Samsung Gear Fit Review: This Curvaceous Beauty is a Striking Fitness Tracker/Smartwatch Combo

The Samsung Gear Fit is a futuristic looking smartwatch that focuses on being a fitness band first and a smartwatch second. When it first appeared on the scene earlier this year, there was nothing on the market to compete with it, and there were a lot of “oohs and ahhs” coming from those checking it out.

In fact, when it was first released, we even started to feel bad for some of the fitness tracking companies like Fitbit. After all, the curved 1.84” full color AMOLED display is super impressive. The device tracks steps taken, distance traveled, your heart rate, while also supplying you with notifications straight from your smartphone. And if you’re going to grab some shut-eye, you can leave it on too, since it can track sleep stats. All of the data collected is be pushed to your (Samsung) phone’s S Health app, which records those fitness stats as well as manual entry stuff like workout routines and diet information. Can we say data hog?

Besides the S Health app, the Gear Fit also works in tandem with the Gear Fit Manager, which might be the most frustrating part of the whole experience. It took a solid 10 minutes to get the Gear Fit setup – the initial pairing process was an issue and then there were several redundant software upgrades thereafter.

As a fitness device, the Gear Fit works as anticipated by acting as pedometer throughout the day, and it also comes with a heart sensor, you know, just in case you feel your blood pressure rising during a heated exchange over the validity of cronuts. However, this feature has to be done manually with your wrist keeping still for a specific amount of time, and it works much like the fingertip sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S5.

The curve design of the display is really a non-issue for me, but my main issue is the height of the display, and I often find myself smacking into things with it. That said, the plastic bracelet is truly one size fits all, as it supports wrists large and small. Being a woman, it did seem a bit unwieldy at first to wear, but as I accessorized it with other bracelets, the size became a non-issue.

Verdict

In the end, the Gear Fit is a standout smartwatch-come-fitness-band that makes an impression just by its display itself. And its curved display really is gorgeous…. I mean look at it. But is the Gear Fit intuitive to use? At times… yes. But when multiple texts and emails come in at once it gets a bit cumbersome to swipe and read them all on your wrist, and it’s moments like that where it’s just easier to look at your phone. And personally, I really don’t want to read long form emails on my wrist. Overall, the software can be a bit frustrating at times, but all in all if you are looking for a fitness oriented wearable that makes a statement, and you’re already apart of the Galaxy family, then the Gear Fit is for you. The Samsung Gear Fit currently retails for $129.99 on Amazon.

The Good: Stunning curved display is bright, big and beautiful. Offers a unique design that is futuristic. Touchscreen is very responsive.

The Bad: Proprietary charger. Reading emails is a little awkward on the display and not easy to manage. Software could use a more than a few tweaks to make it more intuitive. Like most smart watches, battery life could be better.