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I put a little review together after using this thing for past couple of days. Basically it is on its way back to Best Buy...
here it goes:
I owned first Gear as well as Gear S in the past and quite frankly Samsung is going backwards with their watches.
There is one Pro in this one - it is good looking, I like the design.
Well - 1/2 point for the rotating bezel. It is kind of cool but I am so used to the touch controls that barely used it.
The rest of review is pretty much all Cons:
1. Lack of speaker - ok, some say it looks silly to talk to the wrist but sometimes it was useful. Why removed if all previous watches hat one?
2. Lack of apps - seriously, there is NO useful app available for this watch. I had plenty of apps on Gear S and none of them is re-written for the round watch.
3. Vibrations are barely sensed - I had it set to strong and long and miss half of the notifications
4. Screen decides on its own if it wants to light up when the notification comes. Not reliable at all
5. Previous models had option to come back to the last used app after the screen turns off, very useful for timer, stopwatch, music control. This cames back to the watch screen always. Try to skip the tracks from the watch when you have to turn the dial to the music app every time.....
6. No auto brightness. Seriously? Go out - make the screen brighter by hand. Come back, dim it by hand...
7. Straps.... out of 4 halves I found in the box (2 to make a long strap and 2 to make a short one) I was able to attach 3 of them, the 4th would not fit. And I guarantee you that after couple replacements the mount will break....
8. No sleep patterns tracking on the watch
9. Battery - that's another screw up. Samsung advertises 2-3 days... Right...I liek to have the watch set to always on. Gear S had about 40% left at the end of the day. This garbage had 18% at 11pm last night....
10. No integration with Google Now - no cards, no reminders to be set... I thought Samsung finally understood that S-Voice cannot compete with any assistant available... I guess they are too stupid to get that
11. No integration with Google Maps - Here maps are great but on the watch it is a disaster, completely useless, slow, chews through the battery.
12. No way to choose if one wears it on the left or right wrist hence when you wear it on the right the buttons are above the watch and you cover the face of it while pressing.
13. no night clock mode while charging - all you see while being charged is a black screen.
There is probably more flaws but I either did not discover them yet or do not remember. Generally the watch is going back to Best Buy and I will wait for Moto 360 Sport or LG Urbane 2
And with Samsung phones going backwards as well (S6, Note 5) Samsung lost a customer (I own Note 4 now and I had Note 1, 2 and 3 in the past)
Nice review, I have the classic and love it , all of your cons are personal preference,not that something is wrong,no speakers,I hope you knew that before buying it,you must be the person that buy a green car and then says it is garbage because is green ?
well, speaker missing is just one , I would have accepted only this.
All other flaws combined are the tipping points.
4. Screen decides on its own if it wants to light up when the notification comes. Not reliable at all
Mine doesn't even light up at all when a notification comes in hahahahahaha
But most of what you said I do agree with. I actually came from an android watch (Huawei Watch) and I think I will be going back to the Huawei
The only things I feel the s2 are better at than the huawei is longer battery life, automatic light adjustment and better water resistance
I feel like most people who are okay with the shortcomings on the s2 have never used an android watch before
Well, you need to enable screen on upon notification in settings.
Funny thing i never had android wear, i had pebble for 3 days , garbage, then i had gear 1 for a year and gear s for another year. No shortcomings in both cases. Except i was pissed whennthey removed camera... This model is a disaster comparing to the previous ones. Somethimg like no sd card in their latest phones...
I don't buy stuff just for looks, otherwise I'd be fine as it is pretty indeed but the functionality is very limited.
Samsung will not rest easy tonight knowing they lost your loyal support as a customer. I can only try an comfort them with the knowledge that they gained one in me.
I havd learned over the years that they dk nkt give a s...t about the customers after the moneybis collected at the cash register. I don't think there is any company with worse customer support.
As long as they were making innovative products i was willing to cope with that. Now they are becoming apple, charge premium price for mediocre products in shiny cases
Not sure why you think there's no auto brightness. There actually is, unless you keep it at max. Then it can't go any brighter. I keep mine at 4, and it gets way bright anytime outside (in sunny Texas). Agree that it doesn't dim lower than your setting if you are in very dark place.
kufel said:
I put a little review together after using this thing for past couple of days. Basically it is on its way back to Best Buy...
here it goes:
I owned first Gear as well as Gear S in the past and quite frankly Samsung is going backwards with their watches.
There is one Pro in this one - it is good looking, I like the design.
Well - 1/2 point for the rotating bezel. It is kind of cool but I am so used to the touch controls that barely used it.
The rest of review is pretty much all Cons:
1. Lack of speaker - ok, some say it looks silly to talk to the wrist but sometimes it was useful. Why removed if all previous watches hat one?
2. Lack of apps - seriously, there is NO useful app available for this watch. I had plenty of apps on Gear S and none of them is re-written for the round watch.
3. Vibrations are barely sensed - I had it set to strong and long and miss half of the notifications
4. Screen decides on its own if it wants to light up when the notification comes. Not reliable at all
5. Previous models had option to come back to the last used app after the screen turns off, very useful for timer, stopwatch, music control. This comes back to the watch screen always. Try to skip the tracks from the watch when you have to turn the dial to the music app every time.....
6. No auto brightness. Seriously? Go out - make the screen brighter by hand. Come back, dim it by hand...
7. Straps.... out of 4 halves I found in the box (2 to make a long strap and 2 to make a short one) I was able to attach 3 of them, the 4th would not fit. And I guarantee you that after couple replacements the mount will break....
8. No sleep patterns tracking on the watch
9. Battery - that's another screw up. Samsung advertises 2-3 days... Right...I liek to have the watch set to always on. Gear S had about 40% left at the end of the day. This garbage had 18% at 11pm last night....
10. No integration with Google Now - no cards, no reminders to be set... I thought Samsung finally understood that S-Voice cannot compete with any assistant available... I guess they are too stupid to get that
11. No integration with Google Maps - Here maps are great but on the watch it is a disaster, completely useless, slow, chews through the battery.
12. No way to choose if one wears it on the left or right wrist hence when you wear it on the right the buttons are above the watch and you cover the face of it while pressing.
13. no night clock mode while charging - all you see while being charged is a black screen.
There is probably more flaws but I either did not discover them yet or do not remember. Generally the watch is going back to Best Buy and I will wait for Moto 360 Sport or LG Urbane 2
And with Samsung phones going backwards as well (S6, Note 5) Samsung lost a customer (I own Note 4 now and I had Note 1, 2 and 3 in the past)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow have you owned a smart watch before? I currently have a Moto360 and a Gear 2 Neo along with the Gear S2.........
