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Laserducky

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 29, 2013
235
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I happened to play with a demo unit of the S2 and these are my observations :

1.) Very lightweight. My Apple 42mm SS is quite heavy.
2.) Revolving bezel takes some time to get used to but is nice. Nice alternative to buttons and crown.
3.) Overall build quality does not feel premium and feels very 'plasticky'. Apple watch feels premium from the word 'Go' but then we pay for it as well.
4.) I don't know whether it was the indoor lighting but the display felt very subpar : brightness and colours were lacking vibrance. Apart from direct sunlight, my Apple Watch wows me with its sharpness and colour reproduction.
5.) The Samsung Apps looked quite well done but I didn't get the chance to check out 3rd party apps. Apple Apps have a similar build.
6.) Unit hanged after I pressed on an app. My wife says it was 'just because of me' because it was fine as long as she was playing with it !

Cheers !
 
I happened to play with a demo unit of the S2 and these are my observations :

1.) Very lightweight. My Apple 42mm SS is quite heavy.
2.) Revolving bezel takes some time to get used to but is nice. Nice alternative to buttons and crown.
3.) Overall build quality does not feel premium and feels very 'plasticky'. Apple watch feels premium from the word 'Go' but then we pay for it as well.
4.) I don't know whether it was the indoor lighting but the display felt very subpar : brightness and colours were lacking vibrance. Apart from direct sunlight, my Apple Watch wows me with its sharpness and colour reproduction.
5.) The Samsung Apps looked quite well done but I didn't get the chance to check out 3rd party apps. Apple Apps have a similar build.
6.) Unit hanged after I pressed on an app. My wife says it was 'just because of me' because it was fine as long as she was playing with it !

Cheers !

Nice comparison. I for one didn't really like it, the build felt very cheap to me. For me personally I haven't really found an Android wear watch that even comes close to the  Watch.
 
Nice comparison. I for one didn't really like it, the build felt very cheap to me. For me personally I haven't really found an Android wear watch that even comes close to the  Watch.
I've had a similar experience checking out a few other watches. When the Moto 360 first came out, I was convinced that Apple needed a round display. When I finally get to to hold the 360 and the Gear S (ugly as sin) the one thing I took away is how light and cheap feeling. When I finally found someone who had the Gear S2, it was an improvement but not much. They literally feel like plastic. the Gear S was the lightest and cheapest feeling watch. You can see why they didn't sell well.

There was some cool watch faces on these devices and they looked really nice from 2-3 feet away. The closer you got the quality was gone and the cheap display didn't help. Apple quality and weight, plus the superior display was the difference.
 
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I've had a similar experience checking out a few other watches. When the Moto 360 first came out, I was convinced that Apple needed a round display. When I finally get to to hold the 360 and the Gear S (ugly as sin) the one thing I took away is how light and cheap feeling. When I finally found someone who had the Gear S2, it was an improvement but not much. They literally feel like plastic. the Gear S was the lightest and cheapest feeling watch. You can see why they didn't sell well.

There was some cool watch faces on these devices and they looked really nice from 2-3 feet away. The closer you got the quality was gone and the cheap display didn't help. Apple quality and weight, plus the superior display was the difference.
The gear s2 is a solid choice. I would add that the display goes all the way to the edges with no black border like you get on the Apple watch, the AW border just feels cheap to me. The gear also has a larger battery. The gear comes in one size 40mm - which feels perfect, the apple watch with two sizes seems confusing as to which to get. The platinum and rose gold gear are a lot more classy looking than the AW.
 
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The gear s2 is a solid choice. I would add that the display goes all the way to the edges with no black border like you get on the Apple watch, the AW border just feels cheap to me.

It doesn't really go all the way to the edge because it has a bezel where the "black border" would normally be.
 
It doesn't really go all the way to the edge because it has a bezel where the "black border" would normally be.
Weak tea. But I'll clarify for you. The AW is the one with a visible black border around the display area so the gear looks cleaner and classier. The black border is larger proportionally than found on the iphone or ipad and just makes it look cheap.
 
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Weak tea. But I'll clarify for you. The AW is the one with a visible black border around the display area so the gear looks cleaner and classier. The black border is larger proportionally than found on the iphone or ipad and just makes it look cheap.

It still doesn't mean the screen goes all the way to the edge on the Gear S2.
 
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Give S2 bezel a good spin...and you will see that the scrolling has only ONE speed. Make a reminder...it cannot. S-Voice sucks donkey balls. What maps does it use again? Ain't Google! Nokia maps i think. Check your pulse...like all Android Wear, this Tizen watch cannot check pulse reliably. Plastic back (over HR lens too). Look at the rubber band attachment...HUGE problem with it being GLUED! Yes, there are plenty of stories of S2 falling off wrist because the band detaches from watch spontaneously...and Samsung REFUSING to warranty fix it. Does it have speaker? No unless you get the 3G model. Lose connection from phone and your watch may lock up. Let your battery run down...and you need to RE-PAIR with your phone and start over.

