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Sony SmartWatch Impressions?

Has anyone bought the "updated" smart watch? If so, what are your thoughts on it? I might buy one from Expansys USA.
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Early reviews online and on amazon are pretty positive. I purchased and returned the liveview due to connection issues. These seem to be a non-issue on the updated smartwatch. I ordered through expansys and will hopefully be receiving the unit this week. I can reply with my personal opinions.
I hope the xda devs pick this device up and come up with some great apps. One obvious one would be a timer/stopwatch app.

I just got it today, so my impressions are sort of limited to my limited use of it today...
I'd say overall impressions are "So far so good". Definitely feel this is a worthwhile device that will only improve with time.
Pros:
1. Much smaller than the MotoACTV and actually feels/looks like a normal wrist watch on your hand.
2. A much needed accelerometer screen activation was added I believe in the latest update (it doesn't mention this feature in the manual nor in any review I have seen). Basically all you do when the screen is off is tap the device anywhere twice really quick. I've noticed sometimes if you tap it too slow or not hard enough and then do it the right way immediately afterwards, that it won't register the correct way and you have to wait like 5 seconds to try again. Not that big of a deal.
3. Screen looks pretty good. A little pixelated due to the low resolution but text is still readable.
4. So far no problems losing sync with the phone.
Cons:
1. Smartwatch app notification icon ALWAYS stays on in the notification bar of your phone when the watch is connected. Needs to be an option to disable this.
2. The touch screen malfunctions with at least one default Sony app that I've seen so far: the Phonebook (Contacts) app. I think this must be something with how Sony designed the app, as other apps I've downloaded function perfectly normal with all the gestures (multitouch, swiping, taps). IT'S HORRIBLE. Can't swipe between screens at all with this. Actually accidentally texted someone on the first screen of contacts the default "Call me" message as I was swiping to the second screen of contacts. The text went through though, so I guess that's a plus because the person called me immediately lol.
3. The charging cable and the way it just fits in the clip to stay connected is probably the worst charging design I have ever seen... should have just used micro-usb... If you aren't careful when setting the watch down while it's plugged in, you could accidentally put an angle on the cable which will ensure that it doesn't make contact with the charging leads.
4. No default email app yet. Only one that exists is for Sony phones
5. Music player could be improved a bit. No control over albums/folders (at least with the Google Play Music app). Very generic play/pause, volume, and next/previous track options. Doesn't show album art with Play Music on ICS (really? This is the default app that probably the majority of Android users use!!).
6. Sometimes if the phone is busy doing other things, you will notice on the watch that the icons take a while to show up (generic icons are shown instead of the specific application ones), which basically is exposing the fact that the apps aren't stored on the Smartwatch itself... which means that if your phones processor is bogged down, so will app responsiveness on the watch itself.
7. No voice search app or widget! Whether we have the phone sitting in our car in speaker phone mode, or have a blue tooth headset on, we need a dedicated voice search activation button widget! I am planning on sitting down one day to make one. This will be especially handy once we have the Google Assistant app (Siri competitor), not to mention how useful this would be to initiate calls to people while driving instead of using the HORRIBLE touch screen contacts app.
8. No microphone in the hardware! This sort of goes with #7 above.

Just got this thing in the mail here at work, well FedEx. Haven't really messed around with it yet. Loaded a few apps, so far so good! Will report back later on anything else I find.

yeh i just got mine today
still fiddling around with it
i look forward to updates
i also noticed the messaging app doesnt sync up constantly
like in the events app,i can get a new message notice and read it,but go back to the messaging app,and it shows older texts....
and theres some other minor quirks,like when the phone rings you can mute it, hang up, but not answer it
would be cool if there was a microphone and i could carry on conversations like im james bond

Dude wait for the pebble: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android

I just hooked mine up today and had all kinds of problems keeping it connected. I am running a Galaxy Tab with the newly released CM-9 nightly. The apps I have tried work: in call control, missed call, audio control, message, and weather. The problem I have with the set up is that it keeps disconnecting as soon as you try and do anything. Originally it wouldn't re-connect reliably, I then found the Liveviewcharm application which allows it to reconnect all the time. So far, I would give it a C+ in my particular configuration but I am hoping.
YMMV, it seems people with other configurations are having less problems. It would be a good idea if people siad what kind of phone and what software they were running.
By the way, the reason the software leaves an icon in the status bar is so that the background app won't get shut down by the OS when it needs memory.
Fred

guih said:
Dude wait for the pebble: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android
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Click to collapse
ive seen the pebbles,plus if you donate u can get one now right?
but what makes it so better than the Sony?
like the pebbles watch is only black/white or monochrome?
---------- Post added at 09:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:09 PM ----------
ffarber said:
I just hooked mine up today and had all kinds of problems keeping it connected. I am running a Galaxy Tab with the newly released CM-9 nightly. The apps I have tried work: in call control, missed call, audio control, message, and weather. The problem I have with the set up is that it keeps disconnecting as soon as you try and do anything. Originally it wouldn't re-connect reliably, I then found the Liveviewcharm application which allows it to reconnect all the time. So far, I would give it a C+ in my particular configuration but I am hoping.
YMMV, it seems people with other configurations are having less problems. It would be a good idea if people siad what kind of phone and what software they were running.
By the way, the reason the software leaves an icon in the status bar is so that the background app won't get shut down by the OS when it needs memory.
Fred
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what exactly is liveviewcharm? i find it on the net to download,but absolutely no description of what it is or what it does
Im using Samsung galaxy note with the watch. Stays connected fine unless im a ways away from the phone of course

Been very eager to get the original liveview, but heard about the various connection problems. Now this one seems to have that fixed Normally, I would have got this right away, but the pebble is quite interesting too. So since some of you have the smartwatch could you answer some of my questions please?
* Most importantly, how does this affect battery life? I pretty much destroy my battery in a matter of hours, I don't want this to turn my phone into a laptop where I'd need to charge it every 2-3 hours
* When the bluetooth connection drops, what happens? I know the smartwatch doesn't need the phone for clock functionality (unlike the liveview). So does it just show the time?
* I'm not good with coding and stuff, the smartwatch would be the better option for support right?
Thanks

FC1032 said:
Been very eager to get the original liveview, but heard about the various connection problems. Now this one seems to have that fixed Normally, I would have got this right away, but the pebble is quite interesting too. So since some of you have the smartwatch could you answer some of my questions please?
* Most importantly, how does this affect battery life? I pretty much destroy my battery in a matter of hours, I don't want this to turn my phone into a laptop where I'd need to charge it every 2-3 hours
* When the bluetooth connection drops, what happens? I know the smartwatch doesn't need the phone for clock functionality (unlike the liveview). So does it just show the time?
* I'm not good with coding and stuff, the smartwatch would be the better option for support right?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't really comment on battery life as I am using a tab which has a battery that lasts 24 hours no matter how I use it. Having said that as I far as I can tell there is no difference. I suspect on a phone with a smaller battery your results won't be as good.
The watch tries to reconnect automatically when the connection drops. The Liveviewcharm (clicky) app makes the reconnections much more reliable. The description is in Japanese, you will have to cut and paste the text into Google translate if you can't read it (I couldn't). Basically it is an app that stays running and monitors Liveview connections (which the SmartWatch uses). I can't be any more detailed than that.
I doubt that Sony support will be terrific but there is nothing to code. It mostly just works the way the instructions say. You do have to download each app you want to run on the watch but that is straightforward.
Fred
---------- Post added at 09:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:20 AM ----------
SayWhat10 said:
ive seen the pebbles,plus if you donate u can get one now right?
but what makes it so better than the Sony?
like the pebbles watch is only black/white or monochrome?
---------- Post added at 09:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:09 PM ----------
what exactly is liveviewcharm? i find it on the net to download,but absolutely no description of what it is or what it does
Im using Samsung galaxy note with the watch. Stays connected fine unless im a ways away from the phone of course
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Click to collapse
See my post above for a brief description of liveviewcharm, it does help. Good to hear the watch works well with a Note. Maybe subsequent releases of the CM-9 ROM will clean up whatever is wrong with the communications with watch.
One other thing, it is very hard to read in sunlight, one reason the Pebble could be better (when and if it is released).
In any event, I like the idea so much I signed up for a Pebble and may even buy a WIMM to give that a try. The problem for me is that I use the Tab as my only device and sometimes it is very cumbersome just to get out and see who is calling, etc.
Fred

