Camera Features, Performance and Review
SectionsPage 1Samsung Gear ReviewPage 2Camera Features, Performance and Review< /p>Page 3Apps, Battery, Value and Verdict ReviewFeatures and...
07/02/2022
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Samsung Gear 2 Review
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Camera Features, Performance and Review< /p>
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Apps, battery, value and verdict review
Samsung Gear 2 Features and Performance
Before we get into the Samsung Gear 2 full feature list, there is one major issue that we need to address first. Like the Galaxy Gear before it, the Gear 2 is only compatible with Samsung-branded devices - and only a few. p>
Unlike the Sony SmartWatch 2 or Pebble, both of which are compatible with a wide variety of handsets, the Gear 2 works with just 17 Samsung smartphones and tablets. While flagship phones like the
Samsung Galaxy S5
and
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
have been made compatible, smaller but still extremely popular phones such as the
Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
lack support.
Samsung wearables would be much more attractive if they worked with more devices, especially non-Samsung ones.
But now the positives. The Samsung Gear 2 is much sleeker than the original Galaxy Gear. The new dual-core processor speeds things up and helps reduce lag when jumping through menus or launching apps.
While we can live happily without the watch's calling and messaging options, as a media controller the device has its merits. Being able to control your smartphone's music player directly from your wrist is quickly becoming an addictive feature, its simplicity encouraging continued use. Thanks to a built-in IR receiver, the watch can also be used to control your TV, although it's nicer to have than a staple like music control.
'Find My Phone' is another handy feature for those who tend to misplace their belongings - press 'Find My Phone' on the watch and your phone will ring, it also works the other way round, so you can use your phone to find the watch. The Bluetooth 4.0 connection range means the smartwatch stays within range anywhere in an average sized two-story home. It also works the other way around if you have trouble remembering where you took the watch off.
Unfortunately, the list of negatives is much longer.
Like its Samsung Gear Fit and Samsung Galaxy S5 sibling, the Gear 2 has a built-in heart rate sensor to provide more detailed health monitoring than standard pedometer and accelerometer offerings. Unfortunately, we're not convinced by the Gear 2's sensor.
Located on the back of the watch, the heart rate sensor felt like an unnecessary addition which for the masses is not that useful or even reliable. On rare occasions the Gear 2's sensor gave a reading on the first attempt, its results were consistently four to eight points better than the Gear Fit and Gear 2 Neo when tested simultaneously, and we've already verified that the Gear Fit readings were lower. precise as we would like.
It's easy to track your resting heart rate, with all data synced to the S Health app. Try monitoring it on the go, though, and error messages are the constant reminder of the limitations of technology, and frankly measuring your resting heart rate just isn't that useful.
As with the Galaxy Gear, the Gear 2 is also intended to be used for making and receiving calls, but we can't recommend you do so. There are some serious issues, including the weirdness of talking on your wrist in public and the fact that it's not really any more convenient than using your phone.
Due to their location on the back edge of the watch, the Gear 2's built-in speaker and microphone are both prone to obstructions. That means contorting your wrist, crisp sound is out of the question. Plus, taking calls through the watch means anyone nearby can hear your full conversation, in which case you can also use your real phone's speakerphone feature.
Message notifications are only marginally better on the Gear 2 too. While the ability to read messages directly from the wrist is a handy addition, replying is a joke. The selection of response patterns is not ideal for real-world situations.
The responses "How are you?", "What's up" and "I'll talk to you soon" sound extremely forced, but then a miniaturized QWERTY keyboard on the screen would be just as bad. What the Gear 2 really needs is voice dictation, but there's no option for that.
Sometimes the Samsung Gear 2 breathes in included functionality for its own good, with little thought for the app. And that's before we get to the watch's built-in camera.
Samsung Gear2: Camera
The Samsung Gear 2's camera is a special inclusion. The camera may have moved from the strap, but it's still difficult to use and lacks the quality levels that would warrant its inclusion.
Updated from a 1.9-megapixel offering to a new 2-megapixel sensor, the Gear 2's camera is satisfactory at best; it produces similar results to the front-facing camera of a mid-range smartphone, with shots that lack sharpness and the overall quality that would warrant regular use.
Despite the new positioning on the top edge of the watch, the camera is still difficult to use. Aligning a plane and viewing the screen at the same time requires some serious wrist contortion. At no point does it seem like a natural process that will replace simply pulling your phone out of your pocket to snap a photo.
If the thought of someone watching you carefully bend your wrist into odd shapes in order to take a photo with a watch wasn't enough of a deterrent, the Gear 2's camera has another annoyance-inducing problem. The shutter sound that accompanies each snap is ridiculously loud and fades away. That's enough to discourage you.
You can also use voice commands to take a photo, but unfortunately these aren't always the most reliable. Saying "cheese" or "smile" can trigger the shutter five out of ten times. Yelling the commands slightly improves the success rate.
When scaled to a larger screen, the images captured by the camera show their lack of detail and clarity and again raise the question of the inclusion of the camera. If Samsung insists on equipping its smartwatches with a camera, we can't help but think that a user-facing selfie camera would be a better bet.
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