Samsung Gear S review: A smartwatch for the non-Apple users

This is the year when it’s all supposed to fall in place. 2015 is expected to belong to wearables, a category that has been waiting on the sidelines with most customers preferring to be sceptical rather than adventurous. Of course, a lot of it rides on the Apple Watch – the first new category foray for Apple since the iPad in 2010, and the first recent Apple device without the customary ‘i’ prefix. While the Apple Watch is tipped for an April debut in the US, there’s still no official word about India. The Apple Watch is expected to be priced at $350 for the entry level model and there’s also likely to be a $5000 ‘Edition’ version crafted with gold! But while Apple has been perfecting its first smartwatch, Samsung has kept them coming. The Gear S, the sixth Samsung smartwatch is also its most ambitious.

First things first, just like the Apple Watch (that is only compatible with the iPhone 5 and onwards), the Gear S works only in tandem with Samsung flagship devices beginning with the Samsung Galaxy S3. It’s linked to Samsung’s decision to float its own Tizen OS over Android Wear that most Android smartwatches (like the Moto 360 or the Sony Smartwatch 3) run. Should you consider the Gear S if you own a compatible Samsung device?

Just like the first Samsung Note that took the Mobile phone display to unchartered territory, creating a phablet category, the Gear S sports a whopping 2-inch display (Super AMOLED 360 x 480 pixels). The Gear S’ curved design ensures the device doesn’t look ridiculously huge on your wrist. The Apple Watch is expected to be launched in two screen sizes (1.5-inch and 1.7-inch). It’s not just a screen in its own right but also an independent mobile device. The Gear S has room for a Nano-SIM, allowing you to make calls via speaker or a Bluetooth hands-free, send texts (if your stubby fingers can handle the small screen) and also use 3G data services. Dick Tracy’s famous 1940s ‘2-way wrist radio’ watch is no longer just fantasy anymore. 

While the Gear S can function as a standalone device, you still need to sync up with your Samsung phone via Bluetooth to access and install apps from the Tizen ecosystem. It’s with the quality of apps that the Gear S struggles a bit. There are some natty watch faces and apps like ‘News Briefing’, Opera’s Min web browser and Nike+ but it’s still desperately short of apps you can use. The Gear S’ fitness tracking capabilities include a heart rate monitor, but doesn’t represent a big jump from earlier Samsung smartwatches.

The Gear S is a hardware powerhouse for a device that sits on your wrist. It’s driven by a 1GHz dual-core processor coupled with 512MB of RAM, enough ammo for any task. There’s 4GB of Internal memory in case you want to carry music or images on your watch – file transfer is a breeze too. One of the biggest failings of Android Wear has been subpar battery life; the Gear S’ 300mAh battery fares better than the Chaebol’s first couple of watches but it still stutters to get past day two. Get ready to charge two devices at the end of most days. Samsung throws in a bonus battery pack into the box; some solace. There’s no camera, unlike the earlier Galaxy Gear watch; that’s not feature you are going to miss sorely on a smartwatch. The Gear S also boasts of an IPS67 rating – you can take calls in the middle of your swim!   

Fitness device or lifestyle device? Complementary device or standalone gadget? Apple might be ramping up the production lines for the Apple Watch but it’s probably the first time they are betting big on a category that is still seeking its raison d'être. Will consumers back ‘hardcore’ fitness trackers like the Nike Fuel Band or will 2015 see the Apple Watch and other smartwatches become versatile lifestyle products? The Gear S does not have an ‘Apple Pay’ equivalent that should allow Apple Watch users to not just make secure payments without plastic but also perform other cool tasks like opening hotel doors in select hotels. Even Dick Tracy couldn’t manage that. 

It’s still a fledgling category but the Samsung Gear S is the best smartwatch yet from the Samsung stable. If you are a Samsung user with lots of spare cash, the Gear S is a compelling option.  Its well past the first line of ‘concept’ devices with a decent hardware spec sheet and a gorgeous display but it’s still not the finished product with gaping holes in its App list.      

What we liked:
Gorgeous display
Decent hardware spec sheet
Water resistant

What we didn’t like:
Limited apps in the Tizen App store
Compatible only with select Samsung devices  

Specifications:
Display: 2-inch Super AMOLED, 360 x 480 pixels 
Memory: 2GB RAM, 4GB Internal storage
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 805. Quad Core 2.7GHz

Price: Rs 27,900/-