There are a few companies out there with a bigger research & development budget than Samsung. The huge amount of money invested in their wearables has been generating some pretty good products as of late, easily beating everything else on the market. While their smartwatches struggle with competition like Apple, Huawei, and Mobvoi, their fitness trackers such as the Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro are one of the best you can get, assuming that you aren’t on a budget. Even though the Gear Fit2 isn’t the cheapest tracker you can get, it more than lives up to its hype (and price) by being packed full of features.
My verdict: The Fit2 Pro wearable fitness tracker is packed full of features that are typical for the high-end models but the fluidity of the software and it’s vivid display set it apart from the competition. While the battery won’t last long when you are using it to its full potential, it does offer a ton of tracking options during workouts. The smartwatch does a perfect job of automatically recognizing your specific activity and does an even better job at storing all of its information to the Samsung Health App. If you aren’t on a tight budget, this is one of your safest bets out there.
In this review, I will go through the main features of this smartwatch/tracker and show you its strong points, as well as the ones that might make you look somewhere else.
Table of Contents
Overview & Features
The main feature of this fitness tracker is how well-rounded it really is. There isn’t a single training or tracking feature that you will miss having here. Pair that with a great display and a solid build quality and you get yourself something that will be by your side for a lot of workouts and busy days.
Tracking
There are multiple sensors here that work together to give you the needed information. There is an on-board GPS, HR sensors, 3-Axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, as well as a barometer.
That combination of sensors is enough to track and measure any daily activity in its smallest detail but is usually only found on the higher end models which can cost quite a lot of money.
One of the interesting quirks about this smartwatch is that it can detect your workout type and track accordingly. It can detect cycling, swimming, running, elliptical training, yoga, and a lot of other sports and activities. It does so automatically and later on marks your data to the specific training type inside the app’s statistics.
Heart Rate
The heart rate monitor here is far more accurate than some of the cheaper trackers but it has a few issues I want to point out.
When you are dealing with high-intensity interval training or running a mix of slow and fast-paced runs, it might lag behind a bit. What I mean is that, if you suddenly start pushing against a hill when running, the Fit2 Pro will struggle to give you the sudden and accurate information and can lag behind by as much as 10bpm. The same goes for the other way around. If you suddenly stop or at least greatly reduce your tempo, it will keep showing high HR stats.
Where it shines is in the same-paced runs where you don’t do a lot of sprints or bursts. There, it does a perfect job of reading your heart rate. Still, if you really want the most accurate reading on your pulse during a workout, I recommend getting a chest strap.
Sleep Monitoring
The sleep monitoring capabilities here are very poor compared to other cheaper trackers, such as the Huawei Band 2 Pro, which has a far more scientific approach to its sleep measurings. The main issue here is that Samsung relies on its movement sensors only and therefore lack the heart rate information that would otherwise be very useful for the different stages of your sleep. The display also turns on at random during the night which, trust me, will feel like the sun shining directly into your eyes.
Still, it can track the number of calories you’ve burned while sleeping and allows you to rate your sleep after you wake up in order to help improve Samsung’s sleep quality algorithms.
Design and build quality
The build quality here is impeccable. It is the only feature I completely love with no reservations. Everything has that familiar Samsung feel to it. From the band to the display and buttons, every material feels premium, even though it should for that price.
The smartwatch is slightly wider than what you’re most likely used to due to the larger display. That can be a downside for some people that are after a more stealthy look.
The whole construction is IP-rated which is really rare for wearables nowadays. It is dustproof and waterproof of up to 50 meters so that makes it an ideal partner during your swim or job in the rain.
If you want to read more on waterproof fitness trackers, check out my full Buyer’s Guide on the topic!
Display
The display is a major selling point of this smartwatch and a lot of people get it for exactly that reason. It is big, sharp, and quite vivid. You can easily see it under direct sunlight and it goes easy on the battery thanks to its sAMOLED nature. Size-wise, it is a 1.5-inch 216×432 display that is touch-screen enabled.
Software & Compatibility
The Gear Fit2 Pro smartwatch can pair up with every Android device with version Android 4.4 or higher (and over 1.5GB of RAM). It also pairs to iOS devices with iOS 9.0 and higher versions (iPhones 5 or higher).
You can use the tracker to pair it to any fitness tracking app on the abovementioned devices but I personally recommend the Samsung Health app which works flawlessly with this smartwatch and is also packed full of useful features and measuring graphs.
the 1GHz dual-core processor brings enough power to be able to easily (and really fast) connect the tracker with any other device. It is also quite lightweight in terms of battery usage, so it preserves your battery life for longer. That combined with the optimized OS is really good for the battery life compared to other power-hungry smart trackers out there. Still, if you use all the sensors and features all of the time, don’t expect to get too many days out of it. In fact, let’s talk about that battery now…
Battery Life
Inside, you will find a 200mAh battery which is substantially bigger than most other trackers but it also has to power up a few more features. Here are some official ratings for the battery times:
- With typical usage: 3-4 days
- Standby time is up to 5 days
- When using the GPS: up to 9 hours
These times may vary a lot but the technology Samsung uses for its batteries and power management are pretty consistent and long-lasting, which is why you can trust those figures.
Additional Features
There aren’t that many additional features here that are worth mentioning, except a few…
The standalone music player is my favorite thing on a wearable device since I love running with my Bluetooth headphones and smartwatch only. That, combined with the on-device GPS system, allows you to track your runs and listen to music all without bringing your bulky smartphone along.
You can download your Spotify playlist directly onto the Gear Fit2 Pro and listen to it on the go.
One more thing that this smartwatch allows you is to read and respond to calls and texts. That works only when the watch is paired with your device via Bluetooth (and in range).
Advantages & Disadvantages
Pros
- Superb build quality
- Excellent sAMOLED display
- Tracking is very accurate
- IP68 water and dustproof
- Has on-board GPS
- 4GB of built-in storage
- Compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones
Cons
- Battery life can use an improvement
- Isn’t as comfortable to wear as other fitness trackers
- Very expensive compared to other wearables
- The sleep monitor relies on movement only
Click here if you want to learn how to get the most out of your fitness tracker!
Conclusion and Rating
Product Rating:
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro Smartwatch Fitness Band is definitely a hard product to rank since it has a lot of amazing features but also a few major setbacks that can be a deal-breaker for a lot of people. While it has an accurate HR sensor, superb quality, and excellent display, it does fall short in a few other areas. These are sleep tracking, battery life, and price. It is one of the more expensive fitness trackers out there and the battery hardly lasts more than a day on a full charge even if you don’t use it too much. The sleep tracking relies only on movement and while it is accurate, it would’ve given you a far more detailed sleep analysis if it used its HR sensor. That would’ve drained the battery overnight, though, which might be one of the reasons. I gave it four out of five stars rating.