Phone: Galaxy Note
Comment: This is my first smart watch.
And I love it. And guys this is Sony brand. It's important for lot of people. (Maybe is chip, but at least is Sony!)

Pretty cool watch.

avetny said:
Phone: Galaxy Note
Comment: This is my first smart watch.
And I love it. And guys this is Sony brand. It's important for lot of people. (Maybe is chip, but at least is Sony!)
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Apparently you didn't experience Sony Ericcson's epic abandonment of their MBW-150 watches. Everyone's display has faded to black and Sony refuses to repair or replace them.

JimSmith94 said:
Apparently you didn't experience Sony Ericcson's epic abandonment of their MBW-150 watches. Everyone's display has faded to black and Sony refuses to repair or replace them.
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DAAAMN !!!
---------- Post added at 08:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:37 PM ----------
Guys I need help !
When I shaking my watch the screen going to ON. It's supposed to be like that ?

avetny said:
DAAAMN !!!
---------- Post added at 08:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:37 PM ----------
Guys I need help !
When I shaking my watch the screen going to ON. It's supposed to be like that ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean that the watch wakes when you shake it?
That's actually a feature I was hoping to see. I used to have a watch that would turn the light on when I flicked my wrist This would be a nice feature, since you won't need to have another hand to activate it.
So @owners of this watch, is that a feature of the watch?

FC1032 said:
You mean that the watch wakes when you shake it?
That's actually a feature I was hoping to see. I used to have a watch that would turn the light on when I flicked my wrist This would be a nice feature, since you won't need to have another hand to activate it.
So @owners of this watch, is that a feature of the watch?
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Yes! I think you right! Its a cool future

Smart watches are gonna get out SONY from bankrupticy. Lool
They really suck past few years trying to build something special. but only they did good is Play Station

I don't like the look of the Sony smart watch, Pebble actually looks cool to wear and in the video on the website is an actual demo unit so it will happen and rock. Plus, they have nearly 6 million backers already, do you know what that is? Lol the development on that thing will be so strong and so good.

guih said:
I don't like the look of the Sony smart watch, Pebble actually looks cool to wear and in the video on the website is an actual demo unit so it will happen and rock. Plus, they have nearly 6 million backers already, do you know what that is? Lol the development on that thing will be so strong and so good.
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Pebble got black and white screen. This is stupid.

avetny said:
Pebble got black and white screen. This is stupid.
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Trade-off with battery life...
Fred

Do you suggest to buy the S2 to anyone...? (survey)

NO!!! It is not a watch....
There are too much bugs\lacking of functionality...
List of hard bug or lacking of base functionality:
1) the alarm doens't go
2) the watch have NO SOUND ALARM!!!! (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
3) the watch ha NO SLEEP TRACKING (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
4) The WiFi Connection doesn't connect with WEP cryptography (while it does before the update)
5) During the night the watch light randomly with unuseful battery consumption: we need a robust night locking system.
GS
Italy

1) never happened to me
2)even if it did, it wouldn't be loud enough, so I don't care
3)it's a gimmick just like the heart rate sensor, so I don't care either
4)I'm surprised it even has wifi, not that I'll ever use it.
5)no it doesn't

So this isn't really a survey, just a pointless new thread to moan about things you don't like personally with the watch.
Like Jacongong says above:
1) never happened to me
2) you should have known this before you bought it. Use your phone for an audible alarm
3)it's a gimmick which nobody uses. I'm sure someone will make an app soon though.
4) Never noticed the issue. I'm sure there'll be a fix soon enough for you.
5)no it doesn't

Yes, this could be a suervey...
Say simple if you suggest to buy the Gear S2 to a your friend...
If you don't suggest say why...
Since now there are
1 no
2 yes
I said why no...
About faulty alarm:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s2/help/gear-s2-alarm-troubles-t3265029
Thanks for the answers
GS
ITALY

My opinion is, that the Gear S2 is really recommendable!
1.) The alarm is working fine and if you like to be woken up gently (and want to wear the watch also at night) its a very nice gimmick.
2.) I also don't need a speaker, the watch in my eyes is not a phone replacement but more an extension to make short and common processes more comfortable like quick answering an SMS while holding or getting out your phone would be difficult in some way.
3.) Maybe theres nosleep tracking with S Health but as far as I know theres some companion app for Sleep As Android already out in the wild.
4.) I connected already to several WiFi access points and never had any problems, if there are real important situations, you can always get a connection through the phone or use the phone itself ^.^
5.) Never had this issue. Switching the watch into blocking mode when I go to sleep.
There's only one point, maybe a charger in another form factor (flat, so you can push it under the watch when wearing) would be interesting. But there are always moments like when you are in the shower to give the watch a quick charge .
So in summary its a very interesting concept and I like the way Samsung designed the S2. It's a new step in the right direction but nevertheless it will ever be up to you.

1) Like everyone else, alarm works fine for me
2) Why not just use your phone for a sound alarm? The speaker would be much louder anyway
3) As @Silberpfeil3110 said, Sleep for Android
4) My wifi works fine. And wifi's not the main method of connection on this watch, it only takes over if a bluetooth connection isn't available.
5) I turn my watch off at night (saves quite a bit of battery). If the watch lights up randomly then it's probably because it's probably thought it's picked up movement.
tl;dr yes I would recommend this watch, especially the Classic

- The alarm is faulty, as tested from other people. And thanks to HiroboFreak (http://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s2/help/gear-s2-alarm-troubles-t3265029/page2) the cause seems to be in a wrong management of the deep sleep condition... (please Samsung patch it!!!)
- I repeat that is needed a more robust night locking system: this morning my watch was on watchface settings mode!!! (please Samsung patch it!!!) The bezel should be locked on demand...
By the way, I want to punctualize that I LOVE THIS SMARTWATCH, and for this reason I cannot accept this faulty behaviours on base functionality...
Please, Samsung, you are really near to the target: make a last effort...
GS
Italy

OK, my POV is that this watch is best to date money can buy. Only thing doesn`t work for me is weather app auto update

I do love these threads about how crappy these watches are when no one else is having these issues.