1) 90% of smart watches don't have a speaker and the last one Samsung made with a speaker is the GEAR S which is 3G and has a speaker..... The Gear S2 has a 3g version and it has a speaker but they also have bluetooth versions without the speaker. So they have not went backwards they have added more options (you clearly didn't get the right model S2 if you wanted a speaker). Every other watch on the market besides the apple watch right now don't have a speaker.
2) yes watch came out 2 weeks ago and the apps for the old watches suck and the new round watch ofcourse have not even matched that yet. I'm not shocked here as the apps don't all appear as fast as the device is put into service which its 2 weeks old. Andriod Wear is way ahead and always will on apps. Tizen can't compete.
3) I don't have a problem with this and feels the same as the NEO, but the speaker on the correct version you should have got will help this. Your fault.
4) Not sure what you mean I have no problem with this. But is a huge issue on moto360 as most of the time it auto disconnects.
5) never tested or used this myself.
6) Never had this on any of my watches I leave then on full brightness along with my phone. If In a movie theater I might either turn it off or dim it manually then on both. Maybe its lack of a light sensor on the watches due to space and battery life. Do any watches have this option?
7) I have tested the shorter bands for my wife but it came installed with the long ones and that's all I used. I had no problems installing any of the bands. Having Samsung bands is a bummer in the sport but you have options on the classic. The 360 I have have changed out bands, the neo I have has stock bands.
8) I never used this on any watch and usually charge it during this time. I'm sure this back to app problem.
9) Battery..... Ahaha wait until you try the Moto360 or others. the 2-3 day as advertised it true, but it's not when you running everything including your "Always on". Moto360 without wifi (sucks and doesn't work right anyways unlike the s2) and ofcourse the moto 360 doesn't have always on either, it still don't make it from 7am to 9pm at night. It dies around 12 hour mark. 7 to 7 is about it. I had to charge it when I got home from work in order for it to last me when I went out at night. The NEO last me 3 day weekends when I went away for the weekend. I would say that without always on and wifi turned off I'm either right at or maybe just shy of 3 days on this gear s2. For a smart watch it's probley the best life on the market when you compair nfc, wifi and what other options you have turned on.
10) & 11) Don't use either on the watch so I'm unsure or have no positive or negative comments on those. I don't have google NOW and maps I do on the Phone.
12)Unsure what you mean, I always wear mine on the left hand so maybe I missed it, but the NEO, and moto360 are the same I never saw options. Hard buttons on outside are same for moto 360 neo only had one at bottom. When I rotate the bezel on the S2 I won't block the screen at all unlike the others. When I press on the screen, yes I block a good chunk of the tiny screen with my fat fingers.
13) I also think they should fix this and I think it will be. My moto360 shines on the charger, but it spends alot of time on there so I guess they had to dress it up a bit.
You never said what smart watch you had before but implied it was either a Gear 2 or Gear S as those are the only 2 options (out of 5 or so) they made with a speaker. I think for one you bought the wrong model of the Gear S2 seeing you want a speaker and louder notifications. I also think you have an unreal expectation of battery life on any smart watch. They are not like a FITBIT made to sleep with for 4 days before having to recharge. And generally all my watches go on the charger every night no matter if battery life is 1-5 days, same goes for my phone. moto360 is just a bit annoying to not even make it from when I wake up until I go to bed.
LG Urbane 2 will be a great watch (I'm gonna say the best out specs and option wise, not size or cost unless you mean big and expensive) when it comes out, but it is not in the same class as the moto360 sport or the basic S2. It's huge, cost alot more and has way more features. It's closer to the S2 3G (having cell service, speaker and everything) but will be priced higher then both. Your also comparing to sport watches to that which is opposite of a sport looking watch.
Tizen vs. Andriod wear is a huge problem or decision to make for which watch you go with.
Tizen works way better and battery life is better.
Tizen Just doesn't have the backing or support of the users and probley never will so it's always gonna lack apps and there for some software wows.
Andriod wear has way better watch faces and apps.
Andriod Wear is finicky, clumsy and hard to use. Try checking text messages when you get 2 or 3 in. And you can't see a bubble or chat list like on your phone. You can on tizen. On the moto I was forced to use hangouts for a bit to try and get my pictures and read the text if I got more then 1 at a time.
I knew this when I picked up the S2 having both a tizen and Android Wear device before. For me function/reliability just took first row over features. Automation on watch face was cool vs. what I have now on my Gears. But crappy user interface and swipe left for this right for this up for this, got confusing and everyone gets lost in it. My Wifi on the s2 has been tested with my watch at work and phone at home to work. Wifi info (SSID and Password) doesn't get set on the watch with S2 it automatically grabs that info from your synced phone. Moto360 doesn't do that and the Wifi sucks and never works. Even the Bluetooth keeps dropping lately.
kufel said:
I put a little review together after using this thing for past couple of days. Basically it is on its way back to Best Buy...
here it goes:
I owned first Gear as well as Gear S in the past and quite frankly Samsung is going backwards with their watches.
There is one Pro in this one - it is good looking, I like the design.
Well - 1/2 point for the rotating bezel. It is kind of cool but I am so used to the touch controls that barely used it.
The rest of review is pretty much all Cons:
1. Lack of speaker - ok, some say it looks silly to talk to the wrist but sometimes it was useful. Why removed if all previous watches hat one?
2. Lack of apps - seriously, there is NO useful app available for this watch. I had plenty of apps on Gear S and none of them is re-written for the round watch.
3. Vibrations are barely sensed - I had it set to strong and long and miss half of the notifications
4. Screen decides on its own if it wants to light up when the notification comes. Not reliable at all
5. Previous models had option to come back to the last used app after the screen turns off, very useful for timer, stopwatch, music control. This cames back to the watch screen always. Try to skip the tracks from the watch when you have to turn the dial to the music app every time.....
6. No auto brightness. Seriously? Go out - make the screen brighter by hand. Come back, dim it by hand...
7. Straps.... out of 4 halves I found in the box (2 to make a long strap and 2 to make a short one) I was able to attach 3 of them, the 4th would not fit. And I guarantee you that after couple replacements the mount will break....
8. No sleep patterns tracking on the watch
9. Battery - that's another screw up. Samsung advertises 2-3 days... Right...I liek to have the watch set to always on. Gear S had about 40% left at the end of the day. This garbage had 18% at 11pm last night....
10. No integration with Google Now - no cards, no reminders to be set... I thought Samsung finally understood that S-Voice cannot compete with any assistant available... I guess they are too stupid to get that
11. No integration with Google Maps - Here maps are great but on the watch it is a disaster, completely useless, slow, chews through the battery.
12. No way to choose if one wears it on the left or right wrist hence when you wear it on the right the buttons are above the watch and you cover the face of it while pressing.
13. no night clock mode while charging - all you see while being charged is a black screen.
