Samsung's Gear Fit2 is a hybrid between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch
Did you have too much coffee today? Did you climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator? Did you turn up for that yoga session?
As we become a planet of self-quantifiers, tracking everything we do, the number of wearables that measure every step and heartbeat is on the rise. A particularly cool gadget that remains a companion through the day is Samsung's Gear Fit2. Obviously, it's a bit like the company's original Gear Fit, but its capabilities have been given a boost to the extent that it is now a hybrid between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch.
The Fit2 looks trendy because its bright vibrant 3.86 cm (1.5") Super AMOLED 216 x 432 display, instantly visible when it lights up, wraps around the wrist like some new-age bracelet. Like many wearable gadgets it draws the eye, which is why it had better look good. The display extends into a tough rubber strap which looks very sporty. It really is so, in fact, because its water- and sweatproof features ensure you really get going with your workout. The display is signature Samsung: very solid black with bright contrasting colours. But it isn't very visible in direct blazing sunlight. The Fit2 is available in two sizes to fit both men and women and is quite comfortable to wear for long. It comes in grey, blue, pink and white. The straps can be changed but you don't get any additional ones in the box.
Taking your measure
All fitness trackers measure your steps and activity and calories. But the Fit2 auto detects what you're doing when you're moving and tracks stair climbing (that's exercise too and as you increase the number of floors, it'll be formally tracked), cycling, Pilates, yoga, and more in a list that also includes all the usual. The auto-detect feature takes away the nuisance of having to fiddle with the device, pressing this and that, while you're really ready to move into workout mode. There's now a built-in GPS that tracks your running route, distance and speed in real time.
Watch your progress
To use the Fit2, you connect the device to your phone — any Android from Lollipop onwards — and download the Gear Fit app to get the two gadgets to talk to each other. As you move through the day, the Fit2 measures your activity and gives you detailed stats on steps, heartbeat (including maximum and minimum for the day), calories and more. If you want to track your caffeine and water intake, you have to enter the figure manually, but this is still worth it. You can see daily and weekly progress graphs on the device itself, giving you rich data. Now all you have to figure out is what to do with it.
It's difficult to say exactly how accurate trackers are but I did happen to have more than one with me and found that measures such as heart rate were very much in the same range, give or take a couple of beats.
The smartwatch part
There are a few other things you can do with the Fit2. Because it's connected to the phone, you'll get notifications on messages and calls. You can decide whether to pull out the phone or dismiss for now. The device has 4GB of storage on board and 512MP RAM. With this, you can put in a certain amount of music, to listen to with earphones, and also add a few other apps. The Fit2 works on Samsung's own Tizen operating system but is able to work with Android apps, including some of the popular fitness ones. Its 200mAh battery lasts about three and a half days.
The Fit2 costs Rs 13,990. That's expensive if you compare it with vanilla fitness bands but cheap if you compare it with a good smartwatch.
Anyone interested in the Gear Fit2 may also like to check out the Gear IconX wireless earphones — truly wireless, in the sense that each side isn't connected to the other either. These earphones are meant primarily for getting audio guidance for workouts. But they are rather expensive at Rs 13,490 and as of now are out of stock on the Samsung site.
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)