jhonjey66 said:
NO!!! It is not a watch....
There are too much bugs\lacking of functionality...
List of hard bug or lacking of base functionality:
1) the alarm doens't go
2) the watch have NO SOUND ALARM!!!! (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
3) the watch ha NO SLEEP TRACKING (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
4) The WiFi Connection doesn't connect with WEP cryptography (while it does before the update)
5) During the night the watch light randomly with unuseful battery consumption: we need a robust night locking system.
GS
Italy
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Click to collapse
Dude, please seek professional help. You are pathologically excitable over utter trivialities.
Yes, there are some bugs. Does that surprise you, wearing a computing system complete with scads of sensors, network connection, etc., far more powerful and complex than anything that sat on your desk 20 years ago, has bugs?
A few months into release this is not surprising, or cataclysmic at all. And, in the bigger picture of all the functions and capabilities of this watch, these bugs you're complaining about are small things. Sure, if you had bought a nightstand alarm clock and it wasn't working, I'd be backing you.
However, you're screaming (in ALL CAPS) that the vibrating alarm on a smartwatch has a bug so you can't use it to wake you up. As others have pointed out, with you phone right there, capable of yelling at you with SOUND.
If you bought this watch to wake you up in the morning, the problem is not with the buggy alarm on the watch.
All the critical "smartwatch" function work, and work well. Messaging is a delight on this device. It even handles MMS messages smoothly. I have the 3G version, and all the calling features, remote connection, etc. works flawlessly. I just added the new HUE lighting control app from Philippe, and my new Christmas present of HUE lighting is actually really usable.
There's so much awesome about this watch to scream at the top of your lungs because of the relatively small matters you are is unhinged. All these things will be fixed in the coming months. Relax, work around these small problems, and enjoy the device as a smartwatch.

Do I suggest this watch to someone? Quite a matter of taste. Main pros are design, build quality and battery life, but lack of functionality leaves much to desire.
Bugs are almost gone after latest update. There is one annoying bug with weather auto update.

I suggest it because , between android wear watches and this , this is the only that seems really a classic watch . And the controller it s the best ... About apps and price , probably i could say to buy an other watch full android like the k8 or the no.1 d5 .. Really cheaper than a moto 360 and they have all apps of a smartphone . I don t see the quality buying 350 euros of a moto 360 or lg urbane (1 ) respect to no.1 or something like that ...

100% not suggest to buy it, I bought it as a gift for my wife in Hong Kong, but when she back to canada she cannot install anything from the samsung app store anymore, also the S2's clock/weather/location always say that she is in Vitenam instead of canada. Last time after firmware update it also have a serious battery drain, need to do a factory reset to solve it when. The S2 firmware/software is too buggy, even the gear manager app on phone is not so good.
Tested on Nexus 5 and Note 5, S6 edge.
p.s. about the cannot install app/blank app store issue, there are lot of complain on internet.

S2 Classic here.
I bought it for myself as a birthday gift. I've had mine for less than a week now, but love it. I've had a ton of fun with all of the watch faces, and am even trying to create a few of my own.
Would it be cool if it had an actual sound alarm? Maybe, but it's not a deal breaker. I would only use the alarm to remind me of things, and the vibration is strong enough that I notice it when it's going off. I have never relied on a watch to wake me up, and never will. Once I get sleeping, it takes something louder to get me going.
I don't really care about more apps. So far, I haven't used much app related on it. It's just a nice, customizable watch that alerts me of things.
My only real wish for it would be a longer lasting battery. Whenever I turn it on, I have myself thinking about the battery and how what I'm going to do will affect it. In that way, it sort of reminds me of my old Sprint Evo. I could watch the battery drop on that thing, and I can on this as well.
That said, I'm probably going to return this one and wait for the platinum one to come out. If I'd known about it, I'd have just waited and bought one of those. It looks really nice. One of my biggest concerns about this one is that the finish on the watch might not last I'm not sure exactly how it's applied, but I can definitely see it chipping, scratching, or just rubbing off over time.

usmaak said:
S2 Classic here.
I bought it for myself as a birthday gift. I've had mine for less than a week now, but love it. I've had a ton of fun with all of the watch faces, and am even trying to create a few of my own.
Would it be cool if it had an actual sound alarm? Maybe, but it's not a deal breaker. I would only use the alarm to remind me of things, and the vibration is strong enough that I notice it when it's going off. I have never relied on a watch to wake me up, and never will. Once I get sleeping, it takes something louder to get me going.
I don't really care about more apps. So far, I haven't used much app related on it. It's just a nice, customizable watch that alerts me of things.
My only real wish for it would be a longer lasting battery. Whenever I turn it on, I have myself thinking about the battery and how what I'm going to do will affect it. In that way, it sort of reminds me of my old Sprint Evo. I could watch the battery drop on that thing, and I can on this as well.
That said, I'm probably going to return this one and wait for the platinum one to come out. If I'd known about it, I'd have just waited and bought one of those. It looks really nice. One of my biggest concerns about this one is that the finish on the watch might not last I'm not sure exactly how it's applied, but I can definitely see it chipping, scratching, or just rubbing off over time.
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How do you think would the platinum version enhance your user experience?
Gesendet von meinem SM-N910F mit Tapatalk

Silberpfeil3110 said:
How do you think would the platinum version enhance your user experience?
Gesendet von meinem SM-N910F mit Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I've seen the pictures and think that it looks nicer. I like more metallic looking watches. The S2 was never an option for me, because I did not want to deal with the rubber watch bands. That's why I chose the classic. If they had all three of them lined up, I'd have chosen the platinum one.
Of course if it's a lot more expensive, I'll probably just stick with the one I've got now.

jhonjey66 said:
NO!!! It is not a watch....
There are too much bugs\lacking of functionality...
List of hard bug or lacking of base functionality:
1) the alarm doens't go
2) the watch have NO SOUND ALARM!!!! (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
3) the watch ha NO SLEEP TRACKING (340 Euro for this watch?!? Why?!?)
4) The WiFi Connection doesn't connect with WEP cryptography (while it does before the update)
5) During the night the watch light randomly with unuseful battery consumption: we need a robust night locking system.
GS
Italy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a stupid rant. You call that a survey?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

barondebxl said:
What a stupid rant. You call that a survey?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Yes... and it is very simple: do you suggest to buy this smartwacth to a friend of yours?
If NO please justify...
Thanks
GS
ITALY

YES id recommend it totally love this watch and playing with the gear designer

I would actually, it feels, looks, responds, basically everything's better that my old Gear 2. Battery is also great, Had mine running 5 days straight at minimal usage.

Want to buy samsung gear s2 classic - few questions I couldn't find any answers.