Need i go on? :D
 
I have to say no one has matched the look/feel/quality of the Apple Watch. I've looked at many others and inevitably something is not up to snuff. Often build quality, frequently way too big on the wrist, and typically lousy display quality.

The Apple Watch is not perfect, but in my opinion it soundly beats all the others.
 
Give S2 bezel a good spin...and you will see that the scrolling has only ONE speed. Make a reminder...it cannot. S-Voice sucks donkey balls. What maps does it use again? Ain't Google! Nokia maps i think. Check your pulse...like all Android Wear, this Tizen watch cannot check pulse reliably. Plastic back (over HR lens too). Look at the rubber band attachment...HUGE problem with it being GLUED! Yes, there are plenty of stories of S2 falling off wrist because the band detaches from watch spontaneously...and Samsung REFUSING to warranty fix it. Does it have speaker? No unless you get the 3G model. Lose connection from phone and your watch may lock up. Let your battery run down...and you need to RE-PAIR with your phone and start over.

Need i go on? :D
Wait, the S2 can't do reminders at all? Not even communicating with the phone? You can't use the Siri equivalent to take a reminder from the watch? I can do that with the Apple Wstch even if my iPhone is off or in another state. :)

I heard the voice control is really bad and they have very limited apps but there isn't much to brag about since most AW apps stink as well.

It also costs $300 for the basic model with plastic band? I'll pass.
 
I happened to play with a demo unit of the S2 and these are my observations :

1.) Very lightweight. My Apple 42mm SS is quite heavy.
2.) Revolving bezel takes some time to get used to but is nice. Nice alternative to buttons and crown.
3.) Overall build quality does not feel premium and feels very 'plasticky'. Apple watch feels premium from the word 'Go' but then we pay for it as well.
4.) I don't know whether it was the indoor lighting but the display felt very subpar : brightness and colours were lacking vibrance. Apart from direct sunlight, my Apple Watch wows me with its sharpness and colour reproduction.
5.) The Samsung Apps looked quite well done but I didn't get the chance to check out 3rd party apps. Apple Apps have a similar build.
6.) Unit hanged after I pressed on an app. My wife says it was 'just because of me' because it was fine as long as she was playing with it !

Cheers !
I've owned both and prefer the Gear S2. I have the classic model which is more premium than the sport S2 and you can change out the straps with any 42mm bands.

It was much easier to figure out for me than Apple Watch. Has hundreds of watch faces & easy to make your own. I find the Gear S2 screen crisper than the Apple Watch and how to access apps much easier to figure out. Liked that it has a T9 keyboard to respond to messages or apps & ability download a full qwerty keyboard. The S2 has many more settings & customizations than Apple Watch. Once it has IOS compatibility which is coming soon I'll most likely use the Gear S2 again and give the Apple Watch to my 13 year old.

Apple Watch has some pros over the Gear S2 such as making a phone call from all models, Siri & more apps available but still seems dated.
 
Wait, the S2 can't do reminders at all? Not even communicating with the phone? You can't use the Siri equivalent to take a reminder from the watch? I can do that with the Apple Wstch even if my iPhone is off or in another state. :)

I heard the voice control is really bad and they have very limited apps but there isn't much to brag about since most AW apps stink as well.

It also costs $300 for the basic model with plastic band? I'll pass.

Nope. Oh yeah, no Samsung Pay either i believe. NFC is there but no support for it.
[doublepost=1460411623][/doublepost]
I've owned both and prefer the Gear S2. I have the classic model which is more premium than the sport S2 and you can change out the straps with any 42mm bands.

It was much easier to figure out for me than Apple Watch. Has hundreds of watch faces & easy to make your own. I find the Gear S2 screen crisper than the Apple Watch and how to access apps much easier to figure out. Liked that it has a T9 keyboard to respond to messages or apps & ability download a full qwerty keyboard. The S2 has many more settings & customizations than Apple Watch. Once it has IOS compatibility which is coming soon I'll most likely use the Gear S2 again and give the Apple Watch to my 13 year old.

Apple Watch has some pros over the Gear S2 such as making a phone call from all models, Siri & more apps available but still seems dated.

Yeah, it NEEDS T9 keyboard because its voice function is useless. The display lags when you wake it up. Scroll quickly. See the difference in smoothness and speed. No sapphire. No speaker. No audible alarm.

BTW, 42mm AW has 326 ppi. S2 has 302 ppi.

[doublepost=1460411741][/doublepost]Damning review from Android site: https://www.androidpit.com/samsung-gear-s2-review

"The speed and stability of Tizen on the Gear S2 was great, but I had issues with both the Gear S2 and S2 Classic constantly dropping their connection to my phone. During the week I had to factory reset it several times just to get the device to pair with my phone again, because it wouldn't do it on its own. Even trying to force it through the Gear app didn't work. This is a huge problem. Our other Gear S2 also dropped out regularly, but it did at least reconnect with the phone.

