Farwell, Android Wear. Hello, Tizen. Samsung's latest smartwatch abandons the Android Wear OS in favor of the company's homegrown Tizen OS, which proves to be a smart choice indeed. The Samsung Gear S2 $ has a user-friendly interface that's worlds easier to use than Android Wear. And the watch itself has a great design that combines the round face and stainless steel case of a traditional timepiece with a futuristic, rotating bezel that makes navigation even easier. But there's still some room for Tizen to grow, as a dearth of apps and weak voice recognition keep the Gear S2 from nabbing a higher score. Pricing and Design The Samsung Gear S2 comes in two flavors There's the regular Gear S2 for $ and the $ Gear S2 classic. The regular Gear S2 comes with a black or white silicone wristband, while the classic model has black leather strap. No matter which version you choose, the watch face is made of matte stainless steel. We reviewed the $ model, with a white band and a silver face. You Can Trust Our Reviews There are also 3G versions of each watch available with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon service. Pricing and availability will vary according to carrier; T-Mobile, for instance, offers the option to add the watch to your plan for $5 per month. Similar Products The standard Gear S2 model is extremely comfortable and light on the wrist, with a simple clasp and an adjustable buckle to stay in place. No matter which model you choose, you're sure to be happy with the watch's most distinguishing feature, a rotating bezel. Similar to the digital crown on the side of the Apple Watch $ at eBayOpens in a new window , you physically turn the bezel around the watch face like a dial in order to make selections. It's precise, quick, and feels very satisfying to use thanks to the little clicks it makes. The watch also has a Back button in the two o'clock position, and a Home button in the four o'clock position. The Home button brings you to the default watch face or to your main app library if you're already at your home watch face. The Back button brings you back one step in whatever app you're in. Of course, you can also tap your way through the interface without bothering with the bezel. I'll discuss navigation more in a bit, but the Gear S2 is the most easily navigable smartwatch I've tested. Left to right Apple Watch, Samsung Gear S2, Moto 360 The Gear S2's round watch face measures inches around, inches thick, and weighs ounces. The Huawei Watch at AmazonOpens in a new window , by comparison, is slightly larger at inches wide, inches thick, and ounches. The Motorola Moto 360 , meanwhile, meastures inches wide, inches thick, and ounces. The variations might seem slight on paper, but you can really feel a difference on your wrist. The watch is rated IP68 for water-resistance, which means it can withstand splashes at the sink, but you shouldn't take it to the beach or in the shower. DisplayThe Gear S2 has a circular Super AMOLED display with a 360-by-360-pixel resolution that works out to a sharp 302 pixels per inch. It doesn't get quite as bright as the Huawei Watch, but I was always able to see it outside, even with the brightness set to low. The screen is not always-on by default, but there is an option to do so if you wish. Without it on, the screen still activates quickly when you life your wrist, and it never accidentally turned on in my testing, which is very helpful for conserving battery. The screen turns off fast, though—after about five seconds—which can get a little annoying when you're trying to read an email, text, or CNN headline. However, a quick tap or turn of the bezel keeps the screen activated. Samsung uses an ambient light sensor to adjust brightness depending on surroundings, without the "flat tire" effect that cuts off the Moto 360's circular display in a horizontal line at the bottom. It's also easy to adjust the brightness on your own just swipe down on the display and tap the Brightness setting. I didn't detect any prismatic screen aberration here like I did on the Moto 360, unless you count some very slight reflections of light around the edge of the bezel. The watch can be paired with Bluetooth devices, including headesets or speakers for music playback, or mobile devices that run Android or later. Unlike Pebble or Android Wear devices, there is no iOS support. To start the pairing process, you need to download the free Samsung Gear Manager app on your Android device and follow the simple on-screen instructions. I easily paired the Gear S2 with a Samsung Galaxy S6 $ at AmazonOpens in a new window . Once connected, you have a number of options at your command, like customizing the watch face, managing apps and notifications, and sending music files