Hello All,
I'm trying to decide which smartwatch I want to buy and I'm torn between samsung gear s2 and huawei watch.
I think, I already watched almost all of tests /reviews but none of them had answers for my questions related to samsung gear s2. Please help me with them ,so I could finally made my decision
1) Notifications - no one never tell/show how the notification is working. As assume that when I receive any notification, watch will turn on and vibrate will be on. But what happen when I miss it?
I heard that there is some "orange" notification? How it looks like ? Can we see it in ambient mode?
Is there any "you go XX notification" counter or its more like you have new notification scroll the dial to see how much and from what apps?
I came back from garmin vivosmart band where once it receive notification it show it on screen, then goes black but when I wake it up it show mail icon with number of unread notifications.
2) Ambient mode - I didn't see it on person in samsung gear s2. On Huawei Watch its look sharp and very detailed but on pictures on net ambient mode in gear s2 looks less sharp and limited. Not downgraded "ambient mode" like moto360 but I get a feeling that is less detailed. Is that tue or ambient mode is the same sharp/crisp like normal watchface but in black/white mode?
3) Ambient mode #2 - I like that on huawei watch ambient mode is very detailed and can stay always on. I read that there is potential issue with samsung that after some time, while still wearing watch on hand it will turn black, even if there is always on ambient mode enabled. Is that true ? Thsi is a major sells point because I want to have it always on when I have it on my wrist.
4) Endurance - Most of you have this watch for a long time now. Is there are any problem with battery, screen burn in ect on it? Again my vivosmart have oled screen issue that start to show black pixels after 5-9 months ( depending on the usage) and this is now a known hardware problem that happen on all the devices. So I would know if there are "known" hardware issues that could pop-up after a while or not.
Thanks in advance for your help.

wiilczek said:
Hello All,
I'm trying to decide which smartwatch I want to buy and I'm torn between samsung gear s2 and huawei watch. HUAWEI IS OK BUT TOO THICK FOR ME. I LIKE THE FEEL OF THE GEAR. PLUS BATTERY LIFE IS ALOT WORSE ACCORDING TO FORUMS. tHAT'S A SHOW STOPPER FOR ME.
I think, I already watched almost all of tests /reviews but none of them had answers for my questions related to samsung gear s2. Please help me with them ,so I could finally made my decision
1) Notifications - no one never tell/show how the notification is working. As assume that when I receive any notification, watch will turn on and vibrate will be on. But what happen when I miss it?
I heard that there is some "orange" notification? How it looks like ? Can we see it in ambient mode? NOTIFICATIONS WORK JUST LIKE YOU DESCRIBE - VIBRATE AND AN NOTICE ON THE WATCH FOR AFEW SECONDS. IF YOU MISS IT, YOU MISS IT. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS SWIPE RIGHT AND YOU CAN SEE YOUR NOTIFICATION. THE ORANGE DOT THING ISN'T IN THE US YET, IF YOU ARE HERE.
Is there any "you go XX notification" counter or its more like you have new notification scroll the dial to see how much and from what apps? NOT ON A SCREEN WHERE YOU CAN SEE (AT LEAST THAT I HAVE FOUND) BUT THERE ARE WATCH FACES YOU CAN GET THAT DO THAT. JUST NOT STOCK.
I came back from garmin vivosmart band where once it receive notification it show it on screen, then goes black but when I wake it up it show mail icon with number of unread notifications.
2) Ambient mode - I didn't see it on person in samsung gear s2. On Huawei Watch its look sharp and very detailed but on pictures on net ambient mode in gear s2 looks less sharp and limited. Not downgraded "ambient mode" like moto360 but I get a feeling that is less detailed. Is that tue or ambient mode is the same sharp/crisp like normal watchface but in black/white mode? THERE ISN'T AN AMBIENT MODE AS YOU DESCRIBE. THERE IS AN ALWAYS ON MODE WITH LESS INFO BUT I THINK MOST PEOPLE SIMPLY DIM THEIR SCREENS. IT HASN'T BEEN AN ISSUE WITH ME.
3) Ambient mode #2 - I like that on huawei watch ambient mode is very detailed and can stay always on. I read that there is potential issue with samsung that after some time, while still wearing watch on hand it will turn black, even if there is always on ambient mode enabled. Is that true ? Thsi is a major sells point because I want to have it always on when I have it on my wrist. THERE IS AN ALWAY ON MODE BUT IT EATS UP BATTERY AND THE DETAIL ISN'T THE SAME.
4) Endurance - Most of you have this watch for a long time now. Is there are any problem with battery, screen burn in ect on it? Again my vivosmart have oled screen issue that start to show black pixels after 5-9 months ( depending on the usage) and this is now a known hardware problem that happen on all the devices. So I would know if there are "known" hardware issues that could pop-up after a while or not. HAD MINE FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS. NO SCREEN BURN, BATTERY IS FINE BECAUSE I'M NOT CALCULATING THE NATIONAL DEBT EVERY 5 MINS AND I DON'T USE THINGS I DON'T NEED. I GET ABOUT 2 DAYS.
Thanks in advance for your help.
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..

wiilczek said:
Hello All,
I'm trying to decide which smartwatch I want to buy and I'm torn between samsung gear s2 and huawei watch.
I think, I already watched almost all of tests /reviews but none of them had answers for my questions related to samsung gear s2. Please help me with them ,so I could finally made my decision
1) Notifications - no one never tell/show how the notification is working. As assume that when I receive any notification, watch will turn on and vibrate will be on. But what happen when I miss it?
I heard that there is some "orange" notification? How it looks like ? Can we see it in ambient mode?
Is there any "you go XX notification" counter or its more like you have new notification scroll the dial to see how much and from what apps?
I came back from garmin vivosmart band where once it receive notification it show it on screen, then goes black but when I wake it up it show mail icon with number of unread notifications.
2) Ambient mode - I didn't see it on person in samsung gear s2. On Huawei Watch its look sharp and very detailed but on pictures on net ambient mode in gear s2 looks less sharp and limited. Not downgraded "ambient mode" like moto360 but I get a feeling that is less detailed. Is that tue or ambient mode is the same sharp/crisp like normal watchface but in black/white mode?
3) Ambient mode #2 - I like that on huawei watch ambient mode is very detailed and can stay always on. I read that there is potential issue with samsung that after some time, while still wearing watch on hand it will turn black, even if there is always on ambient mode enabled. Is that true ? Thsi is a major sells point because I want to have it always on when I have it on my wrist.
4) Endurance - Most of you have this watch for a long time now. Is there are any problem with battery, screen burn in ect on it? Again my vivosmart have oled screen issue that start to show black pixels after 5-9 months ( depending on the usage) and this is now a known hardware problem that happen on all the devices. So I would know if there are "known" hardware issues that could pop-up after a while or not.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try to answer you. I've had my Classic since December 26.
If the watch is on your wrist, it will vibrate when a Notification arrives. Different apps handle and send notifications differently. GoogleApp will only show last one. SMS will only show last one. (But, the Message App will let you scroll through all of them). TypeApp will show last one, but will also show a number of emails. If you click on that you can scroll through emails. There is a separate "queue" of email notifcations for each email account I have synched.
Each app has it's own notification queue. You can access them by scrolling wheel to the left. Or, swiping to the right. You can get rid of the notification by swiping to the top.
In the version in the US, with the current firmware, we don't have the orange notification. The version is Korea seems to have it, but I don't know if the version rolling out in Europe does.
The ambient mode watch face is a separate watch face that the watch designer designs. It doesn't have to look like the normal watch face. The intent is to be a low power mode only white pixels used. Mine never turns off when the watch is on the wrist, but some have reported issues with theirs going completely black. I have the setting for Always On. I also have the setting turned on for the Wake Up Gesture. This wil turn on the full watch face when you flick your wrist. Can be disconcerting in the cinema or driving at night, to have your watch turn on. Especially if you use a mostly white face like I do. (I currently use Pavilion by Liongate - mostly because it has a good ambient mode)
I've been wearing my watch every day, all day long and "it takes a licking, and still keeps ticking". I get a good 2 days on a full charge. But, most days I recharge when I sleep.

