Samsung Gear Fit

Samsung Gear Fit Samsung wanted to create a fitness tracker that does it all. And so the Gear Fit was born.

The review unit consisted of a black plastic tracker with a black rubber strap. The tracker is easily removed from the strap. Extra straps are available in red, orange, green, blue and grey at $38 each.

Unlike some fitness trackers that merely log your movements, this one is packed with features. It has a built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and heart-rate sensor.

It is also IP67 certified, meaning it is dust-resistant and waterproof to a depth of 1m for 30min. In other words, you can safely take it for a shower, but not for a long swim in the pool.

Gear Fit's best feature is probably its gorgeous 1.84-inch curved Amoled rectangular touchscreen display (432 x 128 pixels) bordered by a nice metallic frame.

Though thicker than the rest of the gadgets in this round-up, it is an attractive accessory and would not look out of place at a party.

The touchscreen display is very responsive. There is an option to rotate the display into vertical orientation, which makes it easier to see and swipe. But when you read messages, the text looks squeezed together.

A small button on the side wakes the display. Hold down the button to power up or shut down the device.

Via Bluetooth 4.0, it can be paired with a selection of Android devices (iOS not supported) to show notifications, from incoming calls to Facebook updates.

First, download the Gear Fit Manager app from Samsung Apps, not Google Play Store. Pairing the Gear Fit with a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 with this app is straightforward.

Then, configure what notifications you want shown, or which apps you want launched, with a double click.

To sync your fitness data with your smartphone, you need to download another app, Samsung's Fitness with Gear app. If you do not have an S Health account, create one in order to log in and see the synced fitness data.

In terms of tracking steps taken, the count here differed little from the results of the other devices.

But the heart-rate sensor was its weakest link. After jogging, I used the Gear Fit, LifeTrak Zone C410 and Heart Rate Pro (on an Apple iPhone 5s) to measure my heart rate. The Gear Fit's reading - when it managed one - was 68 beats per minute. The rest hovered around 98.

The sleep tracker also failed at times. While the Jawbone Up24 and Withings Pulse O2 agreed that I had slept for five hours, the Gear Fit offered a miserly two hours and gave no details about sleep quality.

Connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth with all notifications turned on, the Gear Fit lasted only two days on a full charge.

The Samsung Gear Fit is packed with bountiful features of both a fitness tracker and a smartwatch. Unfortunately, it works better displaying notifications than as a fitness tracker.

BACKGROUND STORY

TECH SPECS

Price: $268

Material: Plastic tracker with rubber strap

Water resistance: 20m

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0

Weight: 27g

RATING

Features: 5/5

Design: 4/5

Performance: 2/5

Value for money: 3/5

Battery life: 2/5

Overall: 3/5

This article was first published on July 30, 2014.
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