There is probably more flaws but I either did not discover them yet or do not remember. Generally the watch is going back to Best Buy and I will wait for Moto 360 Sport or LG Urbane 2
And with Samsung phones going backwards as well (S6, Note 5) Samsung lost a customer (I own Note 4 now and I had Note 1, 2 and 3 in the past)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I picked up a S2 Classic and then returned it for the regular S2. I have been using it for a few days now and agree with a few of your observations. I am coming from the following: LG Urbane, Gear 2, Gear 1, G-Shock,
- I miss the speaker! I am disappointed that Sammy decided to move it to a higher price/feature tier. I would not mind the extra $50 for the device but I refuse to give AT&T $10 a month for the privilege of using it. I have yet to hear if the 3G model will work for calls via Bluetooth with no cell service activated. I would consider purchasing one without contract if so.
- Apps have never been a deciding factor for me on a watch. I mostly need media controls and notifications. the built in apps more than cover what i need.
- Vibrations seem OK to me.
- My screen response is great. I feel like it senses when I rotate my wrist away as well as towards me. It goes off as soon as I rotate away. Probably a great battery saver.
- I most definitely agree that the option to remain on the last app used is a big missing feature. It is the first thing I looked for when setting it up. This can be easily added and we should all contact Samsung and let them know we miss it. I would also like the volume controls to be on the same page as the rest of the media controls. It is very satisfying to turn the dial to adjust the volume however.
- I very seldom adjust brightness and tend to remain at 6 or 7.
- I like the look of the straps on the S2. Very integrated. S2 classic just didn't work for me. I hope some good alternate material straps become available from other vendors.
- I am too busy sleeping to be tracking my sleeping.
- My battery has been good. I use a watch face that is always on and does not use the minimalist watch hands of the built in faces. I have had about 50% left after each day of 4am to 9pm use.
- I would like Google voice and maps. S-Voice works pretty well for me for most tasks.
- I wear it on the left hand as God intended. heh heh
- I would also like a clock mode. This could be added as well.
The user interface is way better than Android Wear. I gave my wife the LG Urbane and I have spent way to much time showing and reminding her how to do things. It is not intuitive...
No sleeptracking is really a desaster!!!
This is just nit picking, you knew the watch didn't have a speaker before buying it or at least you should have, and either way you want a speaker go get the 3G model. Fixed.
I enjoy apps as much as the next guy, but really? What apps could you really want for this round tiny screen? The apps that came out for the Gear S I downloaded and never used again, because apps on a watch are almost always pointless unless it's music or fitness related.
Bands? Get the Classic, again another simple fix that Samsung gave you an option for, or wait until they release new bands for the sport. Not really a big deal, at least they are swappable.
My Gear S2 light up brighter and dims automatically when needed with no problem.
Battery life is awesome, from 8am to usually around 10 or so (tonight I put it on the charger at 12am) and I always have about 78%-82% left. Screen on 2, watch face not always on (wrist flick works great) tons of notifications, weather updates about every hour. I've owned every gear so far, this thing is a real battery sipper.
But I do agree on the vibration, it's definitely weak, but so far that's the only major drawback, I'm sure it's due to smaller hardware so the watch stayed thin.
And I do miss my speaker function, but the added thickness of the 3G model turned me off.
Overall:
I personally enjoy Samsungs smartwatches for the built in functionality and especially with the S2 it's looks aesthetically. Any use able functional app available is a bonus, but notifications, music controls, health tracking, keeps me on track with my schedule and homework calender at a quick glance etc. That's plenty for me even with a $300 price tag, but I used to buy expensive normal watches too.
Bottom line people are NEVER happy, it's never enough, imagine trying to design something that pleases everyone .... impossible. And with owning every Gear to date I've seen people literally ***** about every add on and take away, people *****ed about the speaker and how it was stupid to talk into your wrist, then people ***** when the option is gone, same with the camera and IR blaster ... insane.
People *****ed about Samsungs cradles and stuff for charging, so they went wireless. People ***** that it doesn't work with any other qi chargers.
People *****ed about only offering certain styles, Samsung gave you the Classic option, people ***** it doesn't have a speaker.
Samsung told people what these watches do and are capable of a month before it even hit shelves. People bought it anyways, people *****.
There's always Android wear watches, if you don't mind ugly hardware and ugly interface. Has apps though ... for whatever you apps you think you'll use on your wrist.
Side note. I just sold my Gear S that had a monthly contract, thinking "oh man, I'll leave my phone at home now" nah, never happened, never even came off blutooth, you'll never replace having your phone handy, even if a watch can do everything the phone can, would you really want to use it on a small ass screen? Nah.
Dmac1984 said:
This is just nit picking, you knew the watch didn't have a speaker before buying it or at least you should have, and either way you want a speaker go get the 3G model. Fixed.
Bottom line people are NEVER happy, it's never enough, imagine trying to design something that pleases everyone .... impossible. And with owning every Gear to date I've seen people literally ***** about every add on and take away, people *****ed about the speaker and how it was stupid to talk into your wrist, then people ***** when the option is gone, same with the camera and IR blaster ... insane.
People *****ed about Samsungs cradles and stuff for charging, so they went wireless. People ***** that it doesn't work with any other qi chargers.
People *****ed about only offering certain styles, Samsung gave you the Classic option, people ***** it doesn't have a speaker.
Samsung told people what these watches do and are capable of a month before it even hit shelves. People bought it anyways, people *****.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You hit it right on the head; people are NEVER happy, and instead of focusing on the positive aspects of things, they search out and dwell on things they dont like..
Can't wait to get the 3g version in the next few days!
My pros and cons:
Pros:
- A very attractive normal watch design (Just can't warm up to Hwawei or Moto360 designs. Forget Apple and others.) Most people don't even know that I'm wearing a smart watch!!!
- Rotary bezel interface(far superior to touch control alone!)
- Standard 20 mm strap interface (changing straps to other good looking ones can be a joy! (i.e. ceramic strap or brown leather strap))
- Battery life (While I wish it could be better so that I can keep the full screen on all the time, it's better than others)
- Default apps work really well and smooth (This is more important to me than having many 3rd party apps available that I don't really use. I have a capable Note 4 for those.)
- Light weight and appearance of thin watch (Don't like the cylinder design of Hwawei and Moto360)
- Relatively reasonable price (when compared to other premium ones available. I think $250 would be a more ideal price, though.)
Cons:
- Weak vibration (If vibration was stronger, I don't think I'll miss the lack of speaker.)
- Lack of speaker (I miss this for rare occasions when I would like to answer the call without picking up the phone. Not a must but nice to have feature. Also this can be a good alarm instead of my phone alarm. With this feature, I can keep my phone on vibration or mute at all times! I know you can get the 3G model with this feature, but I like the Classic design better.)