Thank you rlichtefeld and rogerperk for your kind reply !
It seems that samsung in term of functionality is the best option. However based on my experience with samsung device ( I had several smartphones) I worried that after a year, support for samsung gear s2 will be droped and the apps/firmware for "new" samsung watch will not be compatible with this model. Android wear is more "update proof" as still you can update the system on older moto360. What I geeting from review and this forum is that gear s2 is a "great device but lack of apps/support" . Well.. it would be simpler if this "companion devices" for smartphones was little bit cheaper, because at this price point its not that easy to decide.
And speaking about the price, currently after a little price drop by huawei (in Europe) I can buy huawei watch silver/black band model in the same price as samsung gear s2 classic. So its even harder to choose "best" option.

wiilczek said:
Thank you rlichtefeld and rogerperk for your kind reply !
It seems that samsung in term of functionality is the best option. However based on my experience with samsung device ( I had several smartphones) I worried that after a year, support for samsung gear s2 will be droped and the apps/firmware for "new" samsung watch will not be compatible with this model. Android wear is more "update proof" as still you can update the system on older moto360. What I geeting from review and this forum is that gear s2 is a "great device but lack of apps/support" . Well.. it would be simpler if this "companion devices" for smartphones was little bit cheaper, because at this price point its not that easy to decide.
And speaking about the price, currently after a little price drop by huawei (in Europe) I can buy huawei watch silver/black band model in the same price as samsung gear s2 classic. So its even harder to choose "best" option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As with anything dealing with electronics, if you wait long enough there will always be something cheaper and more powerful. However, while you wait, you don't get to use the tools/toys that you can get right now.
The S2 Classic is what I wanted in a smart watch. It is the correct size for me, and the rotating bezel works extremely well. I also wanted a watch where I could switch out the watch band.
Everyone has different wants and needs. As my grandfather used to say: "If everyone all liked the same thing, there would have been a big fight over your grandma".
Could the watch be better? Certainly. But, it is a very, very good smart watch.
Rob

rlichtefeld said:
As with anything dealing with electronics, if you wait long enough there will always be something cheaper and more powerful. However, while you wait, you don't get to use the tools/toys that you can get right now.
The S2 Classic is what I wanted in a smart watch. It is the correct size for me, and the rotating bezel works extremely well. I also wanted a watch where I could switch out the watch band.
Everyone has different wants and needs. As my grandfather used to say: "If everyone all liked the same thing, there would have been a big fight over your grandma".
Could the watch be better? Certainly. But, it is a very, very good smart watch.
Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you again for your kind answer. You are absolutely right with waiting . I appreciate your argument , but finally I decided and bought.. huawei watch. What can I say? Samsung gear S2 is a very good smartwatch (for todays standard) but when I had an opportunity to take in both hands samsung gear s2 and huawei watch (price was not a factor because in the store they cost more/less the same), samsung feels more like sport active watch (similar to garmin watches) and huawei feels more like a classic watch.
And this is what I need. A smartwatch that replicates classic feeling, and with the great skymaster pilot watchface I'm more than happy now.

wiilczek said:
Thank you again for your kind answer. You are absolutely right with waiting . I appreciate your argument , but finally I decided and bought.. huawei watch. What can I say? Samsung gear S2 is a very good smartwatch (for todays standard) but when I had an opportunity to take in both hands samsung gear s2 and huawei watch (price was not a factor because in the store they cost more/less the same), samsung feels more like sport active watch (similar to garmin watches) and huawei feels more like a classic watch.
And this is what I need. A smartwatch that replicates classic feeling, and with the great skymaster pilot watchface I'm more than happy now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i actually just switched from huawei watch to gear s2. huawei watch has consistent performance issues, even after rooting. connection issues too. it also weighs a ton and looks like some kind of insane homing beacon you would attach to a walrus or something. battery life isnt the greatest either, and i found it to be erratic, despite my actual SOT or quantity of messages. some days i would get home with 65% left and some days 25%, which i found to be the stupidest of the stoop as far as features go. best feature was voice command... when it worked.
gear s2 pretty much performs the same all the time, which is pretty well. i havent had any connection issues with it either. it connects fast and stays connected (note 4 - CM13). it weighs about what a normal watch would weigh and is the perfect size. doesnt protrude from the wrist like the walrus beacon. the sensor in it is so fast that i can actually leave ambient-mode off and strictly rely on flicking my wrist to turn the screen on. huawei watch sensor was slow so i always ambient mode on. s-voice leaves something to be desired, but the functionality and battery life (which is also very consistent) are really awesome on this watch. i dont regret switching one bit.

WaxysDargle said:
i actually just switched from huawei watch to gear s2. huawei watch has consistent performance issues, even after rooting. connection issues too. it also weighs a ton and looks like some kind of insane homing beacon you would attach to a walrus or something. battery life isnt the greatest either, and i found it to be erratic, despite my actual SOT or quantity of messages. some days i would get home with 65% left and some days 25%, which i found to be the stupidest of the stoop as far as features go. best feature was voice command... when it worked.
gear s2 pretty much performs the same all the time, which is pretty well. i havent had any connection issues with it either. it connects fast and stays connected (note 4 - CM13). it weighs about what a normal watch would weigh and is the perfect size. doesnt protrude from the wrist like the walrus beacon. the sensor in it is so fast that i can actually leave ambient-mode off and strictly rely on flicking my wrist to turn the screen on. huawei watch sensor was slow so i always ambient mode on. s-voice leaves something to be desired, but the functionality and battery life (which is also very consistent) are really awesome on this watch. i dont regret switching one bit.
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Click to collapse
Thanks WaxyDargle for your comment. My shop give me 10 days back policy if I want to return huawei watch. To reply to your comment I will try to answer objectively what I thought about huawei after 2 days ( I paired it with samsung S5 with custom Rom)
Performance issues - for me I didn't accounter any but maybe its to soon to comment.
Connection issues - again I had few problems (about this later) but the connection itself was solid.
Battery - I take it to office at 7:50 AM yesterday and today at 4 PM it says " you got 5% battery". From this moment watch turn of "always on mode" and "wifi mode" and the brightness was way below minimum you can set . Still watch finally give up just after 20 PM . So first impression: battery is acceptable. During that time I receive several calls, mails, facebook notification so I can say that I use it a lot.
watch design&look - You said that it "weights a ton" but for me its very very light and I didnt see any noticible differents in weight to samsung gear s2. During a day I forget that I had it on the wrist. Regarding thickness - it doesnt look thick when you put it on a wrist.
voice command - yup. Working 2 out of 10 but when its recognize voice its working correctly. "WHEN" ...
Biggest Pros so far: Please check attachments where I put my ambient and normal mode. IT LOOKS GREAT . Its stay that way and it didn't went to black when I have it on the wrist .To add more my co-worker that was sterring at my watch for a while didnt notice that was a smartwatch unitl screen light on to show a message.
Biggest cons : Samsung vibration is just BETTER. I mean compared to huawei watch I need to use special 3rd party app on huawei just to set vibration pattern to be noticable . Now it's OK but not "Great". "Out of the box" you definitelly will miss more incoming messages in huawei than in samsung.
Android Wear has several issues : sometimes not every message will show on a watch and in current 1.4 release there is 3 seconds (!!!) delay to incoming call after it will show on the watch. Downgrading to version 1.2 will solve this issue (no delays) but some other notification will/could not show up. Overall to not get too deep into issues, after reading several post here on the XDA I menaged to (hopefully) "solve" all of them but I believe that for customer who is no technician/dont know XDA or dont have a time to solving android issues (that currently exist on android wear) this would be a major let down. If Samsung is stable in synchronizing incoming notification - I would recommend samsung/tizen for most people.
So in the end currently I still prefer huawei but it have it flaws and not everyone will like it.

