The Gear Sport and the Gear Fit2 Pro offer the best of both worlds. They not only provide a comprehensive fitness solution, but also doubles up as trendy fashion accessories.
Earlier this year, analyst firm IDC predicted the global wearables market will nearly double by 2021. Moreover, the wearables market in India itself grew by a good 10 percent, bolstered by offerings from Xiaomi and Apple. In a country that is increasingly leaning towards a healthier lifestyle, Samsung launched the Gear Sport and the Gear Fit2 Pro at an event in New Delhi.
For Rs 13,590, the Gear Fit2 Pro is more expensive than the previous Gear Fit 2 (review), but it does pack more features and functionalities. The Gear Sport, priced at Rs 22,990, is a hybrid of the Gear S3 (review) and the Gear Fit 2 and borrows the best from the both.
The wearables were showcased in IFA 2017 in Berlin earlier this year, and they will be available in India starting December 11, with pre-orders starting from December 4. At its price, the Gear Fit2 Pro takes on the Fitbit Charge 2, which has received rave reviews while the Gear Sport goes head to head with the Huawei Watch 2, which runs on the latest Android Wear.
24-hour heart rate monitoring
Both the Gear Sport and the Gear Fit2 Pro monitor your heart rate 24 hours using a sensor placed on the rear side of the watches. They taps into the pulse rate on your wrist, meaning you have to wear the watches at all times. Apart from the heart rate, Samsung’s latest Gear lineup also provides VO2 Max readings when you are working out.
50 meters water resistance and swim tracking
Both the smartwatch and the firness band are ATM 5 certified meaning they are resistant to up to 50 meters of water. This allows users to track their swimming activities. The Gear Sport and the Gear Fit2 Pro come with the Speedo app that tracks the number of laps you do, the distance covered, the strokes you’re doing and more. Moreover, Samsung has collaborated with Under Armour that provides access to Under Armour’s suite of fitness apps. The Gear Sport and the Gear Fit2 Pro automatically detects what activity you are doing and starts tracking it. You can also use the smartwatches to track racquet sports via third party apps.
Gear Sport: Cross between a Gear S3 and the Gear Fit2
The Gear Sport is aimed towards those who not only wants to remain fit, but also be trendy. The Gear Sport has a design similar to the Gear S3 with the rotating bezel and has the features of the Gear Fit2, making this one an attractive choice for millennials. Samsung claims the Gear Sport has military-grade durability and can handle a wide range of environments. Available in blue and black, the Gear Sport has a 1.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display with the rotating bezel UI that makes navigating information quite effortless. The watch runs on Samsung’s Tizen OS and is compatible with Android 4.4 and above. It also has a NFC chip inside allowing you to use Samsung Pay to make payments.
Apart from all the fitness-centric features stated above, the Gear Sport also doubles up as a smartwatch that syncs with your phone allowing you to check your notifications, reply to messages, and essentially becomes a second screen for your phone. It doesn’t need the phone to be around as well. You can very well be in the other side of the world and still receive all your notifications and sync data, as long as you are connected to the internet. However, unlike the Gear S3, the Gear Sport does not have a microphone, so you cannot make and receive calls.
There is also no sign of Bixby on the Gear Sport though.
The smartwatch also has a “watch-only” mode where you won’t get the fitness tracking capabilities and notifications, and battery lasts for 40 days. With the always-on mode however, the battery lasts only two days.
The Gear Sport has a dual-core processor, 768MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage where you can store music offline.
Gear Fit2 Pro: Takes fitness tracking to the next level
Featuring a curved 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display that takes the shape of your wrist, the Gear Fit2 Pro is by far the trendiest fitness tracker we have seen. But calling it only a fitness tracker will be an understatement, as the Gear Fit2 Pro can also do some of the things a smartwatch can. It syncs with your phone to display and reply to notifications, for instance. The Gear Fit2 Pro has a dual-core processor inside, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi and a 200mAh battery that Samsung claims lasts for 5-6 days. Sensors include a barometer, heart rate sensor and a gyroscope. The fitness band has two buttons on the right that allows users to either go back or go to the menu.
Unlike the Gear Sport though, you cannot change the band of the Gear Fit2 Pro and hence you are stuck with the black and red colours variants Samsung offers.
Price and availability
Samsung has priced the Gear Sport at Rs 22,990 while the Gear Fit2 Pro will retail for Rs 13,590. The Gear Sport will be an Amazon exclusive while the Gear Fit2 Pro will be available on Flipkart. Both, however, will be available on Samsung’s own e-store.
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Subhrojit Mallick
Eats smartphones for breakfast. View Full Profile