The Gear S2 won't automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks if you have them set up on your phone."
 
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Nope. Oh yeah, no Samsung Pay either i believe. NFC is there but no support for it.
[doublepost=1460411623][/doublepost]

Yeah, it NEEDS T9 keyboard because its voice function is useless. The display lags when you wake it up. Scroll quickly. See the difference in smoothness and speed. No sapphire. No speaker. No audible alarm.

BTW, 42mm AW has 326 ppi. S2 has 302 ppi.

[doublepost=1460411741][/doublepost]Damning review from Android site: https://www.androidpit.com/samsung-gear-s2-review

"The speed and stability of Tizen on the Gear S2 was great, but I had issues with both the Gear S2 and S2 Classic constantly dropping their connection to my phone. During the week I had to factory reset it several times just to get the device to pair with my phone again, because it wouldn't do it on its own. Even trying to force it through the Gear app didn't work. This is a huge problem. Our other Gear S2 also dropped out regularly, but it did at least reconnect with the phone.

The Gear S2 won't automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks if you have them set up on your phone."

I was sharing my experience. I never had any of the issues reported in your link, never had to reset, zero lag, never lost connection....
 
I've owned both and prefer the Gear S2. I have the classic model which is more premium than the sport S2 and you can change out the straps with any 42mm bands.

It was much easier to figure out for me than Apple Watch. Has hundreds of watch faces & easy to make your own. I find the Gear S2 screen crisper than the Apple Watch and how to access apps much easier to figure out. Liked that it has a T9 keyboard to respond to messages or apps & ability download a full qwerty keyboard. The S2 has many more settings & customizations than Apple Watch. Once it has IOS compatibility which is coming soon I'll most likely use the Gear S2 again and give the Apple Watch to my 13 year old.

Apple Watch has some pros over the Gear S2 such as making a phone call from all models, Siri & more apps available but still seems dated.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I hope that Android Wear and Apple Watch will give each other some healthy competition so that neither becomes complacent and forced to fade away into oblivion like Nokia, Blackberry etc.

Cheers !
 
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I hope that Android Wear and Apple Watch will give each other some healthy competition so that neither becomes complacent and forced to fade away into oblivion like Nokia, Blackberry etc.

Cheers !

Samsung is Tizen, not Android Wear.
 
Samsung is Tizen, not Android Wear.

Yes, I know. I was referring to the larger piece of the cake being fought over by Apple and Google and which undoubtedly influences in-house Watch OSs like Tizen etc.

Cheers !
 
?? Huh ?? RE-read my sentence.

I did. The syntax is incorrect. "Like all android wear" means the Tizen OS watch is a subset of that. It means it's android wear, which we both know it isn't. But the sentence does indeed mean that.
 
I did. The syntax is incorrect. "Like all android wear" means the Tizen OS watch is a subset of that. It means it's android wear, which we both know it isn't. But the sentence does indeed mean that.

Actually, no. "...like all Android Wear, this TIZEN watch...."

Note that I used TIZEN, which is the name of the OS unrelated to Android Wear. IF I had meant otherwise, then I would not have used TIZEN, but rather, "...like all Android Wear, this watch...."

But beyond the obvious, are we done here? This is getting downright ridiculous. I am sure that there is grammar somewhere on this forum for you to INCORRECTLY fix. :D
 
Actually, no. "...like all Android Wear, this TIZEN watch...."

Note that I used TIZEN, which is the name of the OS unrelated to Android Wear. IF I had meant otherwise, then I would not have used TIZEN, but rather, "...like all Android Wear, this watch...."

But beyond the obvious, are we done here? This is getting downright ridiculous. I am sure that there is grammar somewhere on this forum for you to INCORRECTLY fix. :D

You shouldn't have used the word "all". Like android wear would be what you meant; like all android wear means Tizen is a subset of android wear. It doesn't matter what you intend to say after it.

There is grammar for me to incorrectly fix elsewhere, but as you stated yourself that's not the case here.
 
You shouldn't have used the word "all". Like android wear would be what you meant; like all android wear means Tizen is a subset of android wear. It doesn't matter what you intend to say after it.

There is grammar for me to incorrectly fix elsewhere, but as you stated yourself that's not the case here.

LOL, you finish kid?
 
You shouldn't have used the word "all". Like android wear would be what you meant; like all android wear means Tizen is a subset of android wear. It doesn't matter what you intend to say after it.

There is grammar for me to incorrectly fix elsewhere, but as you stated yourself that's not the case here.

Perhaps a better way to put it is "Like its Android Wear counterparts, this Tizen watch...." That makes it clearer for the uninformed who may not know that Tizen isn't part of Android Wear.
 
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