- S-Voice ( I don't really need Google Now but the supported functions of S-Voice can work more reliably to make this a better watch.)
Other items that you pointed out are minor issues for me mostly.
As for me, the pros definitely outweigh the cons on Gear S2 Classic watch.
I'm really enjoying the use of my Classic now despite some cons.
Overall stunning display, great UI, battery seems good, great I can respond to WhatsApp now, but feel it is small for me and i would have liked at least a speaker, even if it can’t take calls, but to playback audio without a headset or phone. So sadly I will be returning it.
Been using the watch for 5 days now. I have owned the Gear Neo, then a very short spell with a Sony, also an Apple watch (well setup for a sibling) and finally the Gear 2 loved it and stayed with that for over a year and sold it as a pre-empt to the S2, but as poor app wise it was it did the basics very well and battery life was an easy 5 days.
Moving onto the S2, must admit it just lacks the premium feel, yes it looks bloody great, but it lacks weight and that metal feel, that are the elements that define premium. I know some want the light weight feel, but each to their own.
PROS
- Great looking
- Charger, love it magnet pull that ensures a fit and charging;
- PIN lock when off wrist, annoying at first then really appreciate this as a neat security feature;
- UI is very sleek and nice;
- Vibration is very good, stronger than my Gear 2, I like it, set mine to weak and long.
CONS
- On the small side, feels like my smallest watch and I have average wrists;
- Strap 20mm is too narrow and the strap feels cheap to me;
- Strap length, the long strap is too long and sticks out, the small one must be for midgets;
- Steps are wrong, I set mine to show the phone steps as the master, but still wrong;
- Round screen, pain to read messages that are a little long, need to use the bezel to get in centre to fit.
- Bezel not got the hang of this and find it needs a nice solid click with each turn;
- Notifications – I get a few and check my watch later under notifications and there is nothing, assumed as Gear 2 there’s a log;
- Charging was slow (3hrs from flat);
- Speaker – I feel for the odd convenience, or feedback and playing audio, I really missed this feature.
May I just say - waaaa. The watch looks great, functions well with time, notifications, health apps, and many other things I don't actually use. Batter life is adequate - not up to Pebble but looks better. I can read it in direct sunlight, its water proof, and its growing. As to apps, its an extension of my phone! I use apps there not on my watch so that's fine. Only negative I have is the weak vibration. That's it, at least right now. Only had it 6 days.
so far, so good, everything worked right out of the box once I called in and made sure my sim card was active, and what my phone number options were.
notifications seem fine, I am getting vibrate and sound for my notifications, so the combo of the two help out the weak vibrations
Sound is surprisingly good for a watch speaker, and making and taking calls is a breeze; you dont even have to hold the watch near your mouth to be heard loudly and clearly from the other party.
running a rooted AOSIP rom on my Nexus 6, and so far, everything samsung software wise works pretty well.
Yeap, got LG Urbane 2nd Edition with LTE. Happy now. Big screen. Thousands of apps. Everything works.No more Samsung garbage.
kufel said:
Yeap, got LG Urbane 2nd Edition with LTE. Happy now. Everything works.No more Samsung garbage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lets see,
you cant use a bluetooth headset with it to make or receive phone calls
you can't stream music in any way with it
you cant use google voice through your headset
you can't use GPS independently without your phone connected
you cant use any map program without your phone connected
You still think EVERYTHING works better than a Gear S2?
kufel said:
Yeap, got LG Urbane 2nd Edition with LTE. Happy now. Big screen. Thousands of apps. Everything works.No more Samsung garbage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol whatever floats your boat. Personally I don't like that lg built some necessary tech right into the watch strap. Plus the watch looks premium and somewhat classy but the strap is sporty...weird combination that you can't change even if you wanted to. Also way too big and bulky for my liking. Personal taste of course, but that's my point: what's perfect for one might be garbage for another
With the latest round of smart watches launching now or coming soon, I am curious as to what type of people are buying the latest products. Since this is in the Samsung Gear S3 forum, I would imagine most, if not all of you, are interested in Samsung's latest offering. So my question is are you upgrading to this watch or would this be your first smart watch?
I currently have the first gen Moto 360. What drew me to the Moto 360 is the fact that it had a circular screen and Android Wear intrigued me. I've been happy with the Moto 360, but it is starting to show its age. I didn't think I would consider the Samsung Gear S3, but the looks and 3-4 days battery life definitely peaked my interest. I am not 100% sold on the Tizen OS yet, but from what I have seem so far there is a very good chance this will be my next smart watch.
Please post your response in the poll and share your thoughts below including your current smart watch.
3 or 4 days battery life but with screen Off like all other wear watch no ?
I have also the Gear S (first) it say also 3 or 4 day but in reality more one day than ..... or more if you do not use the watch
I get a full day with Screen always on with my S2. The S3 should give a few hours beyond that.
Upgrading from LG Watch R to Samsung Gear S3 Frontier
ttown said:
With the latest round of smart watches launching now or coming soon, I am curious as to what type of people are buying the latest products. Since this is in the Samsung Gear S3 forum, I would imagine most, if not all of you, are interested in Samsung's latest offering. So my question is are you upgrading to this watch or would this be your first smart watch?
I currently have the first gen Moto 360. What drew me to the Moto 360 is the fact that it had a circular screen and Android Wear intrigued me. I've been happy with the Moto 360, but it is starting to show its age. I didn't think I would consider the Samsung Gear S3, but the looks and 3-4 days battery life definitely peaked my interest. I am not 100% sold on the Tizen OS yet, but from what I have seem so far there is a very good chance this will be my next smart watch.
Please post your response in the poll and share your thoughts below including your current smart watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be upgrading from a Gear S2 3G. I like the Gear S3's design better and its improvements to AOD. Also, the inclusion of Samsung Pay MST.
With Always-on activated from 6 am to 11 pm, I finish the day with about 35% battery left. The Gear S3 should be even better.
Sent from my SM-G935U using Tapatalk
My Huawei watch is at 50-60% by the time I put it on the charger about midnight each night. I wear it from 7am until midnight. So pretty darn good battery. I am interested in the GS3 because it seems to be more on the premium level finally. I had bought the S2 a couple months after having the Huawei, but returned it. The reason I didn't like the S2 was the cheap feel of it compared to the Huawei and I couldn't use other apps for text/email other than stock Samsung apps. Definitely interested to gety hands on the S3. My biggest reason for wanting Samsung is the e-sim. Not having to have a phone along could be a really nice option at times.
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app
I've stopped wearing my Moto 360 afer not seeing any benefit wearing it. Oh and the menu was also very laggy.