to the watch, which comes with 4GB of internal storage. Features, Performance, and TizenThe Gear S2 has an accelerometer, a barometer, a gyroscope, proximity sensors, and a heart rate sensor. Unlike the Sony SmartWatch 3 $ at AmazonOpens in a new window , there is no GPS, but there is Wi-Fi, which extends the range of the watch when connected to a wireless network. The heart rate sensor here works better than the one in the Huawei Watch or the Moto 360 by automatically measuring your heart rate throughout the day. By default it checks in about five times per day, though you can adjust it to check more or less frequently. You can also check manually, and it lets you know whether your heart rate is average when you're resting, in a state before exercise, or after exercise. The watch reported resting numbers in the low-to-mid sixties while sitting in a relaxed state, which is on par with measurements taken by the Huawei Watch. The watch counts steps and detects when you're exercising or resting for too long, similar to the Apple Watch. You can also keep track of the amount of water or caffeine you've been drinking. And you can install the Nike+ running app for more detailed fitness analysis. However, like I usually advise, you probably want to go with a dedicated fitness tracker rather than a smartwatch if fitness is your primary concern. The Misfit Flash Link $ at AmazonOpens in a new window is great if you're on a budget, while the Fitbit Charge HR $ at AmazonOpens in a new window is worth the splurge. Powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM, the Gear S2 uses Samsung's proprietary operating system, Tizen. It has the best user interface for a smartwatch yet, though it does have one annoying flaw. For some reason, the Gear S2 doesn't go back to the app you were previously using after it goes to sleep. Instead, it goes back to the default watch face every time it wakes up. That can be frustrating if you want to keep reading a story, or reply to a text when suddenly the screen shuts off from inactivity. Thakfully, the watch keeps images and headlines loaded in news apps when you finally return to them. The strength of Tizen lies in its layout, which is a pleasure to navigate. Turning the bezel or swiping to the left brings up any notifications, which you can tap to open or swipe up to dismiss. Swiping or turning the bezel to the right brings up the main menu for Apps, a list of favorite contacts, Settings, or the S Voice assistant. Keep swiping or rotating the bezel and you can see a whole collection of apps around the perimeter of the screen, as if they were numbers on a watch face, including the calendar, heart rate monitor, music playback control, pedometer, or whatever other apps you want to include. It beats swiping through endless vertical lists and cards like in Android Wear. However, you still have to tap on the touch screen to make selections. It would've been nice to be able to push the bezel in to make selections, but since your fingers are already on the watch anyway, it's not a big deal. Unfortunately, Tizen's selection of third-party apps is weak compared with Android Wear, Apple, and Pebble. There are no music streaming services besides Samsung's Milk Music, little in the way of fitness apps besides Samsung's S Health, and nothing when it comes to note-taking apps or popular social media like Facebook or Twitter. There are some useful apps available, like Bloomberg, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and Yelp, but Samsung needs to lure many more companies if it wants to compete. And although watch apps aren't available, you can still receive and respond to phone notifications from Facebook, Google Hangouts, and Twitter on the Gear S2 with a robust set of options. You can choose from some short, canned phrases or send an emoticon. You can also respond with voice-to-text, though unfortunately this feature is hit-or-miss; I never reached a point in testing where I felt like I could rely on it to quickly send an accurate message. Surprisingly, the Gear S2 also offers a phone number pad-style keyboard with three letters assigned to each number so you can type out messages. It's a slow process, but predictive text helps things along. A friend texted me some good news and I was able to type in "Wow, that's great! Congrats!" fairly easily. Don't expect to take calls on the Gear S2, though. You can use it to dial a call, but you'll have to take out your phone or put on a Bluetooth headset if you want to take things any further. Battery life is relatively excellent. Samsung promises up to three days of use, which is accurate if you keep the display set to power off automatically. With it set to always-on, the watched lasted for nearly two days, which is