wiilczek said:
Thanks WaxyDargle for your comment. My shop give me 10 days back policy if I want to return huawei watch. To reply to your comment I will try to answer objectively what I thought about huawei after 2 days ( I paired it with samsung S5 with custom Rom)
Performance issues - for me I didn't accounter any but maybe its to soon to comment.
Connection issues - again I had few problems (about this later) but the connection itself was solid.
Battery - I take it to office at 7:50 AM yesterday and today at 4 PM it says " you got 5% battery". From this moment watch turn of "always on mode" and "wifi mode" and the brightness was way below minimum you can set . Still watch finally give up just after 20 PM . So first impression: battery is acceptable. During that time I receive several calls, mails, facebook notification so I can say that I use it a lot.
watch design&look - You said that it "weights a ton" but for me its very very light and I didnt see any noticible differents in weight to samsung gear s2. During a day I forget that I had it on the wrist. Regarding thickness - it doesnt look thick when you put it on a wrist.
voice command - yup. Working 2 out of 10 but when its recognize voice its working correctly. "WHEN" ...
Biggest Pros so far: Please check attachments where I put my ambient and normal mode. IT LOOKS GREAT . Its stay that way and it didn't went to black when I have it on the wrist .To add more my co-worker that was sterring at my watch for a while didnt notice that was a smartwatch unitl screen light on to show a message.
Biggest cons : Samsung vibration is just BETTER. I mean compared to huawei watch I need to use special 3rd party app on huawei just to set vibration pattern to be noticable . Now it's OK but not "Great". "Out of the box" you definitelly will miss more incoming messages in huawei than in samsung.
Android Wear has several issues : sometimes not every message will show on a watch and in current 1.4 release there is 3 seconds (!!!) delay to incoming call after it will show on the watch. Downgrading to version 1.2 will solve this issue (no delays) but some other notification will/could not show up. Overall to not get too deep into issues, after reading several post here on the XDA I menaged to (hopefully) "solve" all of them but I believe that for customer who is no technician/dont know XDA or dont have a time to solving android issues (that currently exist on android wear) this would be a major let down. If Samsung is stable in synchronizing incoming notification - I would recommend samsung/tizen for most people.
So in the end currently I still prefer huawei but it have it flaws and not everyone will like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
one thing i did on the huawei that almost completely fixed the connection issue was to install android wear 1.3 on my phone. version 1.4 made those issues drastically worse.

WaxysDargle said:
one thing i did on the huawei that almost completely fixed the connection issue was to install android wear 1.3 on my phone. version 1.4 made those issues drastically worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True . They massed it up in new version, but its android fault not a huawei itself - "Blame the game not the player". For now after few "extra tricks" from XDA its working ok. However If the problem will reappear in upcoming days I will consider to switch on samsung. Will see.

wiilczek said:
True . They massed it up in new version, but its android fault not a huawei itself - "Blame the game not the player". For now after few "extra tricks" from XDA its working ok. However If the problem will reappear in upcoming days I will consider to switch on samsung. Will see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
honestly, i am just waiting for android to get it right. im not a huge fan of samsung, and will probably just return it for an android wear later on as part of my protection plan. samsung is better right now but wont be for long

WaxysDargle said:
honestly, i am just waiting for android to get it right. im not a huge fan of samsung, and will probably just return it for an android wear later on as part of my protection plan. samsung is better right now but wont be for long
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This week huawei should receive android wear 6.0.1 with speaker support. Supposedly it works better. I will post an update after this upgrade will arrive via OTA if it was worth the wait.

Time to change device!!

After nearly 2 years I have had enough and will change.
The whole time I had the watch with Huawei P9 > Nokia 8 > Honor View 10 > P30 Pro there have been issues with the bluetooth constantly disconnecting and removing from trusted device unlock.
To happen with all these phones is clearly something wrong with how it connects to Android / bluetooth stack.
I love the watch so put up with constantly going into Wear app and "reconnecting" but now the battery is draining at an insane amount.
At the start I could manage 2 days without charge, now I am charging it before sleep and waking up with 23% left.

you know i guess there might be something wrong with your device because my hw2 always stays connected to my phone and in the past year I have only noticed one or two times of disconnection, and i wear it at least 8 hrs a day.

It most be your watch
I agree with Kianush, must a problem with your watch. I have a Huawei Watch 2 Classic and I've never had those issues. I do charge before going to sleep, but even doing sleep monitoring in the morning I have usually 75% and it lasts thru the day.

As I say battery was very good until recently so maybe it is on it's way out.
The bluetooth has always had disconnection issues for me at random points in the day.
Also seems it can't handle other BT devices connecting to the phone - i.e. earphones or car head unit will make it disconnect and then it will not reconnect and I need to go into Wear app on phone and reconnect which of course means Smart Lock needs to be added again.

shaunydub said:
As I say battery was very good until recently so maybe it is on it's way out.
The Bluetooth has always had disconnection issues for me at random points in the day.
Also seems it can't handle other BT devices connecting to the phone - i.e. earphones or car head unit will make it disconnect and then it will not reconnect and I need to go into Wear app on phone and reconnect which of course means Smart Lock needs to be added again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had always the problem of it disconnecting randomly as well (and I changed a bunch of phones in the meanwhile as well). But, after all, it is still good looking
I bought a fossil gen 5 the other week and I sent it back... It was slightly faster (I recently installed on the HW2 the janjan ROM+KERNEL) but, I couldn't stand how it was looking with a part of the screen that actually was bazel (at least the HW2 fake a big crown ) So, waiting for next-gen or I'll buy a Ticwatch pro LTE that has 1gb of ram as well (processor wise, won't change anything in term of speed) but it has a bigger full screen

mr-mauro said:
I had always the problem of it disconnecting randomly as well (and I changed a bunch of phones in the meanwhile as well). But, after all, it is still good looking
I bought a fossil gen 5 the other week and I sent it back... It was slightly faster (I recently installed on the HW2 the janjan ROM+KERNEL) but, I couldn't stand how it was looking with a part of the screen that actually was bazel (at least the HW2 fake a big crown ) So, waiting for next-gen or I'll buy a tickwatch pro LTE that has 1gb of ram as well but a bigger full screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I like the watch very much but the disconnection issue is just annoying, somedays it never disconnects and other days its every 10 minutes even under the same circumstances.
I decided to try Galaxy Active 2 for now, doesn't look like Huawei will make a HW3 with Wear anytime soon.

shaunydub said:
Yes, I like the watch very much but the disconnection issue is just annoying, somedays it never disconnects and other days its every 10 minutes even under the same circumstances.
I decided to try Galaxy Active 2 for now, doesn't look like Huawei will make a HW3 with Wear anytime soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy Active 2 is nice and it has faster processor than the snapdragon400-2100-3100 My only concern is the fact that it doesn't run WearOS Let us know how will it work out with Tizen

mr-mauro said:
Galaxy Active 2 is nice and it has faster processor than the snapdragon400-2100-3100 My only concern is the fact that it doesn't run WearOS Let us know how will it work out with Tizen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I am also slightly nervous about Tizen but watched a Youtube video of Tizen vs Wear vs Android on several devices and it seems to be very similar in use + I found an app that synchronises data to Google Fit.
However I do use several Android apps on my HW2 such as Keep Notes and Fotmob, plus I like the media controls so I will need to fully test this with my P30 Pro before deciding to keep the Active 2.