But I'm very interested in a new smartwatch which could replace my phone during sports with GPS and a heartrate sensor, so hardware wise the S3 seems like a good fit but the software was holding back the previous Samsung watches in the past from what I've read.
I'll probably wait for the first reviews / sofware updates and then decide if it's worth another try....or wait for the Gear Fit 3
I've been in the market for a smart watch since the first iWatch. So much so, I've debated jumping ship just to get a half-decent smart watch. I just simply couldn't justify locking myself down into a cookie cutter phone, no matter how stable and fluid it is, just for a watch. So, I've been trolling here, other sites, and all developments of wearables. When I found out the S3 is featuring MST, and that it doesn't depend on the phone to have it (Looking at you S2), I just knew I had to have it. Then with the later reported music streaming apps, a true map app for the wearable, and how sleek and casual, yet classy, the S3 is, I just KNEW I had to get it. I didn't even hesitate.
On 24 hours now with it and besides the lack of music streaming apps (December can't come fast enough. I hate spotify, but hey, streaming is streaming) and FULL support for Google Messenger (stock texting sucks ass, even more so for group messaging) i absolutely LOVE this watch. I've tried Samsung Pay, it works. It's amazing. I think it's silly you can only do 5 transactions when in standalone mode, but I can kind of understand the reasoning behind it, to a degree even though it is still silly in my eyes (security issues).
If you've thought about getting this watch for ANY reason, stop thinking about it and go get it. You will love it. I'm SO glad I waited for the s3 and didn't rush into any other wearable.
Upgrading from the Gear S
Sent from my SM-N930T using XDA-Developers mobile app
I was interested in the Gear S2 when I read it had Samsung Pay, but found out it was not MST capable so I decided against it. Then I stumbled upon the Gear S3 details and anxiously awaited until its release. Now I feel safer using it to pay because I don't have to pull out my phone or my wallet.
Naturesretard said:
I've tried Samsung Pay, it works. It's amazing. I think it's silly you can only do 5 transactions when in standalone mode, but I can kind of understand the reasoning behind it, to a degree even though it is still silly in my eyes (security issues).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you actually triggered the 5 transaction limit? What does it say when it happens?
First smart watch and will probably return it next week for a refund as:
1. Basically it does not work as a watch as the turn on gesture is not sensitive enough. I do not want AOD as that will kill the battery and lessen the screen life / burn in.
Looking at a blank screen instead of the time is frustrating I suspect this is true for all smartwatches though with wake up gesture not just the S3.
2. Notifications are too unreliable.
3. Samsung Pay is not available in the UK - I knew this before I purchased but Samsung will not state when it will be available if ever.
This will be my third. Had a galaxy gear and currently wearing the gear 2. Still 1 week to wait here in the Netherlands.
I enjoy the notifications on my watch and don't really expect much else. So I'm easy to please
Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G928F met Tapatalk
This will my 4th upgrade. I missed 2 things from the Gear S2: a speaker to let people know I'm fumbling to get my phone out; and Samsung Pay. I love how strong the vibration setting is on the S2 and hope it will be just as great on the S3.
Now what REALLY bothers me though is that this watch is completely geared for males. I don't mind the size - but goodness gracious Samsung - do we just count for nothing???? I will not rock the robust look of the Frontier. So I'm just left with a silver Classic Bluetooth only version and very masculine bands with the original order. I have the S2 in Rose Gold and a white leather band and LOVE the look!
afblangley said:
Have you actually triggered the 5 transaction limit? What does it say when it happens?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not, I was merely reporting documentation I've come across.
"Make at least 5 payments on your Gear S3 without a Galaxy smartphone nearby after initial setup. Number of transactions varies by card network and bank. Reload payment capability by connecting to a Galaxy Smartphone via Bluetooth. Only compatible with select cards, carriers and Android smartphones; see the Samsung Pay Support page at www.samsung.com/us/ support/owners/app/samsung-pay#compatibility for compatibility information." Found at the bottom of this link denoted by the 2.
What this means is after you setup Samsung pay to the Gear s3, you can then depending on bank, make up to 5 or more* transactions without needing to sync your phone via bluetooth to the watch. After that, you apparently will be unable to make any more payments until the S3 is then resycned to the phone.
* denotes bank and card limitations, defaults to 5.
Naturesretard said:
I've been in the market for a smart watch since the first iWatch. So much so, I've debated jumping ship just to get a half-decent smart watch. I just simply couldn't justify locking myself down into a cookie cutter phone, no matter how stable and fluid it is, just for a watch. So, I've been trolling here, other sites, and all developments of wearables. When I found out the S3 is featuring MST, and that it doesn't depend on the phone to have it (Looking at you S2), I just knew I had to have it. Then with the later reported music streaming apps, a true map app for the wearable, and how sleek and casual, yet classy, the S3 is, I just KNEW I had to get it. I didn't even hesitate.
On 24 hours now with it and besides the lack of music streaming apps (December can't come fast enough. I hate spotify, but hey, streaming is streaming) and FULL support for Google Messenger (stock texting sucks ass, even more so for group messaging) i absolutely LOVE this watch. I've tried Samsung Pay, it works. It's amazing. I think it's silly you can only do 5 transactions when in standalone mode, but I can kind of understand the reasoning behind it, to a degree even though it is still silly in my eyes (security issues).
If you've thought about getting this watch for ANY reason, stop thinking about it and go get it. You will love it. I'm SO glad I waited for the s3 and didn't rush into any other wearable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for the only being able to do 5 transactions with the s3 on standalone. With the phone if you have no service I believe you can only do 10 transactions. Because it stores tokens to use with s-pay, and once those are used you have to replenish them
---------- Post added at 07:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:47 PM ----------
I upgraded from the Huawei watch, to the s3. The Huawei looks plain and boring compared to it.
Started with pebble from Kickstarter, then pebble steel, then pebble time then pebble time steel.
Moved to Apple watch when I was issued an iPhone for work.
Also played with most of the FitBit range with a fit bit on one writs and either a pebble or apple watch on the other.
Recently trialling a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge phone for work and have now move the the Gear S3 Frontier as a companion
So Android Wear 2.0 on the LG Watch Sport is a big improvement over Wear 1.5, it has a slick interface that appears to perform very well. The darker color scheme, new icons, dedicated play store on the watch, better fitness tracking and the ability to run apps from the watch (untethered) are just some of the improvements.
How do you think Tizen (on the S3) stacks up against Android Wear 2.0?
Are you planning to switch?
I just bought my Gear S3 Frontier BT a couple of weeks ago. Looking at the new LG Watch Sport, I think perhaps I should have waited a bit longer. (Buyers remorse?)
