is 5 years old! I have swapped out the battery though - not sure how easy that is to do on the Watch 3. Yearly upgrades are out of the question for me, regardless.

See my update in the original post above - decided to keep the GW4 after all, and see how it goes.

jtOttawa said:
*UPDATE* OK, so - I decided to keep it after all. Well, I did return the first one, but then they went on sale for a lower price in addition to the $100 trade-in discount, so I couldn't resist at that price. And I figured I should give it more time, and see how things go. Not gonna lie, I tried out the Google Maps navigation on the bike today, and was thoroughly impressed, with the directions on my wrist and voice turn-by-turn through my Galaxy Buds - so, finally a 'wow' feature.
*UPDATE #2* GBoard is a treat too - the swipe typing and voice input are so much better/easier to use than T9.
Anyway, thanks again everyone for all the advice, your experiences etc. - let's see how Samsung and Google do with this thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with you on the Google Maps integration. I did not believe I would ever use this when I got watch. Without even thinking about this I was getting directions on my phone to a destination 3.2 miles from me in Chicago last weekend. I was walking. I was holding up my phone and walking and when I got to the street where I needed to turn at the watch vibrated. I looked at the watch and it showed that I needed to turn. I quickly realized I did not have to have my phone out at all. So nice to just walk along without holding up my phone glancing at my watch whenever it vibrated.
Thankfully there is option to turn off auto launch when driving. To me this is annoying as hell

fliptwister said:
I have to agree with you on the Google Maps integration. I did not believe I would ever use this when I got watch. Without even thinking about this I was getting directions on my phone to a destination 3.2 miles from me in Chicago last weekend. I was walking. I was holding up my phone and walking and when I got to the street where I needed to turn at the watch vibrated. I looked at the watch and it showed that I needed to turn. I quickly realized I did not have to have my phone out at all. So nice to just walk along without holding up my phone glancing at my watch whenever it vibrated.
Thankfully there is option to turn off auto launch when driving. To me this is annoying as hell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks fliptwister - I'm thinking this will also be particularly useful when travelling and exploring a new city, etc. - not having the phone out in some cities would be a lot safer, as well as easier and less distracting.
BTW, I should receive that AliExpress watch band you posted about by Monday - when I do I'll be sure to upload a pic and let you know what I think in that thread about the bands. EDIT: Just got it, in fact - should be able to post about it in a few minutes.

carlitos66 said:
Returned mine Watch 4 as well. Not much improvement over my Galaxy Watch 3. It maybe has sharper display, but I would love slightly bigger display area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is where I'm leaning. I'm tempted by the SpO2 sleep monitoring, so I may trial to see if that's accurate enough. But that seems to be the only improvement over GW3. Well, and I'm really interested to see if two of my WearOS apps work, except it sounds like most apps aren't compatible without some development tweaking to work with WearOS3.
So waiting to see if Google/Fitbit have cooked anything up. Otherwise, I guess maybe I'll wait for the GW5...