still better than any other smartwatch with a color display I've tested with the exception of the Pebble Time, which can last for about a week, albeit with a much dimmer, lower-resolution display. The Gear S2 can also be set to go into Power-Saving mode, which turns the screen monochrome when you're running low on battery. It charges with an included magnetic dock and micro USB cable. ConclusionsThe Samsung Gear S2 should certainly sit alongside the Apple Watch and the Pebble family as one of the better smartwatch options on the market. It sports a sleek design, a user-friendly interface that blows the confusing Android Wear out of the water, very good battery life for a smartwatch, and a unique, rotating bezel. Unfortunately, a paltry selection of apps holds it back, especially when Apple and Pebble have so many to choose from. And underwhelming voice recognition ultimately makes the Apple and Pebble watches easier to use. I'd certainly choose the Gear 2 over Android Wear options like the Huawei Watch and the Moto 360, but it's a harder pick from there. The Apple Watch remains the smartwatch for dyed-in-the-wool Apple users, with a reliable heart rate sensor that works as you exercise, NFC so you can pay without flashing your credit card, the best selection of third-party apps, and an intuitive interface similar to that of the Gear S2. But our Editors' Choice remains with the Pebble family, which we highly recommended to smartwatch newcomers. The original Pebble is inexpensive, is compatible with both Android and iOS, and works with many useful apps. The Pebble Time $ at AmazonOpens in a new window adds a color screen and reliable voice-to-text messaging. Or you could wait for the Pebble Time Round, which is the Pebble Time with a traditional round watch face. The Samsung Gear S2 is definitely an intriguing new option, but it's worth waiting for the second generation. Pros Sleek design. Nice display. Useful rotating bezel. Intuitive user interface. Good battery life. View More Cons Weak app selection. Spotty voice recognition. Pricey. The Bottom Line The Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch has great software and a thoughtful design going for it, but a paltry app selection and finicky voice recognition hold it back. Like What You're Reading? Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

The Samsung Gear S2 $ at AmazonOpens in a new window is only a few months old, but it's already been updated in the form of a new $ Classic edition. The Gear S2 Classic has the same exact interface and hardware as the original, but it's built with classier materials including a leather wristband that could be worth the $50 premium if you like the look. It's an attractive smartwatch, with one of the most intuitive interfaces we've seen and a unique, rotating bezel you won't find anywhere else. But just like the original Gear S2, the lack of third-party apps and finicky voice recognition keep the Classic from earning a stronger recommendation. DesignThe Gear S2 Classic $ at AmazonOpens in a new window goes for a more subdued, traditional appearance than its sportier sibling. It has a black leather wristband, while the stainless steel case is now adorned with little ridges, giving it the appearance of an actual gear. The added bit of texture also helps when rotating the bezel to control the watch. The Classic's leather band is highly comfortable, with a creamy brown suede underside that feels fantastic on the wrist. That said, you can still pick up the original watch, which comes with black or white silicone bands, for $50 less. You Can Trust Our Reviews To round out the design, the Classic is slightly smaller than its predecessor, measuring inches around compared with the original's inches. The Classic is also a bit lighter, weighing in at ounces compared with the original. Similar Products Like on the original, the Classic's bezel is its best, most unique aspect. It can be physically turned around the watch face like a dial to make app selections, which is a much faster and more precise way to navigate menus than the seemingly endless series of screen wipes that are required with an Android Wear watch like the Motorola Moto 360 . The Gear features two buttons on the right side of the case to help navigate the interface a Back button at the two o'clock position and a Home button at four o'clock. The Home button brings you to the default watch face, or your app library if you're already at the watch face. The Back button, naturally, sends you back one step. You can also tap the touch screen to get around. Display and Setup The Classic shares the same screen as the original Gear S2 an attractive, circular, 360-by-360 Super AMOLED display. It stays off by default unless you wake it