Samsung Gear S2 Classic Review

The wearables business is experiencing its first boom in 2015, and just like several other tech giants, Samsung wants the lion's share, so the South Koreans just couldn't stay away from this growing industry.

So after launching models that only recorded modest sales figures in the last couple of years, the famous creator of Galaxy phones brought new smartwatches to the market at this year's edition of IFA.

The Samsung Gear S2 lineup of watches is available in several configurations, so you can choose from the sporty model with a silicon band, the Classic version that comes with leather, and 3G-compatible models that can double as smartphones on your wrist.

We tested the most stylish member of the series, the Samsung Gear S2 Classic, which combines a metallic case with a leather band for a good-looking mix that promises to offer the best the South Korean company has right now.

The Classic is currently available for $349, which means it's $50 more expensive than the standard Gear S2, so you have to pay extra for the leather band and the more stylish look. But is it worth the investment? Read on to find out the answer.

DESIGN: The rotating bezel is worth every single cent

The name of the phone says it all. The Samsung Gear S2 Classic is supposed to be the most elegant version of the new series, and it definitely delivers on this promise.

First and foremost, let's see the dimensions (which vary by model):  

The watch comes with a 20mm leather band, but although it's genuine leather, it certainly doesn't look so. We've been told by several of our colleagues that the band looks cheap, and it surely does, especially when compared to other smartwatches where premium bands are essential - such as the Moto 360 2015, for example.

“You'll find yourself using the rotating bezel more than the touchscreen.”

The case of the Gear S2 Classic is made of 316L stainless steel that's ultra strong (or that's what Samsung promises), but the icing on the cake is actually the bezel.

The Gear S2 lineup is the first in the world to come with a ceramic rotating bezel that makes navigating through menus a real delight. Every single click is addictive, and we've found ourselves rotating the bezel without a reason at random times just because it feels great.

The bezel allows you to browse through watch menus, but you can also use the touch screen or the two side buttons to go back and forth. And yet, we're pretty sure you'll just love the rotating bezel, and this will become the main input method in a very short time.

HARDWARE: The Samsung Gear S2 isn't impressive, but does its job well

The Gear S2 Classic isn't quite a state-of-the-art device as far as hardware is concerned, but it has what it takes to provide above-average performance.

First and foremost, the watch comes with a 1.2-inch full circular super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 360x360 px and pixels density of 302 ppi. The quality of the display is very close to the one of the Apple Watch, also featuring OLED technology, and is clearly superior to what some Android Wear devices launched in the last three months, such as the Moto 360, have right now.

The touch screen is super responsive, but as mentioned, you'll use the rotating bezel more than anything else. And yet, it's good to know that this advanced display is there, which could help a lot when exercising, for example.

Samsung uses two different chipsets for its smartwatches, namely Exynos 3250 and MSM8x26, with the former found on the Classic version while the latter is powering the 3G models. Coupled with 512 MB of RAM, the CPUs do not fail to deliver a smooth experience, but software optimizations are also playing a key role for this.

There's also 4GB of storage, which should be enough for music if you like to listen to your favorite songs when working out, as well as several sensors, such as an accelerometer, gyrometer, heart rate monitor, barometer, ambient light, and GPS (3G only).

Overall, the S2 Classic doesn't disappoint when it comes to hardware, so Samsung really lives up to expectations in this department (it had to, given the success it has in the mobile phone business these days).

THE SMARTWATCH: All notifications on your wrist

Samsung is already a leader in the mobile phone business, so the South Koreans just couldn't afford to fail on a new market that's supposed to bring us devices acting like extensions to smartphones.

The Gear S2 Classic not only looks good on your wrist, but it also brings the essential phone capabilities at a one-touch distance, so you won't have to pull out the headset all the time to read a new email or message.

The Classic is one of the best smartwatches on the market, that's for sure, and it can pull notifications from the phone for both first-party and third-party applications. Emails, text messages, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, you name it, everything works flawlessly on the smartwatch.

For emails and messages, you also get options to delete items or just mark them as read, but you can also reply with a set of pre-defined messages. Additionally, there's also the possibility of speaking a message but it doesn't come in handy if English is not your native language.

“One of the most comfortable smartwatches you've ever tried.”

Notifications are extremely easy to read, and we've found this particularly important after testing several devices that made it a pain in the neck to simply keep track of emails and messages on the watch. Swiping left lets you read any missed notification, and you can also use the bezel for easy navigation and to scroll text.

You can simply rotate your wrist to see the time and any received notification, but you can also enable a watch mode that keeps the time always on using a low-bit mode that uses more pixelated graphics. And yet, these graphics aren't as pixelated as on the Moto 360 2nd-gen for example, so they don't look bad at all.

There is no speaker available on the device, so you can't answer a phone call and talk to whoever is calling you without pulling out the handset, but the 3G version features such functionality.

One important thing is that, despite Samsung's love for Android on mobile phones, the Gear S2 doesn't come with Android Wear. It runs Tizen, which the company specifically optimized for this watch, and the effort the Koreans have put into this piece of software clearly feels in every single menu. Everything is smooth, opening apps is a breeze, and settings are just where you'd expect them to be.

