I'll just cut to the chase:
Pros of the Frontier:
- A beautiful looking watch. It just feels like a strong, sturdy timepiece. It's exactly what I want in a watch.
- The rotating bezel is great. It's very natural, and I think Apple probably should have gone that route.
- Customization. From the ability to use any 22 mmm watch band to the ability to download watch faces. It will always feel like a different watch.
- You can use it as a remote when you start music or a podcast on your iPhone
Cons
- App selection. You are limited to only free nonsense, and it is all just that: nonsense
- Watch faces might be aplenty, but they are mostly garbage.
- You are limited to just reading and dismissing notifications.
- No maps
There are plenty of comparisons of the two watches on the interwebs, so I won't keep babbling about it. I think if you are a moderate user of a smartwatch and don't use it for a whole lot other than notifications/news/weather/time at a glance, you won't be too disappointed with the Gear, or really any other non-Apple Watch.
And yes, I was fully aware that I was buying a complimentary piece, not an Apple Watch replacement. But man, you don't realize just how fully featured the Apple Watch is until you use something else. So unless you want an extra watch, don't choose another smartwatch over the Apple Watch.
If Apple ever wises up and allows user watch faces, especially paid ones they could get a cut from, that would be huge... And if they release a bigger, maybe even more rounded version of the Apple Watch... look out.
Pros of the Frontier:
- A beautiful looking watch. It just feels like a strong, sturdy timepiece. It's exactly what I want in a watch.
- The rotating bezel is great. It's very natural, and I think Apple probably should have gone that route.
- Customization. From the ability to use any 22 mmm watch band to the ability to download watch faces. It will always feel like a different watch.
- You can use it as a remote when you start music or a podcast on your iPhone
Cons
- App selection. You are limited to only free nonsense, and it is all just that: nonsense
- Watch faces might be aplenty, but they are mostly garbage.
- You are limited to just reading and dismissing notifications.
- No maps
There are plenty of comparisons of the two watches on the interwebs, so I won't keep babbling about it. I think if you are a moderate user of a smartwatch and don't use it for a whole lot other than notifications/news/weather/time at a glance, you won't be too disappointed with the Gear, or really any other non-Apple Watch.
And yes, I was fully aware that I was buying a complimentary piece, not an Apple Watch replacement. But man, you don't realize just how fully featured the Apple Watch is until you use something else. So unless you want an extra watch, don't choose another smartwatch over the Apple Watch.
If Apple ever wises up and allows user watch faces, especially paid ones they could get a cut from, that would be huge... And if they release a bigger, maybe even more rounded version of the Apple Watch... look out.