So I have had the Galaxy Watch Active 2 for a week now and all I can saw is WOW.
This feels like huge upgrade from Huawei Watch 2 in nearly all areas.
The watch itself feels premium, feels more like a real watch on the arm.
The colours are bright and vivid, the speed the watch operates at puts Wear OS to shame, the speaker is great and so many more options with sound and notifications and pretty much everything.
My initial concern was about the lack of Wear OS store and while I do not have Outlook or Fotmob apps everything works., the main app I miss is Google Keep Notes.
I can control my music on my P30 Pro, I can respond to messages in Whatsapp or SMS with voice or type.
Ok it has Bixby instead of Google Assistant but I never used it and I can achieve some similar results such as "set alarm" etc.
It is the first time I tried a non Wear OS watch and I am pretty surprised by it and can't see how Wear can catch up, it is just too slow and dull in comparison.
Plus it has wireless charging and you can backup the watch ready for if you need to wipe or transfer to new phone.
I loved my HW2 for a long time but now GA2 is the new king (although nothing still has the UV sensor I had on my MS Band 2)

Does anyone have any other idea's about what to upgrade to? I'm not a fan of Tizan, but do we wait for the never appearing Pixel watch? Has anyone else updated since this thread started? If so, what to and how is it?

Apart from Fossil there were no real options hence my semi forced move to Samsung.
I like it and it performs much better but I miss some apps like Keep Notes.
And Bixby is useless.
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk

Question Returned my GW4 Classic after 2 weeks

So, I received mine on September 1.
I just put in the return for today and will most likely send it back tomorrow.
Here are my reasons:
* Constant disconnects from sleep tracking
* Hit-or-miss notifications, they really just didn't work when synced from phone, GW3 never has this issue
* AWFUL, and I can't stress this enough, AWFUL battery life
* NO watchfaces
* Half Tizen/Half WearOS, neither one works
* How many of the actual features were dropped that were the point of buying this thing?
* Have I mentioned the just ridiculious battery life? Not even a full day with minimal usage
* Workouts just don't sync between the watch and the phone even though BOTH are samsung devices, sometimes, the workouts don't even start recording on the watch
After the watch ran down literally after 12.5 hours of use and then when I put it on the charger and the phone STILL read 84% charge while the watch showed 3%, I was done.
It's like they WANTED to kill this version of the watch and made something that just was totally frustrating to use and didn't work. They rushed this thing to market for whatever reason and did NOTHING to support it. It's literally half-finished in almost every way.

There is plenty of bugs that need to be sorting out on the Watch 4, I'm also a bit disappointed with it though some of the issues you have with your's i don't have, like battery life which is pretty decent for me and i have everything on continuous monitoring.
I've put mine back in the box won't be selling just yet, I'm gonna give Samsung a chance to sort these bugs out first, in the meantime I've gone back to using my Active 2 44mm, which has been solid for me for the past couple of years i've had it.
I think Samsung decided or was force to ditch Tizen in favor of Watch OS because of the pressure from Apple with the Apple Watch ie app support being the main thing, something that was severely lacking on Tizen.
I personally didn't really care about having more apps as i never used any other than what came with the watch, fitness tracking and notifications was all i needed and the past, & Tizen watches did this without any issues, even Samsung pay I could use running my card though Curve as my Bank doesn't support Samsung Pay, but alas it is nice to have the useful google services now on a Samsung Watch.
Ultimately the Watch 4 44mm i have is better than my Active 2 in many ways ie google pay, google maps & hopefully google assistant at some point plus a few new health features, but atm it just not there stability wise to be used on a daily basis.

Hi
Coming from the Gear S3 Classic.
SLEEPTRACKING - Consistent with performance I got with the Gear S3. No disconnects.
NOTIFICATIONS - Not noticed any issues with this.
BATTERY - I am now getting two days (as opposed to about 2.5 days on the Gear S3), that is AOD off, wrist wake up on, notifications on, Heartrate 10 mins, Blood Oxygen manual, using a watchmaker face. It would have been better if the battery time was the same as the Gear S3 but its enough to meet my expectations.
WATCHFACES - Only really use two, a Rolex GMT on Watchmaker and the digital one that comes with the watch.
TIZEN/WEAR - It works as well as Tizen did, some bits not as good some better. I expect it will improve with updates as Tizen did. Samsung Pay was very temperamental for me with the Gear S3 but works flawlessly on the GW4 as an example.
MISSING FEATURES - Agree with you on this one, not including Google Assistant is a big negative, Bixby might be a bit better but it is still not great and I do not use it. No sure what other features you are missing but not a big deal for me.
WORKOUTS - Not used these yet, and I only occasionally used them on the Gear S3.
Unfortunately we live in a time where phones, smart watches all get released with bugs and not quite polished OS, but they do tend to get it right overtime. The downside of being an early adopter.
Regards

spangelaregreat said:
Hi
Coming from the Gear S3 Classic.
SLEEPTRACKING - Consistent with performance I got with the Gear S3. No disconnects.
NOTIFICATIONS - Not noticed any issues with this.
BATTERY - I am now getting two days (as opposed to about 2.5 days on the Gear S3), that is AOD off, wrist wake up on, notifications on, Heartrate 10 mins, Blood Oxygen manual, using a watchmaker face. It would have been better if the battery time was the same as the Gear S3 but its enough to meet my expectations.
WATCHFACES - Only really use two, a Rolex GMT on Watchmaker and the digital one that comes with the watch.
TIZEN/WEAR - It works as well as Tizen did, some bits not as good some better. I expect it will improve with updates as Tizen did. Samsung Pay was very temperamental for me with the Gear S3 but works flawlessly on the GW4 as an example.
MISSING FEATURES - Agree with you on this one, not including Google Assistant is a big negative, Bixby might be a bit better but it is still not great and I do not use it. No sure what other features you are missing but not a big deal for me.
WORKOUTS - Not used these yet, and I only occasionally used them on the Gear S3.
Unfortunately we live in a time where phones, smart watches all get released with bugs and not quite polished OS, but they do tend to get it right overtime. The downside of being an early adopter.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree with your last sentiment most of all. This was released without proper testing making us the (you pay) beta testers. This should have been tested A LOT MORE than it was. I don't think it was.
I'ts nice you only use two watch faces. That's you. Me, I don't want to have to give up actual functionality simply because there's new hardware that doesn't work with the software provided.
The battery DOES NOT LAST, maybe if you've turned off ALL functionality in the watch and are using it "watch only" mode, sure, but then, what's the point of having a smartwatch? I'm not using that much functionality, but waking up and seeing that I have less than half of the watch battery left after only one night of use to track sleep AND that the sleep app was disconnected halfway throught the night. What WAS IT TRACKING to use that much battery, then?
Notifications, that is a deal-breaker. The fact that notifications DO NOT TRIGGER for mail, and almost ANY of the other apps that triggered normally on the GW3, that made me just want to not use this "new" hardware.
If you're not using the workouts feature then that's on you. It's a very big selling point for most of us. If the accuracy isn't there and so many have reported that it isn't, then there's no point in the "upgrade" if you can't get the same basic functionalty you had in the previous version.
This may have been an "upgrade" in some respects, it was a HUGE step back in ALL of them:
* battery
* workout tracking
* notifications
* sleep tracking
* watchfaces
Those are the basic things that this was doing well in GW3 that are either broken or don't work in the GW4.
It's sad you don't think having non-buggy to the point of non-functioning software is your baseline. I work in software and I'd be embarrassed to have released this thing in its present state.

