Samsung has finally created a smartwatch that hits the picky taste of tech savvy consumers. The Gear S2 is the company's first round bodied smartwatch that runs with Tizen and is compatible with any Android smartphone.
After six attempts since 2013, Samsung has finally got it when they launched the Gear S2. The Verge, in its October review, described the smartwatch as far from perfect but said it is a great reference smartwatch for the whole industry to utilize. The new Samsung Gear S2 is way different from the previous Samsung smartwatches. Its round shape looks better than the old rectangular model created by the company. It is also comfortable and fits well on the user's wrist.
The Gear S2 resembles a modern round stainless steel watch and has molded white or black plastic straps. It has a 1.2 inches AMOLED screen which has a pixel density of 302 pixels per inch, the highest pixel density yet for a round smartwatch. The screen has a crisp and vivid resolution with really dark blacks, which particularly makes dark watch faces look really good. It topped its Huawei competitor which has 286 PPI. That means Samsung tops all smartwatches, except for the square 42mm Apple smartwatch with the same 302 PPI pixel density.
According to The Guardian, Samsung Gear S2 is waterproof to IP68 standards, so showering with it on is not a problem. It has a high quality rubber straps so the user's wrist will not sweat while wearing it. A push-button holds the smartwatch in place, making it easy to remove to swap the strap out, but users will be limited to straps offered by Samsung. There is also a heart rate monitor at the back of the watch to record the user's heartbeat per minute and can be used as part of an exercise tracker.
What makes Samsung Gear S2 so popular is its rotating bezel that allows the users to navigate the watch's menu and scroll through text, making it more intuitive than other smartwatches. The bezel also clicks as it moves that provides a good amount of feedback.
Gear S2 runs with Samsung Exynos 3250, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory and can connect through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC (for Samsung Pay). It has a dimension of 42.3mm x 49.8mm x 11.4mm and comes with a small magnetic charging stand that charges the watch wirelessly.