I like the overall design of LG's new sports watch. I like the fact that it has a larger, higher resolution display and the embedded sim with unlocked modem for use on any carrier. I also like the improvements to the Android Wear 2.0 user interface and the fact that there is a much larger app ecosystem. (Well at least as developers update their apps for Wear 2.0 compatiblity)
Finally, I like that all features of the watch will work across different brands of Android phones. (unlike Samsung where some features only work on Samsung phones.)
I will keep my S3 for a while longer to see whether Samsung releases some decent updates but if nothing much from Samsung, I may well jump ship in a couple of months when the LG Watch Sport is more widely available.
The S3 is clearly more capable than the current crop of AW watches. I bought my S3 before the new LG watches were announced. The LG Style is less capable than the S3, perhaps it will compete with the S2. I think the LG Sport will be a serious threat to the Frontier LTE.
The LG uses a physical SIM instead of an eSIM, allowing greater flexibility in carrier selection. There will be more 3rd party apps available. It will have better integration with Android phones for notifications like email and Hangouts. It appears to be less dependent on a companion phone, but we'll have to see how much functionally it actually has when untethered.
The S3 has some advantages over the LG. It looks better, like a regular analog watch, and has the ability to be customized with any standard watch band. The UI is better, a rotating bezel is superior to a rotating crown. Samsung Pay has MST, making it usable in vastly more POS terminals. Lastly, it's likely to have better battery life.
I don't plan on switching anytime soon, the S3 is handling my use case scenario just fine. But I want Android Wear watches to sell well because we consumers benefit from the competition. The Apple watch is the 800 pound gorilla. I hope the smartwatch segment is large enough to support Tizen, AW, and the upcoming FitBit smartwatches.
Byte_76 said:
So Android Wear 2.0 on the LG Watch Sport is a big improvement over Wear 1.5, it has a slick interface that appears to perform very well. The darker color scheme, new icons, dedicated play store on the watch, better fitness tracking and the ability to run apps from the watch (untethered) are just some of the improvements.
How do you think Tizen (on the S3) stacks up against Android Wear 2.0?
Are you planning to switch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Style version has nothing, not even HRM. It is like a pebble and if the reviews are correct, Sport version's battery life barely even make it a day. At this point I happy with my frontier
When I heard about Android Pay on the watch will also NOT work if you have an unlocked bootloader, the Gear S3 wins by a mile in my book.
I am really on the fence between the Gear S3 Frontier and LG Sport. Had an original moto 360 in 2014 but didn't stick with it long (originally with a Note 2 then with a Note 4). Didn't like battery life at the time so ended up with a martian Notifier (in all very satisfied with that Notifier).
Ended up getting an iPhone 6S plus when it came out so after I broke the Notifier really only had Apple Watch as a real smartwatch option, though I did try a few garmins that were mainly good for exercise with phone notifications thrown in for good measure (but great battery life). Tried an Apple watch (1st gen) and felt it was nice but just not great nor worth the price (pre OS 3). Returned it. Now I have an Apple Watch Series 1 (42") that I got for a little over $200 and with the updated processor and OS 3.x it is a better experience. I guess I am one of the lucky ones with very good recognition from Siri, and I use it a lot.
But I don't intend to stay with an iPhone so really wanted a smartwatch that wasn't married to one smartphone platform. I love the look, feel, battery life (as smartwatches go) and display on the Gear S3 F, and that it at least (now) has token iOS support. But I'd be giving up a lot by being on iOS, and even if I switched back to an Android phone I'd only have S voice for voice recognition. I do not like S Voice. Still a week or so ago I was ready to pull the trigger on the S3. Then I saw the LG Sport.
After saying all that, besides the iOS thing (which can easily be changed) is there anything that I should consider in favor of the S3 frontier?
Mike
The S3 is a better engineered watch in every way. It's shortcoming is the Tizen app library. The only advantage that the LG Sport has is that it runs AW 2. If battery life is important to you, I doubt you'll be happy with the Sport, based on reports.
I bought my S3 in December. I was anxiously looking forward to the new LG. It would be easy for me to switch since I will be selling my AT&T model and buying a model from Verizon soon. But the S3 is the best watch on the market. There are several AW watches that will be released over the next few months, LG is first but hopefully not the best to come.
Yea I am really wanting the S3. I don't even mind the apps since I'm good with S health and notifications mostly. But that danged S voice.... at least on my Samsung phones I could use Google instead. But on the watch no can do.
Does anyone here use s voice on th s3?
Mike
I have S3F, AppleWatch S1&2, Huawei,Moto360.. And S3 is/was my favorite, but with Aw2.0 things start to change tho
S3 have few things i miss, SVoice is 200% crap and even if you can use SHealth to sync with Strava it´s not 100%.
I waited for LG, but the new SPort was not a "wow" watch for me. But good part was the Lg Urbane 2 LTE did come back around here so i could get one.
Urbane 2 Lte is my favorite watch in Size,weight and design from the day 1, but could never get one where i live befor they reroll them.
ANd even did pay few bucks more for my Urbane than i did for the S3, but gues with Aw2.0 the Urbane will be very solid.
That is what I expected about svoice. Ugh. I really use Siri and even Google voice recognition a lot and it's one of those little things that for me adds to the pro side of owning a smart watch (Google Now worked well for me on my 1st gen moto 360). Just last night as I was making dinner with my hands wet and iPhone in pocket I dictated a few reminders via my Apple Watch, and added something to my grocery list. I love that stuff.
Has anyone here tried the S3 with an iPhone? I'm thinking it's not great but was hoping it gets better.
Looks like the LG sport is winning for me, even though I like the S3F's styling better. Damn.
Samsung is good on hardware, god-awful on software. Personally I wish Samsung would consider making a wear 2.0 device with the bezel control taking the place of wear 2.0 twisty-wheel navigation.
I shall continue to watch for reviews of the Gwatch Sport as well as the new Huawai Watch 2 my fear is poor battery life - I easily get 3 days from the gear S3.
My problem with my S3 is the utter dearth of any decent apps, and the fact that some of the features in the watch don't work properly. The main features that don't work are:
- Samsung pay (not available outside the US), and the MST will never work in Europe as we did away with mag strip readers eons ago in favour of chip and pin.
- The remote connection to the phone does not work properly, if I turn off bluetooth, the watch connects to wifi, but the remote connection does not work despite being enabled
- S-Voice is hit/miss usually miss - its a poor excuse for a voice assistant compared to google now or google assistant.
- Cant see old text messages - eg cant see a 'conversation' - can only see notifications (Samsung scuppered the watch for non Samsung smartphone users here).
- Cant see emails on the watch (requires a Samsung Phone to do this)
On the plus side, the battery life is great, notifications clear, and it works great making/taking calls from the watch.