with a twist of the bezel, a wrist gesture, or a tap there is also an option to keep it on all the time, which will seriously drain your battery life. Brightness can be adjusted by swiping down on the display and tapping the Brightness setting, or you can let the ambient light sensor do the work for you. Unlike the Moto 360, there is no "flat tire" effect. You can pair the Classic with Bluetooth devices like headsets or speakers for music playback, or with mobile devices that run Android or later. You don't need a Samsung device to use the watch, but there is no iOS support like you get with Android Wear or Pebble watches. To pair the watch, you need to download the free Samsung Gear app and follow the on-screen instructions. I paired the Classic with a Galaxy S6 $ at AmazonOpens in a new window in about a minute. Once connected, you can select your watch face, manage apps and notifications, or transfer music files to the watch, which comes with 4GB of internal storage. Features and Performance As mentioned earlier, the Classic has the same exact internals as the original. This includes an accelerometer, a barometer, a gyroscope, proximity sensors, and a heart rate sensor. Unlike the Sony SmartWatch 3 $ at AmazonOpens in a new window , you won't find GPS. There is Wi-Fi connectivity, which extends the range of the watch when connected to a wireless network. The heart rate sensor intermittently measures your heart rate throughout the day, but it doesn't track continuously like the Garmin Vivosmart HR , a dedicated fitness tracker. Instead, the Classic checks in about five times per day, though you can adjust it to check more or less frequently. You can also have it check manually. You'll find a few preloaded widgets on the watch, including the S Health step counter, weather info, and a water consumption tracker. You can customize where the widgets are placed on your watch face and add your own apps from the Samsung Gear manager on your phone. Similar to the Apple Watch $ at eBayOpens in a new window , the Classic counts steps and nudges you when you're at rest for too long. You can install the Nike+ running app for more detailed fitness tracking, but if workouts are your main concern, you'll want to go with a dedicated fitness tracker. The Classic runs on Samsung's homegrown Tizen operating system, which is very simple to navigate. A twist of the bezel or swipe to the left brings up push notifications, while the right brings up the menu for Apps, a list of favorite contacts, Settings, and the S Voice assistant. Swipe or rotate again and you'll find every loaded app circling the screen, like numbers on a watch face. It's a far better solution than Android Wear's cards and vertical lists. That said, the Classic returns to the default watch face every time it wakes up. Tizen's primary shortcoming is its weak selection of third-party apps compared with Android Wear, Apple, and Pebble. Samsung's Milk Music is the only streaming service available, and besides Nike+, fitness aficionados are stuck with Samsung's S Health. A note-taking app has shown up since I last reviewed the Gear S2, but Facebook and Twitter are still absent. Besides Bloomberg, CNN, Uber, The Wall Street Journal, and Yelp, there are few big-name companies lending their services to Tizen. Another issue is that the Classic's microphone failed to pick my voice up several times when trying to dictate a message, a problem shared by the original Gear S2. As for battery life, you can go about two days before you need to recharge the Classic with its proprietary dock. Conclusions The Samsung Gear S2 Classic is simply a sleeker version of the rubbery original. It looks and feels nice, and Tizen is easier to navigate than any other smartwatch OS. Unfortunately, the Classic also suffers from the same issues as its predecessor, including poor voice recognition and a lackluster app library. You'll get a far greater selection of apps with the Apple Watch, though it isn't compatible with Android devices. Your best bet is our Editors' Choice, the Pebble Time $ at AmazonOpens in a new window , which offers a robust app library, longer battery life, and support for both Android and iOS devices. If you want something that looks a bit sharper, the Pebble Time Round $ at AmazonOpens in a new window is a solid alternative. Pros Sleek design. Sharp display. Unique rotating bezel. Intuitive UI. View More Cons Mediocre app selection. Weak voice recognition. The Bottom Line The Samsung Gear S2 Classic smartwatch upgrades the original with a sleek stainless steel case and a leather wristband, but the same drawbacks remain. Like What You're Reading? Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

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