Calm down dude, just giving you my experience of it. If it don't work for you then send it back. Life is too short to stress about a watch.

spangelaregreat said:
Calm down dude, just giving you my experience of it. If it don't work for you then send it back. Life is too short to stress about a watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Telling someone to "calm down" because they disagree with you is childish. You're coming from a watch that is YEARS old. I'm coming from a watch that is literally still being sold alongside this "new" one and being touted as the next awesome thing when clearly it's not.
* The software is buggy
* The hardware is lackluster (and not a vast improvement from the previous version)
* We paid for this, it wasn't a freebie, when you pay for a product that's talked up everywhere, you expect non-****ty results instead, what we got was subpar performance and a confusing mess for a UI/UX
Even the $50 trade-in coupons are coming up with issues. I've read over and over where people are being told you can't use the $50 coupons for WATCH-RELATED items at Samsung???

I don't have any of these problems to be honest.

Why post here just send it back and be happy...
Btw battery life, had mine about a month and it's increased week by week as batteries tend to do, getting a day and a half here with most things switched on...

What a pointless post, if you are not happy with your watch return it. Probably you have a faulty device anyway as mine has no issues at all with notifications, sleep tracking and workout syncing between watch and phone. With regards to battery life after a couple of weeks I am getting consistently two days with everything on except for AOD. This include an 1-hour workout a day. You say that the other poster is childish while your post is the childish one ranting in a forum about your unique issues instead of just returning your device and moving on. Plenty of options out there, good luck with finding a better one.

Interesting. I have none of the issues you are speaking of. My watch has never had issues with: sleep tracking, notifications, or workouts not syncing (and I don't have a Samsung phone).
With watch faces I pretty much use Matteo Dini's faces exclusively (have been for years) and he has all ready converted 31 of his Tizen faces to Wear faces.
As far as battery time I don't believe I have gone less than 2 days for the last 4 charges. I had a charge last week that lasted 3 days 11 hours. I do not have any functionality turned off. Location on, HR every 10 minutes, notifications on (texts, gmail, messenger), and always on display off. I only use bluetooth (wifi and NFC off). I also use bedtime mode when sleeping.
Have you considered if this might be an issue with your specific watch? Might there be an app you have installed which is creating these issues?

sanjsrik said:
Notifications, that is a deal-breaker. The fact that notifications DO NOT TRIGGER for mail, and almost ANY of the other apps that triggered normally on the GW3, that made me just want to not use this "new" hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this issue at first, I would get notifications for certain apps on my phone but not my watch. The reason for that is because many apps are disabled by default, not because the watch is broken. There's a section in the Galaxy Wearable app for choosing what notifications pop up on your watch

Sounds like you jumped a bit quick on this device. Updates tend to always make them better and knowing samsung they tend to sort all these issues out and the new device 99% of the time ends up being the better device than the previous generation.

IMHO.
Samsung doing this ever and ever again...
Spit out "new" Product...
"Nothing" work... "nothing" available...
Few "features" Country restricted... so also not available...
IMHO not every user has time enough to wait monthS... sometimes yearS before "perfect" Product...
They NOT spread enough infos nor Tools to App Developer... to start BEFORE this "magic" is in Store...
This is so funny...
3 Apps...
No idea if it makes sense to buy Apple Product...
I have not enough money...
Only as info...
My personal opinion.
Best Regards

adfree said:
IMHO.
Samsung doing this ever and ever again...
Spit out "new" Product...
"Nothing" work... "nothing" available...
Few "features" Country restricted... so also not available...
IMHO not every user has time enough to wait monthS... sometimes yearS before "perfect" Product...
They NOT spread enough infos nor Tools to App Developer... to start BEFORE this "magic" is in Store...
This is so funny...
3 Apps...
No idea if it makes sense to buy Apple Product...
I have not enough money...
Only as info...
My personal opinion.
Best Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. And that's why you don't be an early adopter if you want a "perfect" stable device. Keep using your current tech until the new stuff has been out, updated and reviewed so you can make an informative decision on what to buy. Don't be the guy that preorders and complains when it has an issue 2 weeks after release.

kkellogg378 said:
I had this issue at first, I would get notifications for certain apps on my phone but not my watch. The reason for that is because many apps are disabled by default, not because the watch is broken. There's a section in the Galaxy Wearable app for choosing what notifications pop up on your watch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried it. Doesn't fix the issue.

spangelaregreat said:
Hi
Coming from the Gear S3 Classic.
Samsung Pay was very temperamental for me with the Gear S3 but works flawlessly on the GW4 as an example.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I'm still rocking the Gear S3, and I've wondered whether having MST might be the source of some of the Samsung Pay fails - it seems to me that sometimes the pay terminal picks up both the NFC and MST signal, and that causes the 'card read error.' I've even wondered if that might be at least part of the reason Samsung chose to remove MST, and why the newer watches work more reliably with Samsung Pay. It's just a theory of mine - welcome other views.

behzad.bz said:
I don't have any of these problems to be honest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me neither (Galaxy Watch 4), and I have POCO F3 phone and modded health monitor from Dante. Maybe it's bad bluetooth in his Samsung phone, so watch always connects through wifi which uses more energy?

Agree with original poster, did send mine back after 2 weeks. Not worth upgrading from my Watch 3. I will skip this year and see what they come up with next year. Using the watch with Fold 2. No major issues with Watch 3, occasional stutter switching between apps but excellent battery life. Screen always on, full day use ( 14 hrs + ) and at the end of the day still 36%...

carlitos66 said:
Agree with original poster, did send mine back after 2 weeks. Not worth upgrading from my Watch 3. I will skip this year and see what they come up with next year. Using the watch with Fold 2. No major issues with Watch 3, occasional stutter switching between apps but excellent battery life. Screen always on, full day use ( 14 hrs + ) and at the end of the day still 36%...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have like 50% with the same setting on my GW4

My first Smart watch so cant really comment vs any previous models.
Still, over the moon with my watch classic 4 - and yes, this is the "Dreaded" 42mm version - on LTE (durrr durrr dummmmmm!!!!! - cue evil music etc etc).
I have disconnected LTE for the most part as i can make calls via bluetooth using my phone - more than ample for my needs
I have also disconnected wifi - again, I don't need the extra connections when the phone is ample and i can watch youtube videos on my watch over the bluetooth connection on odd browser (completely pointless but proves this sentiment)
AOD only serves a purpose if you are heavily exercising or want to pretend you have a rolex or something stupid like that - that has been turned off as it takes about quarter of a second for the screen to wake each and every time i raise it to view - more than ample.
Yesterday i decided to see what all the *****ing about battery was about - Between 9am and 3pm i had only lost about 15% battery life.
There is ###k all wrong with this device