Fatty’s Samsung Watch

I recently decided to upgrade my Fitbit to something a bit more fashionable- and purchased the Samsung Gear S2 Classic in rose gold. I have to say, I am pretty darn pleased with the function and look. It is more a “watch” than a “fitness tracker”, but if you want something that looks like you drink smoothies for lunch WITH YOUR PINKIES UP- then this is the watch for you. It does everything the Fitbit does, but, in my humble opinion (and that’s the only one that matters here, this is MY blog) looks and functions better. But life isn’t all about looks (which you would never know by reading my rants- this is a fitness blog called Fatty’s Fitness Forum and I talk about how fat I am, and how a new body would be marvelous), substance is needed to sustain you. Lucky for me this watch is more than just a “trophy wife”- it has multiple redeeming qualities beyond just looks.

 

Besides doing everything my Charge HR did, the Gear S2 has a lot of features that my former Fitbit lacked. The watch is round, and has a rotating bezel that changes the watch face. The first face is just the standard watch face, allowing you to see time, date, month, etc (you choose the style, so it can include different things). I then set up the faces in the order I prefer. Face 2 is my step counter, 3 is the heart rate monitor, and 4th is an exercise tracker where you can set they type of workout you are performing. I don’t often use this, but it is available as needed. The watch itself picks up on workouts and starts a timer. Based on heart rate it determines if you are walking, running, etc and sets the workout type under the timer. This is nice because when the workout ends, it gives you a total time you were performing a task. The apps are also a great addition that my Fitbit did not have.

                                          

Standard Face                                                                Heart Rate Monitor

(picture from Samsung’s site)

                                

Inactive Watch Face                                                         App watch face

 

I added a calculator to my Gear S2, because it comes in handy at work. But this isn’t a “I can do calculus in my head while playing D&D” calculator watch, more a “I need to take my glass of champagne with me while calculating out my Rolls Royce payment” type of watch. Adding apps and changing the faces on this watch is super simple, which is great when you’re me and not a tech mastermind. I also find the step counter to be more accurate than my Fitbit was, which is a bonus when you want to track your activity for the day.

 

The app for my phone is where I have the most qualms. When you install the app for the phone, a secondary app needs to be added to track fitness related items. The Samsung Health (S Health) app is average, and this is where Fitbit has Samsung beat. The app is not terrible, but I don’t rank it as highly. I don’t like how the calorie totals are calculated- Fitbit includes your RMR (resting metabolic rate) in along with the calories you burned through activity, so it shows a total you burned that day. S Health only includes what was burned that day through activity, so it does not give me an idea of the whole picture.

 

The food tracker on the app could use a larger library- it does not have all the brands for every food, and the calorie totals are hard to determine. It lists foods as serving size and grams, so it’s difficult to know what that is in cups, tablespoons, etc. Remember how I suck at math and installed a calculator? Determining grams in a cup is a thing I can’t do without Google. And by then I have eaten my entire meal and don’t want to enter it into the counter anyway (screw you diet! I curse you and your demand that I count calories!). I have linked S Health with MyFitnessPal, but am still stumbling through having them talk to each other.

 

Step totals on app

 

 

The only other concern I have with my Gear S2 is the band. I bought the Gear S2 Classic in rose gold, which comes with a white leather band. A WHITE band. You put anything white on me and it 1. Blends in with my pasty white-like-milk skin and 2. Gathers all kinds of gunk, grime, and perspiration. When using this watch for working out, the leather band turns yellow in no time. No matter how much I wipe it down or clean it, it yellows.

 

The one great thing about this band is it was simple to take off. There are spring snaps on the band that are easy to pop in and out. And then stay locked when you are wearing the watch, so the band does not come loose. I replaced my band with a rubber watch band, and this worked great. I highly recommend getting a more durable watch band for everyday use, and use the leather bands for “upscale events”- like taking a glass of champagne with you to calculate out Rolls Royce payments.

 

I’ll stick to my doughnut ranking, and give this watch a 4.5 out of 5. The only Cons I have deal with the app and the band, not about the actual functioning of the product.

 

Pros

Looks great- like an expensive watch

Tons of apps

Monitors heart rate

Step counter is very accurate

Easy to use

 

Cons

White band turns to yellow in no time

S Health app needs a bigger library, and a “total calories burned”

A fairly expensive watch (they start at $250 and go up from there)

 

Overall, I highly recommend the Samsung Gear S2 Classic. Beautiful AND smart? This watch is like me, just less annoying, thinner, and more functional.