Samsung needs to incentivise developers to create for the Tizen platform with major offers of £££ if they wish it to succeed longer term.
Nigel
warpgatex said:
When I heard about Android Pay on the watch will also NOT work if you have an unlocked bootloader, the Gear S3 wins by a mile in my book.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is NOT true. I have both the S3 and LG. The LG's android pay DOES work on my unlocked, rooted Pixel. Interestingly, AP on my phone (still) does not work. However, I have successfully used my LG to pay at a few places now.
soundneedle said:
This is NOT true. I have both the S3 and LG. The LG's android pay DOES work on my unlocked, rooted Pixel. Interestingly, AP on my phone (still) does not work. However, I have successfully used my LG to pay at a few places now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats really cool!
Someone needs to correct this post
https://www.xda-developers.com/andr...f-your-smartphone-has-an-unlocked-bootloader/
Tinmania said:
Yea I am really wanting the S3. I don't even mind the apps since I'm good with S health and notifications mostly. But that danged S voice.... at least on my Samsung phones I could use Google instead. But on the watch no can do.
Does anyone here use s voice on th s3?
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use SVoice on my S3 Classic, and find it better than expected...accurate recognition of words is very good - I rarely find it makes a mistake on what I'm saying. I do hold the watch near my face and speak clearly, but it works well.
Where SVoice falls down is doing things that Google Now/Google Assistant excels at, handling random questions and searches. But that's not really what it is intended for on the watch. (I don't use SVoice on my phone - S7 Edge - at all, so I have no idea how functional SVoice is on a phone compared to Google.)
But for normal watch commands, etc., I can find little fault w/SVoice. I'd like my S3 to have Google Assistant on it, but don't expect that to happen.
soundneedle said:
This is NOT true. I have both the S3 and LG. The LG's android pay DOES work on my unlocked, rooted Pixel. Interestingly, AP on my phone (still) does not work. However, I have successfully used my LG to pay at a few places now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same thing with my V20. Unlocked and custom ROM. Although, the ROM dev did make a special kernel to work with Root Switch to pass SafetyNet, and I did enable that before setting up AP on the watch. But since, I've had no issues.
Redflea said:
I use SVoice on my S3 Classic, and find it better than expected...accurate recognition of words is very good - I rarely find it makes a mistake on what I'm saying. I do hold the watch near my face and speak clearly, but it works well.
Where SVoice falls down is doing things that Google Now/Google Assistant excels at, handling random questions and searches. But that's not really what it is intended for on the watch. (I don't use SVoice on my phone - S7 Edge - at all, so I have no idea how functional SVoice is on a phone compared to Google.)
But for normal watch commands, etc., I can find little fault w/SVoice. I'd like my S3 to have Google Assistant on it, but don't expect that to happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks much for the feedback.
I really really wanted to like, or even tolerate, svoice on the S3 but in the end, after testing it as realistically as possible in stores, I just couldn't do it. It's a shame as I really love the amazing display and look of the S3.
I ended up using two AT&T promos to get an LG V20 for half price and an LG Watch Sport for $50 (for buying a V20). Still getting used to the watch.... so far the battery life is worse than expected. I'll see how it goes. Google Assistant works surprisingly well, and it was easy to get it to work with my Hue lighting with even needing to do anything on my phone. I do like the watch feels like it could almost be used on its own. I really don't understand why Google didn't at least make a basic Gmail app for it.
Really liking the V20!
Mike
NickWhit1992 said:
I'm having the same thing with my V20. Unlocked and custom ROM. Although, the ROM dev did make a special kernel to work with Root Switch to pass SafetyNet, and I did enable that before setting up AP on the watch. But since, I've had no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should mention I'm on stock Android and stock kernel. I'd added my cards before I ever unlocked or rooted my pixel. Maybe that's why I'm able to use it now with the LG watch. I certainly can't add any cards using AP on the Pixel.
That said. I'm returning this dreadful LG watch. Google should be embarrassed to have this as their flagship AW2. So many reasons why it sucks, but the nail in the coffin is the battery life. Such an enormous watch, and Google engineers still couldn't manage to make their code efficient. Had to turn off everything including always on. Sorry, but a watch should always have always on. Period. Biggest reasons I'm sticking with S3---battery, always on, floor/stairs counting, and superior activity tracking in general. Plus, removable band, LTE that works without killing the battery (even more)...and now, WatchMaker is available.
WatchMaker on the S3 is the game changer for me. Now, I have my Tasker integration. So happy.
soundneedle said:
Should mention I'm on stock Android and stock kernel. I'd added my cards before I ever unlocked or rooted my pixel. Maybe that's why I'm able to use it now with the LG watch. I certainly can't add any cards using AP on the Pixel.
That said. I'm returning this dreadful LG watch. Google should be embarrassed to have this as their flagship AW2. So many reasons why it sucks, but the nail in the coffin is the battery life. Such an enormous watch, and Google engineers still couldn't manage to make their code efficient. Had to turn off everything including always on. Sorry, but a watch should always have always on. Period. Biggest reasons I'm sticking with S3---battery, always on, floor/stairs counting, and superior activity tracking in general. Plus, removable band, LTE that works without killing the battery (even more)...and now, WatchMaker is available.
WatchMaker on the S3 is the game changer for me. Now, I have my Tasker integration. So happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get tasker integration! Let me know!!!!
Watchmaker allows me to add buttons and Tasker variables to a watch face. You need the WM app from the play store and also gear store.
soundneedle said:
Watchmaker allows me to add buttons and Tasker variables to a watch face. You need the WM app from the play store and also gear store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you share an example of doing that in the WM app?
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Hi all! I'm about to purchase my first smartwatch ever and am in research mode. I'm in desperate need of help, and a lot of it I believe you all can help me with. The main debate is this: Gear S3 Classic or Galaxy Watch. Would you repurchase this watch if you had the same choice I'm going through?
Things I'm considering:
-I likely will be able to save $100 to $150 on the S3. I see it for $200 new on eBay right now, and Black Friday is around the corner. Meanwhile the Galaxy Watch is around $330. Is the Galaxy Watch worth the price difference? I'm not sure.
-Battery will likely be better on the bew) newer watch. Will the S3 get me a couple to a few days?
-MST being removed on the Galaxy Watch (what the heck, Samsung?) is a big deal to me, but not a complete deal breaker since I will most often have my phone anyway (Note9).
-Water resistance isn't huge to me, as I don't swim hardly ever.
-I prefer the look of the Classic S3 over all other smartwatches. Looks amazing and classy (I dress up a lot and I feel it could be worn casually as well - I'd be getting a silver metal band for it immediately).
-Likely that the S3 doesn't get supported much longer. Not updated to Tizen 4.0 and maybe never will be. Does it even matter though?