The only problem is that the choice of apps is quite limited, and so is the watch face personalization. You can change watch faces from the companion app on your phone, but also with a long press on the home screen of the device. There are only a few designs available, and customization options are again very limited, so building your own platform for your device surely has bad parts too.

But you'll definitely find at least a couple of good-looking watch faces in the default lineup, and Samsung promises to offer more options in the coming updates.

THE FITNESS TRACKER: It does the basic, but nothing more

Judging from its name and looks, the Gear S2 Classic doesn't seem the right device for those who want to stay in tip-top shape all the time. The leather band doesn't help either because sweat can actually damage it in the long term, and getting an unpleasing odor is just a matter of time.

Samsung has sportier models that boast silicone bands for athletes, but as for the features they boast, all versions come with pretty much the same options.

First of all, the heart rate monitor. After several tests, we've found that it provides average accuracy, and although sometimes it fails to read the heart rate and shows an error, a second time should do it.

For exercises, the device features S Health integration, which is Samsung's companion app that comes pre-installed on all its phones. In fact, if you want to use the smartwatch to its full potential, you have to install the full collection of Samsung apps, which many consider bloatware and disable or remove just after setting up their phones.

“Finally a reason to start using Samsung's S Health app.”

S Health can also be launched from the watch, and you get a quick glimpse of performed steps, distance, and burned calories. Without a GPS, however, the distance you see is just an estimate, and we've found that, as compared to Microsoft's Band or Fitbit Surge, both of which have GPS sensors and provide similar readings, the Gear S2 Classic only adds some 100 meters to every kilometer when running. After a 5 km running session, the Classic indicated 5.5 km, so the 3G version with a GPS should provide more accurate figures.

Needless to say, the Classic isn't quite the best choice if you want to work out, but it has the basics that come in handy to anyone who doesn't want to be the next Usain Bolt. It also has a barometer to keep track of floors, and this is certainly a great feature that many other rival devices do not have yet.

The Gear S2 Classic is IP68 water resistant but is not waterproof. In other words, it can withstand some drops of water and rain, but you should take it off when showering or swimming. Not to mention that prolonged water exposure could seriously damage the leather band.

BATTERY LIFE: The Gear S2 Classic can certainly get you through the day

The Classic version that comes with Bluetooth only has a 250 mAh battery, while the 3G version, which obviously needs more juice, boasts a 300 mAh unit.

The device can last for approximately 36 hours in normal usage conditions with notifications always on and watch mode turned off, but if you're a heavy user, battery life could drop significantly. And yet, the Classic could certainly get you through the day no matter what.

The device also comes with a power reserve mode that kicks in at 15 percent battery life and removes calls and some fitness tracking capabilities, but the outcome isn't really as good as expected. While in Apple Watch's case, the power reserve feature can provide you with up to 72 hours of additional battery life, the Gear S2 can only go for 4 more hours after this mode is enabled.

Charging is performed through the dedicated dock that uses a microUSB connector, which clearly comes in very handy when traveling. But you still have to carry the dock with you all the time.

SOFTWARE: You have to install all the Samsung "bloatware" that you usually disable

If you have a Samsung device, you have to enable all the apps that the South Korean company put on your phone, especially because S Health is the core of everything fitness-related.

What's interesting is that Samsung hasn't opted for Android Wear, but for its very own Tizen operating system, which features significant optimizations supposed to put the smartwatch capabilities of the device in the spotlight.

“The right option if you have a Samsung phone already.”

But building a device with your own operating system has downsides too, so for example, there are only a few apps available right now. The watch face collection is also rather limited, but some good-looking options are available nevertheless.

The Gear S2 also works on other Android devices too as long as you agree to install Samsung's apps, but it doesn't offer compatibility with the iPhone. Samsung has already promised to add iOS support sometime in the future, but this option is not available right now. You can pair the device with your iPhone, but notifications aren't available.

CONCLUSIONS: A candidate for the "smartwatch of the year" award

If we look at the Samsung Gear S2 Classic as a whole, there's no doubt this is one of the best smartwatches of the year and a true competitor to the Apple Watch.

But taking one thing at a time, the Gear S2 Classic is full of ups and downs.

The design is clearly impressive, and the rotating bezel is fascinating, so you'll find yourself using this more than touch controls. It has a terrific AMOLED screen that is super responsive. The leather band, on the other hand, looks ultra cheap, so you might want to change it with another one (third parties are also supported).

But overall, the Classic is a love it or hate it kind of device. Some say it's great, others say it's too small for their wrists and looks too girlish, so it's not the right choice for everyone.

Regarding performance and battery, the Classic delivers on its promises, but there's nothing out of the ordinary. It's above average, and you will never feel the need for better performance because everything runs smoothly already.

While it's a great smartwatch that brings notifications on your wrist, it's not as good in the fitness department. The leather band surely doesn't recommend it as such, so you might want to look at the silicon band versions for such capabilities.

All in all, the Classic is a well-balanced device that has what it takes to become one of the best smartwatches of the year. It looks good, it works wells, and it's really comfortable. It's Samsung's Apple Watch. And with a bigger selection of apps and customization options, it can truly become Apple's biggest threat on this side of the market.