You can take a picture or record up to 15 seconds of video. I wouldn’t plan on using the Gear 2 camera as your go-to device for taking pictures, but it comes in handy sometimes. The icon was grayed out for me, though, and wasn’t available as an option even though the Jawbone ERA was connected.
Samsung s gear 2 review Bluetooth#
There is a Bluetooth headset icon in the phone menu along with the ability to mute or just send the call to the smartphone.
Samsung s gear 2 review how to#
I paired the watch with a Jawbone ERA Bluetooth ear piece and that worked fine for listening to music from the Gear 2, but I never did figure out how to use it for a call.
As with other smartwatches I’ve reviewed I’m still not a fan of engaging in a speakerphone conversation talking into my wrist. It connects via Bluetooth to enable the Gear 2 to make and receive phone calls through the associated smartphone. I paired the Gear 2 with a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone. The nice thing is that you can completely customize the wallpaper background-or use a photo captured with the Gear 2-and choose that as your clock background as well. There are also a couple red and blue ones that are a little hideous in my opinion. There are a couple nice clock faces available-nice stylish ones that fit the style of the watch itself. I chose the S-Voice feature-the Samsung version of Siri or Google Now- because it’s very convenient to just double-tap the button and say “Call my wife,” or “What’s the weather like today?”.
It just gives you quick access to get to that favorite app. It can be email, messages, weather, pedometer, heart rate, etc. You can configure it so a double-tap of the home button opens an app of your choosing. The home button has another function as well, though. You can simply look and see what time it is. It’s sort of a cool feature because it enables you to look at your wrist to check the time-as one does with a watch-without having the display on constantly draining power or requiring an extra step of pressing a button. It also automatically detects when your wrist moves and turns on the display. The Gear 2 has a single home button at the bottom of the display. It’s sleek and stylish and doesn’t look like you’re wearing a Dick Tracy / James Bond contraption on your wrist. It is right up there with the Moto 360 as something I would wear just as a watch. Setting aside all of the gadgets, apps, and functions embedded in the device for just a minute, the Samsung Gear 2 is one of the nicest watches I’ve tested. It has a brown strap but one of the nice things about the Gear 2 is that the watchband can be changed so you can find a style that fits you best. The one I tested is the brown gold model. The watch itself comes in a few different versions. Samsung claims the battery will last 2 to 3 days under normal usage and possibly up to six days with light usage. It also has Bluetooth 4.0 LE connectivity, and a 2 Megapixel autofocus camera built in to the top or front of the device. The Gear 2 has a 1.63-inch super AMOLED display, accelerometer, gyroscope, and heart rate sensor. That doesn’t mean you can wear it while swimming, or even in the shower, but a little rain or sweat isn’t going to destroy it. Samsung says that the Gear 2 is IP 67 certified as dust and water resistant. The Samsung Gear 2 is housed in a relatively slim, rectangular metal body. Let’s take a closer look at what Samsung gets right, and where there’s still some room for Samsung to improve. I’ve had a chance to use a couple different Samsung smartwatch models, though, and the Gear 2 is arguably the best thing Samsung has developed so far. It seems safe to assume the “pause” is intended to provide Samsung an opportunity to analyze what Apple brings to market, and see how well it works and how it’s received by consumers so it can respond appropriately. In a matter of just a few months Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear, Gear 2 Neo, Gear Fit, Gear Live, Gear S, and this watch-the Gear 2.Īt Mobile World Congress 2015 just days before Apple’s big Apple Watch unveiling, Samsung announced that its smartwatch plans are being “paused”. Samsung seems to have adopted the strategy that if you just throw enough stuff at the wall eventually something will stick.