Why? Because it isn't supposed to be a timepiece that can compete with the Gear S3 classic and Gear S3 frontier; Samsung didn't enlist the help of any esteemed watch designers when creating it. The Gear Sport is, instead, a Gear Fit2 Pro that has been treated to a watch-like design. That's it.
Let’s not forget that the Gear S3 classic was created for the typical businessman who’s in the market for a traditional-looking timepiece with some added features, while the Gear S3 frontier is aimed towards those in need of a more durable variant that can withstand the odd knock and bump.
But neither unit is designed for fitness-tracking. Sure, they ship with a version of S Health that records steps—among other things—but that’s a mere drop in the water when compared to a watch-based fitness tracker like the immensely-popular Apple Watch Sport.
The Gear Sport was created to fill that void.
Heavily influenced by the design of the Gear S2, the Gear Sport features a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1GHz Exynos 3250 dual-core processor, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 300mAh battery. It’s also equipped with built-in GPS as standard and a slew of unique watch faces.
The pièce de résistance, according to Samsung, is the Gear Sport’s water resistance: Apparently, the device can be submerged in water (5 ATM) for around two-hours, which is more than enough time to swim two-hundred lengths at a somewhat respectable speed.
When the Gear Sport hits the shelves in the not-too-distant future, it will be available with two different color straps—black and blue—though if you’re after something a little more exotic, you can switch them out for any standard 20mm watch strap.
To be completely honest, we can’t fault the Gear Sport. It’s a fantastic device. That said, we only used it for a couple of hours before writing this piece. We’re sure once we play around with it a little more, we’ll develop some qualms—so be sure to stay tuned for our full review.
