Buy Product Reviews Samsung Gear Smartwatches: What You Need to Know Connect to your phone, your calendar, and the rest of your life Share Pin Email Print Samsung Product Reviews Gadgets Computers & Tablets Smartphones Games & Consoles TV & Theater Cameras Audio by Stanley Goodner A love of music influences this writer's tech writing and product reviews. Updated November 11, 2018 Refined since its introduction in 2013, Samsung's smartwatch series has continued its experiment with features, materials, and styling. Good progress has been shown in its march from chunky screens to svelte companion devices. Here are all the Samsung Gear products from most recent to oldest. In August 2018, Samsung rebranded its watch line with the name Samsung Galaxy Watch. Smart watches released by Samsung prior to that date are called Samsung Gear; after that date, they are referred to as the Galaxy Watch. Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro Courtesy of Amazon The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is a fitness-style device rather than a more traditional-looking smartwatch. It works with Android devices running Android 4.4 KitKat (and later) as well as the iPhone 5 and newer devices running iOS 9.0 (and later). Versus the Gear Fit2, the Fit2 Pro offers a buckle clasp, additional pre-installed apps, continuous (versus intermittent) heart rate monitoring, and offline Spotify support. The Gear Fit2 Pro introduces full water resistance (up to 50 m), ideal for rain, showers, and/or engaging in water sports. However, the design lacks exterior speakers and microphone, which means users are unable to send/receive calls straight from the wrist. The Gear Fit2 Pro retains swappable watch bands, standalone music player functionality, voice control (via Bluetooth headphones/earbuds), Samsung Pay compatibility, and wireless charging. Release Date: August 2017 Pros: Compatible with Android and iOSGood for distance trackingContinuous heart rate monitoringWaterproof Cons: Below-average battery lifeLacks speaker/microphone, so can't send/receive calls from the wrist Samsung Gear Sport Courtesy of Amazon The Samsung Gear Sport is a more traditional-looking smartwatch. It works with Android devices running Android 4.4 KitKat (and later) as well as the iPhone 5 and newer devices running iOS 9.0 (and later). The Samsung Gear Sport features an always-on circular display with rotating bezel as part of the user navigation/interface. The Samsung Gear Sport incorporates the appearance of the Gear S3 along with all the activity/fitness tracking features of the Gear Fit2 Pro. The Gear Sport introduces full water resistance (up to 50 m), ideal for rain, showers, and/or engaging in watersports. However, the design lacks exterior speakers and microphone, which means users are unable to send/receive calls straight from the wrist. The Gear Sport retains swappable watch bands, voice control (via Bluetooth headphones/earbuds), standalone music player functionality, Samsung Pay compatibility, and wireless charging. Release Date: August 2017 Pros: Compatible with Android and iOSAlways-on display with navigation bezelWaterproofGood battery life Cons: Lacks speaker/microphone, so can't send/receive calls from the wristNo LTE version Samsung Gear S3 Courtesy of Amazon The Samsung Gear S3 is a more traditional-looking smartwatch. It works with Android devices running Android 4.4 KitKat (and later) as well as the iPhone 5 and newer devices running iOS 9.0 (and later). The Samsung Gear S3 features an always-on circular display with rotating bezel as part of the user navigation/interface. Style options include Classic and Frontier variants, which differ in exterior design/color and bands. The LTE models of the Gear S3 are capable of sending/receiving calls and messages/notifications independent of a paired device. The Gear S3 retains fitness-tracking hardware, voice control, swappable watch bands, standalone music player functionality, Samsung Pay compatibility, and wireless charging. Release Date: November 2016 Pros: Compatible with Android and iOSAlways-on display with navigation bezelLTE models can send/receive calls without a paired device Cons: Average activity trackingHeavy Samsung Gear Fit2 Courtesy of Amazon The Samsung Gear Fit2 is a fitness-style device rather than a more traditional-looking smartwatch. It works with Android devices running Android 4.4 KitKat (and later) as well as the iPhone 5 and newer devices running iOS 9.0 (and later). Versus the Gear Fit, the Gear Fit2 upgrades the overall design with additional features and a higher-resolution screen. It also improves upon almost every aspect to make it a more capable convergence of independent smartwatch and fitness tracker: more accurate heart rate monitoring, greater amount of fitness tracking modes/data, built-in GPS, music player functionality, and ability to receive/reply to notifications (via pre-set responses). Release Date: June 2016 Pros: Compatible with Android and iOSImproved heart rate monitoringIntegrated GPS tracking Cons: Non-continuous heart rate monitoringBelow-average battery life Samsung Gear S2 Courtesy of Amazon The Samsung Gear S2 is a more traditional-looking smartwatch. It works with Android devices running Android 4.4 KitKat (and later) as well as the iPhone 5 and newer devices running iOS 9.0 (and later). The Gear S2 features a circular display with rotating bezel as part of the user navigation/interface. It’s also the first Samsung