Review by Andrew Yew
I haven’t been sold on the whole smartwatch and wearables deal just yet, sticking to my analog watch (hey, it’s a cool watch!). To me, I didn’t need a wearable, though I do appreciate what they have to offer, like keeping you notified of things and providing remote control even without having to pull your device out from your pocket or handbag. Besides, most of them don’t look as cool as my watch. With the Gear Fit, however, Samsung is making their own ‘cool’ wearable as it is shaped more like a fitness band than a conventional watch – an area occupied by the Gear 2 and the original GALAXY Gear. So, would the Gear Fit sway me from my watch? Read on!
Watch Yourself
More ‘smartband’ than ‘smartwatch’, the Gear Fit is nevertheless an impressive timepiece to look at. With its 1.84in Super AMOLED display, the means you can interact with relative ease. Colours are vivid and text lines are rendered sharply. To conserve battery, the display shuts off after some time of inactivity. The device is IP67-rated as well, just like the GALAXY S5, so you need not worry about taking it off before entering a pool or walking through the rain.
Look at Me!
The Gear Fit, oddly, does not run either Android – found in the original GALAXY Gear – or Samsung’s own OS, Tizen. Instead, it runs on a real-time operating system (RTOS). The RTOS, due to its simplicity, results in longer battery life, which can be up to four days. You can configure the Gear Fit to display notifications from your smartphone, so you can read text messages while you’re on your morning run. Just don’t put Whatsapp or Telegram in the list unless you like incessant vibrations on your wrist. You can also use the Gear Fit to play your smartphone’s music collection through its playback controls, though it only works with Samsung’s “Music” app.
Be Still, My Heart
Just like the GALAXY S5, the Gear Fit comes with a heart rate sensor that makes contact with your wrist. If you have a compatible device (read: high-end GALAXY smartphones and tablets), data like steps taken and heart rate are fed into the S Health app, making for one complete fitness solution in the Samsung ecosystem.
Minor Gripe
I have one small issue with the Gear Fit, and it’s the charging method. There are small metallic contacts at the back of the Gear Fit that connect to an adapter. You need to use them to charge the device with a microUSB connection. The problem? The adapter is really small and can be misplaced easily. Here’s hoping that future iterations will have a microUSB connection built on the device proper instead.
Price: RM599
Display: 1.84in Super AMOLED, 432 x 128 pixels
Ingress Protection Rating: IP67
Features: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart rate sensor
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 LE
Dimensions: 23.4 x 57.4 x 11.95 mm
Weight: 27g
Value: 7/10
Features: 8/10
Performance: 8/10
Design: 8/10
Usability: 9/10
Verdict: The only wearable that can come close to replacing my watch.
Total Score: 8/10
