IFA 2015 smartwatch comparison
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- AnonD-467276
- mSp
- 19 Nov 2015
I have to disagree that with all these comments that the S2 is the best smart watch. In theory it certainly is, but Tizen kills it. I have the S2 Classic and despite how nice it looks and feels, it's completely crippled. Not a single Google app works with it (Now, Hangouts, Maps, Gmail, Inbox, Calendar, Keep etc etc) and actually very few popular apps exist for it at all. Instead, there are second-rate replacements. If you try to start music with it, it starts Samsung Music, even if you normally use Google Play Music or Spotify. If you want to navigate home, it starts Nokia's Here Maps (which you have to install first of course), and then it'll tell you it doesn't know what "home" is. Actually, Here maps doesn't know any businesses, so be prepared to properly pronounce addresses for their third-party voice recognition solution.
The power saving mode is strange. I get that it stretches the battery life, but it removes the usefulness and design, turning it into a basic watch until you charge it or it dies. It pretty much kills the reason you have the watch in the first place, making the screen grey-scale, turning off ambient mode and disabling most features. I never turn that on, but to get it to run for a about 24 hours, I have to disable ambient mode, keep the brightness at about 6 (which is quite natural for any indoor situation), and turn down the brightness to 1 at night if I want to keep it on or am traveling.
Sure, Android Wear could learn a thing or two about the design and the beautiful way it switches between screens, but with only a few apps to choose from, most of which are pretty crappy, it's just not that useful. It would have been tenfold more useful if it had just run Android Wear, with access to all those apps and watchfaces. The S2 Classic is pretty, but other than finding a watch face to match my outfit and having a quick way to see notifications, it's pretty much the dumbest smartwatch of the lot - all thanks to Tizen. It's a shame, and as a result the S2 is just a fashion choice that falls short of being truly handy.
- D
- AnonD-85574
- j0c
- 07 Sep 2015
I don't know why you made Tizen red under gear S2, but considering it uses less power than android wear on average, it makes the red battery capacity of it irrelevant
IMO Gear S2 Classic is the best Smartwatch of 2015
still I'd buy 1st Gen Moto 360 if it gets cheaper
- vrvly
- MR0
- 07 Sep 2015
Anonymous, 07 Sep 2015Which is really smart. I think fitness is the biggest reaso... moreIf batteries get better, samsung and others will use it too, thats for sure.
- D
- AnonD-336050
- 9xd
- 07 Sep 2015
Samsung S2 also features the ultra power saving mode which would increase usage further. If used wisely, one may use this feature at any time depending on user apps/needs, and not just at low battery situations. This mode seems to be specific to Samsung devices and on my Note4 its amazing. No other smart watch seem to have such essential feature.
- ?
- Anonymous
- IWN
- 07 Sep 2015
Anonymous, 06 Sep 2015Sony Smartwatch still the only Android Wear watch with GPS...Which is really smart. I think fitness is the biggest reason a smartwatch makes sense and GPS with map should come with it but most smartwatches don't have them.
- ?
- Anonymous
- U}}
- 07 Sep 2015
dont even care bout watch os, as long as it run good and fast, why it has to be android wear
my gear fit run smoothly without android wear and it run optimal as its function
- G
- Gibby
- Ixj
- 06 Sep 2015
Bizarre that even with all the green positive ratings for the Gear 2 GSMA don't consider it deserves a mention in the write up about the 'best' smart watches at IFA this year.
I agree with the comments re Tizen not being a negative feature also.
- T
- ThunderCrackR
- pk5
- 06 Sep 2015
vrvly, 06 Sep 2015to add, apple got reserve strap, nothing big, but adds doze... moreI don't want to be rude but Android watches get up to 2 days of battery life and Tizen up to 3. Also, Apple is not the one who manufactures that bracelet battery, as far as I know. As Apple thought than a watch is enough to have 18h battery life (mentioned in the user manual), which equals to 0.75 of a day, Android and Tizen manufacturers thought that 1.5-2.5 days of battery life is enough.
- T
- ThunderCrackR
- pk5
- 06 Sep 2015
I am sorry for noting these mistakes but they only seem to be present in Gear's chart. First of all, the normal Gear S2 HAS removable straps (yes, they are not standard straps but they prepared different straps in pretty much every color). Second, why is Tizen highlighted as 'low average' in red? It is a different system, which offers the watch the opportunity to come with pretty much all those special features (rotating bezel, 3G version etc.). Why to mention it as a weak point? Many tech sites described the OS as being user friendly and easy to use. Third, the Classic wasn't announced to come with a 3G version. Fourth, they mentioned the battery life to be 2-3 days for the Bluetooth versions and 2 days for the 3G version. Why is that marked with a question mark? I would really want to know the causes of those mistakes... If we compare 7 watches side-by-side, let's realize a fair comparison, using all the details the manufacturers offered.
- D
- AnonD-437805
- 8IH
- 06 Sep 2015
x2! Please show the thicknesses.
- ?
- Anonymous
- 60J
- 06 Sep 2015
Sony Smartwatch still the only Android Wear watch with GPS...
- J
- Josette
- rRy
- 06 Sep 2015
If you want to get technical, the Gear S2 has three sizes, 40mm (classic), 42mm (sport) and 44mm (3G). The hubbub over the Gear S2 is well deserved. I was particularly amazed that it can show attached pictures in emails. At the moment, my two favorite smart watches are Gear S2 and Urbane with the former having the edge for having a 3G version.
- P
- Paul
- 3Hx
- 06 Sep 2015
Please also add the thickness of the watches, some look ridiculously thick.
- vrvly
- g5f
- 06 Sep 2015
to add, apple got reserve strap, nothing big, but adds dozen hours. I got no knowledge of that for new andro/tizen-watches. They probably think its enough for watch to last 1 day :)
- D
- AnonD-322352
- KZ8
- 06 Sep 2015
Dat Moto 360. Hnngggggggghhh
- ?
- Anonymous
- XMF
- 06 Sep 2015
AnonD-257034, 06 Sep 2015I have a Pebble Time for around 2 months now. I get 6,5 day... moreyeah 6 day with limited colour on ur watch face and no touch screen
even my gear fit looks more stunning than any pebble
- h
- heynekko
- IV{
- 06 Sep 2015
First! Gear S2 for Tizen and Huawei for Android Wear FTW!!
- D
- AnonD-257034
- nH{
- 06 Sep 2015
vrvly, 06 Sep 2015I "like it" like they do not use e-ink tech when ... moreI have a Pebble Time for around 2 months now. I get 6,5 days on average.
- vrvly
- g5f
- 06 Sep 2015
I "like it" like they do not use e-ink tech when its best for this kind of device, only if they were using strap with battery in, and they don't. Seriously, make a battery test comparison to make things clear - well I see 1-2days for those, 7days for pebble so this is clear, but I wonder if its true info...