smartwatch to be compatible with iOS devices. The Gear S2 comes in three variants – Wi-Fi, Classic, and 3G – with the 3G version offering a standalone experience similar to the Samsung Gear S. All three introduce Samsung Pay compatibility via NFC as well as Qi inductive coil wireless charging. The Gear S2 retains health-centric hardware, voice control, swappable watch bands, and standalone music player functionality. Release Date: October 2015 Pros: Compatible with Android and iOSWireless charging3G connectivity Cons: Below-average voice recognitionNo GPS Samsung Gear S Courtesy of Amazon The Samsung Gear S is a less traditional-looking smartwatch with its curved, rectangular screen. It works with Samsung devices running Android 4.3 Jellybean (and later). The Gear S is Samsung’s first smartwatch to equip a nano-SIM card, allowing it to send/receive calls and messages/notifications without a paired device. The Gear S is also the first to include built-in Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G data, and GPS together in one wearable. Similar to the Gear Live, the Gear S smartwatch features an always-on display, but in the curved styling of the Gear Fit. The Gear S retains health-centric hardware, voice control, swappable watch bands, and standalone music player functionality. Release Date: October 2014 (no longer in production) Pros: Curved always-on displayCan send/receive calls without a paired deviceComprehensive connectivity options Cons: Only compatible with Samsung devicesBulky design Samsung Gear Live Courtesy of Amazon The Samsung Gear S is a less traditional-looking smartwatch with its large, rectangular screen. It works with Android devices running Android 4.3 Jellybean (or later). The Gear Live is the first smartwatch to introduce Wear OS (formerly Android Wear), Samsung’s platform for wearables and smartwatches. Wear OS features Google Now, which offers improved voice control and contextual push notifications, and downloads from Google Play. Versus the Gear 2/Neo/Fit, the Gear Live can read and respond to messages directly from the watch. The Gear Live is Samsung’s first with an always-on display. As with previous Samsung smartwatches, the Gear Live features health-centric hardware and a swappable band. The Gear Live lacks a speaker (but retains the microphone for voice control), which prevents music playback and taking calls directly from the watch. Release Date: July 2014 (no longer in production) Pros: Compatible with non-Samsung Android devicesGood voice controlContextual push notifications Cons: No speaker for music playbackBelow-average battery life Samsung Gear Fit Courtesy of Amazon Released at the same time with the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, the Samsung Gear Fit is a fitness-style device rather than a more traditional-looking smartwatch. It works with Android devices running Android 4.3 Jellybean (or later). The Samsung Gear Fit is seen as a convergence of smartwatch and fitness tracker, given the narrow form, curved screen, and health-centric hardware and software. Unlike the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, the Gear Fit lacks: support for third-party apps, voice control, infrared blaster, and the ability to make or receive phone calls. But, as with the Gear 2/Neo, the Gear Fit does feature an interchangeable watch band and support for a wider range of push notifications. Release Date: April 2014 (no longer in production) Pros: Compatible with non-Samsung Android devicesImproved fitness trackingGreater support for push notifications Cons: No support for third-party appsNo voice controlCan't send/receive phone calls Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo Courtesy of Amazon The Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are less traditional-looking smartwatches with their large, rectangular screens. They work with Android devices running Android 4.3 Jellybean (or later). The Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo introduce heart rate monitoring, S Health software, home buttons, standalone music playback, and support for a wider range of push notifications. A built-in speaker and microphone allow users to make and receive phone calls from the watch. The Samsung Gear 2 features a more classic appearance and includes a camera, whereas the Gear 2 Neo features a sportier appearance and does not include a camera. Both smartwatch models offer interchangeable watch bands. Release Date: April 2014 (no longer in production) Pros: Standalone music playbackCan send/receive calls from the wristBuilt-in camera (Gear 2 only) Cons: Average call qualityBelow-average battery life Samsung Galaxy Gear Courtesy of Amazon The Samsung Galaxy Gear is compatible with only select devices running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (or later): Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy S4, and Samsung Galaxy S3. As with other smartwatches, the Samsung Galaxy Gear offers notification alerts (text, calls, email), hands-free voice control (via Samsung S Voice), basic fitness tracking (pedometer), and an integrated music player. Users are able to run third-party apps, make and receive phone calls, and capture photo/video through a camera embedded within the non-swappable watch band. Release Date: September 2013 (no longer in production) Pros: Built-in cameraNotification alertsVoice control Cons: Non-swappable watch bandNo Wi-Fi connectivityLimited water resistance Continue Reading