I plan on using this thing for running and workouts (plus step counting), primarily. Also for notifications and things. No gaming. No phone calls. Considering I have no experience with smartwatches, what would you all recommend? Pay under $200 for the S3 classic or get the latest and greatest for around $300 or more? Thanks for your input!
Also: I can load a bunch of music on there and play files through the Samsung music player, correct? Is the speaker decent enough to run with that as my music source? I usually run with my phone in my pocket blaring as loud as it can go.
I'll stay with my gear s3 classic. The only upgrage I've read about galaxy watch is bixby, and I don't really use bixby on the phone.
I do recommend bluetooth earphone for jogging.
I'd go with the S3 Classic.
sarjarim said:
I'll stay with my gear s3 classic. The only upgrage I've read about galaxy watch is bixby, and I don't really use bixby on the phone.
I do recommend bluetooth earphone for jogging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I cannot imagine needing Bixby on my watch. So the speakers aren't very loud on the watch? I never can find BT earbuds I like. It's tough. I do want some though.
So there's nothing that'll be super outdated right soon after I buy the S3 Classic? I just usually buy the latest and greatest for phones... But I think in this case I'd be wise not to.
truckerdewd said:
I'd go with the S3 Classic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you use it for running? Is the GPS decently accurate?
PsiPhiDan said:
Do you use it for running? Is the GPS decently accurate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I can't run due to the fact I haven't been able to bend my knee in almost a year and can barely walk and am off work on a leave of absence but yest the GPS seemed fairly accurate. It would always show me being at work at Amazon in Kansas City, KS when I was st work and it always shows my location when I check it. It usually only takes a couple of seconds, usually less, to find your location.
PsiPhiDan said:
Yeah I cannot imagine needing Bixby on my watch. So the speakers aren't very loud on the watch? I never can find BT earbuds I like. It's tough. I do want some though.
So there's nothing that'll be super outdated right soon after I buy the S3 Classic? I just usually buy the latest and greatest for phones... But I think in this case I'd be wise not to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The speaker is loud enough but the quality is just for notifications.
In the matter of outdated, I've been on sony smartwatch, gear 1, gear s, some pebble, some android watches, improvement so far is amoled screen, heart rate sensors, water resistance. Hey you have it all on gear s3. Frontier is the choice if you want to leave the phone home for it have gsm so that samsung can forward sms and chats to the watch over their sever. That is if your country support esim, mine doesn't.
sarjarim said:
The speaker is loud enough but the quality is just for notifications.
In the matter of outdated, I've been on sony smartwatch, gear 1, gear s, some pebble, some android watches, improvement so far is amoled screen, heart rate sensors, water resistance. Hey you have it all on gear s3. Frontier is the choice if you want to leave the phone home for it have gsm so that samsung can forward sms and chats to the watch over their sever. That is if your country support esim, mine doesn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S3 Classic has the same feature as the Frontier. Both have the same features just different looks. One is more sporty while the other is more dressy. The Frontier was too bulky looming for me so I went with the classic as it is not as bulky and has nice black leather watch band and goes nicely with a casual wear, a suit, or jeans and a t-shirt. And it looks like a traditional wrist watch.
truckerdewd said:
S3 Classic has the same feature as the Frontier. Both have the same features just different looks. One is more sporty while the other is more dressy. The Frontier was too bulky looming for me so I went with the classic as it is not as bulky and has nice black leather watch band and goes nicely with a casual wear, a suit, or jeans and a t-shirt. And it looks like a traditional wrist watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, my mistake. So both watches had esim.
truckerdewd said:
S3 Classic has the same feature as the Frontier. Both have the same features just different looks. One is more sporty while the other is more dressy. The Frontier was too bulky looming for me so I went with the classic as it is not as bulky and has nice black leather watch band and goes nicely with a casual wear, a suit, or jeans and a t-shirt. And it looks like a traditional wrist watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The dressy look is what I'm thrilled about. The new generation doesn't appeal to me because of the lack of "classic" look.
I bought a used S3 frontier for 90 dollars on swappa. Best deal for this awesome watch.
if i were you, i won't purchase any smart watch but some decent real watch ..IMO its just a gimmick, this technology dont have future, i was excited to buy this gear s3 frontier but all in vain, battery life is worse ,scratch all over the bezel,
after a while bezel start loosen up.. stain or (i don't know what to say) in glass and many more problem...
see it yourself
https://imgur.com/a/RxtNsSC
kwaasung said:
if i were you, i won't purchase any smart watch but some decent real watch ..IMO its just a gimmick, this technology dont have future, i was excited to buy this gear s3 frontier but all in vain, battery life is worse ,scratch all over the bezel,
after a while bezel start loosen up.. stain or (i don't know what to say) in glass and many more problem...
see it yourself
https://imgur.com/a/RxtNsSC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This technology has no future? I have a feeling you're going to feel silly about that comment in 20 years. ?
I have a really nice Bulova watch already. It doesn't track my steps, give me my notifications while I'm in a meeting, running, or teaching. It doesn't track my runs for me and play music to my Bluetooth headphones while I'm out without my phone. I'm not sure what you wanted from your smartwatch... But if a normal watch is a suitable replacement for you, then I'd say you bought the smartwatch for the wrong reasons.
kwaasung said:
if i were you, i won't purchase any smart watch but some decent real watch ..IMO its just a gimmick, this technology dont have future, i was excited to buy this gear s3 frontier but all in vain, battery life is worse ,scratch all over the bezel,
after a while bezel start loosen up.. stain or (i don't know what to say) in glass and many more problem...
see it yourself
https://imgur.com/a/RxtNsSC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each their own. I was against the entire smartwatch (for the PRICE). Once the G3 came down to what I considered a reasonable level late spring this year, I bought one. After wearing it to work all week, NOW I get it. Being able to see the notifications, for me, without pulling the phone out of my belt clip, is reason enough. Battery life for me is about 2 days, plus 20%. As far as scratched bezels and things like that, I'm one of those careful types that takes their watch off before
doing any work, or something that might otherwise damage it. I did the same with my non smart casio watches over the
years as well.
kwaasung said:
if i were you, i won't purchase any smart watch but some decent real watch ..IMO its just a gimmick, this technology dont have future, i was excited to buy this gear s3 frontier but all in vain, battery life is worse ,scratch all over the bezel,
after a while bezel start loosen up.. stain or (i don't know what to say) in glass and many more problem...
see it yourself
https://imgur.com/a/RxtNsSC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you just wanted to know the time, yes, buy ordinary time showing watches.
Want to exercise, buy fitness tracker.
Smartwatches is in between time showing watch and fitness tracker, more about notification on sight. I don't want to open my phone just to read unnecessary chat that I don't wanted to reply.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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...