Samsung Gear S3 frontier smartwatch review
I have a confession to make – I don’t like watches. I don’t like how they get bumped against doors and get caught in my clothes, I don’t like how they remind me of school, where I had to instantly get from one class to another, I don’t like the idea that they’re intended to serve as a fashion accessory (not unlike a peacock’s plumage), and I particularly don’t like that they can’t do much beyond telling the time – something that my phone does perfectly.
But when I reviewed the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch last year, I actually enjoyed it. The wearable looked good and felt okay on my wrist, but above all, it could do much more than to tell me that I was late for my weekly editorial meeting. That’s why I’m now excited to test the Samsung Gear S3 frontier, which comes with a bigger battery, a built-in speaker, and a dedicated GPS for improved location tracking. Let’s find out if it is worth the 350 asking price.
- Samsung Gear S3 frontier smartwatch
- Magnetic wireless charging cradle
- Wired charger (connects to the cradle via microUSB)
- Regular and small-sized rubber wrist Band
- Quick Start Guide
Design
The Gear S3 frontier is a smartwatch made for adventurers – thick, solid, tough. The rotating bezel is as reliable as before.
This is no kids’ watch, that’s for sure. It doesn’t look great on a lady’s hand either, unlike the Samsung Gear S2 from last year. Made of stainless steel, the Samsung Gear S3 frontier is big and solid, with a manly look, and is noticeably on the heavy side. It wraps around the wrist with a thick rubbery Band providing a tight, secure grip, further strengthened by a metal clasp. So if I were planning on spending a weekend in Bear Grylls’s company, this would be an ideal smartwatch to wear.
The rugged look and feel of the Gear S3 frontier come as no surprise. Samsung is advertising its smartwatch as IP68-certified and compliant with MIL-STD-810G standards for durability. Or in plain words, the wearable is resistant to water and dust ingress, as well as to unexpected falls and extreme temperatures. Keep in mind that the watch is not suitable for use while swimming, but giving it a quick rinse under the tap after an exercise will do no harm. Meanwhile, the raised bezel surrounding the screen protects its scratch-resistant surface against physical damage.
About the bands the Gear S3 frontier comes bundled with, it is made of what Samsung calls “active silicon”. The material is grippy, meaning that it holds on tightly to the wearer’s wrist. I wouldn’t call this the most comfortable or most beautiful Band I’ve ever tried, but I grew used to it over time. Besides, given the fact that the smartwatch is meant to appeal to active, sporty people, I’d give its stock Band a pass.
I should point out that wearable is compatible with standard, 22-mm wristbands, so if you’re not happy with the stock Band, you’re free to exchange it with one of your own. A leather Band, for instance, would be a lot more suitable to wear to a fancy dinner, and Samsung has offerings priced at 30 apiece.
On the right side of the Gear S3 frontier are positioned its Back and Home buttons. Both are readily accessible and easy to feel without looking. But to navigate your way through the user interface, you’ll be mostly using the rotating bezel. This is a design approach I really liked when testing the Gear S2 last year, and I’m happy to see that it is as reliable as it was back then. Each twist results in a satisfying, tactile click, and the ridges on the bezel’s outer rim make it easier to feel. My only complaint is that I had the bezel rotate by accident a couple of times, when it got caught in my running jacket’s sleeve during an exercise.
Display
Bright and crisp, the screen on the Gear S3 frontier is a pleasure to look at.
A round smartwatch is a classy smartwatch, and the Gear S3 frontier falls into that category. On its front we have a 1.3-inch circular Super AMOLED display, protected by the scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass SR, which is designed specifically for wearables.
To sum it all up, the screen is a pleasure to look at. That’s not only due to its high resolution – 360×360 pixels for 278ppi. It is also because it displays graphics in high contrast. Notifications, for example, are nice, sharp, and clearly legible, as text is shown with white letters against a black background. Colors are bright and vivid, making watchfaces, apps, and widgets look their best. And no less importantly, I’ve never experienced issues with outdoor visibility.
One thing I should mention is that the Gear S3 frontier has the option to leave the display always on. When not in use, the screen dims down after a timeout period configurable between 15 seconds to 5 minutes. This does have a serious impact on battery life, but it makes the watch feel more like a watch. If you choose to disable the option, the screen will turn on automatically when you lift your hand or turn your wrist – gestures that work pretty well, in my experience.
As far as sensitivity goes, the Gear S3 frontier performs better than I expected. Moisture can easily make a touchscreen unusable, but the sweat accumulated after a 1-hour workout wasn’t enough to cause any troubles. Still, keep in mind that the touchscreen will start acting up if it gets too wet.
Samsung Gear S3 review
The Gear S3 is packed with features and has gotten bigger to accommodate all that it can do, but should you buy it? Here’s our Samsung Gear S3 review!
Samsung Gear S3
Samsung manages to make each feature in its stacked smartwatch work, making the Gear S3 one of the most enjoyable Smart wearable experiences we’ve had this year.
What we like
Large display is the best for notifications
Rotating bezel is a joy to use
Plenty of features and tools make up core experience
What we don’t like
Design may not suit many people
Third-party apps can be buggy
4G LTE and calls come at an added monthly price
Samsung Gear S3
Samsung manages to make each feature in its stacked smartwatch work, making the Gear S3 one of the most enjoyable Smart wearable experiences we’ve had this year.
The newest version of the Gear series is a bit bigger, packs a little more punch, and brings a few more tools for the smartwatch enthusiast. Is there enough substance behind the style? We find out in this full review of the Samsung Gear S3.
Hot Android phones:
Before we begin, we will mention that while we are reviewing the Frontier edition, we were able to use the two different editions of it. A Wi-Fi only edition of the watch is available and is more or less the typical Gear experience, while the 4G-enabled edition through ATT makes it easy use the watch without needing to have a phone nearby and connected.
Design
While it might not be easy for everyone to sport this large smartwatch, there is one simple reality for those who can – this is one sleek device. The Gear S3 Frontier brings grooves to the signature rotating bezel, giving it an added tactile quality that is subtle but noticeably felt. Seconds in increments of five line the area just below the rotating bezel – a small detail that adds to any analog watch face. Two buttons are on the right side, one to go backwards in the interface and the other to either go back to the watch face or open up the app list. To differentiate the Frontier and Classic editions, the Frontier’s buttons are more recessed to the body and are covered in a patterned leather.
In adding to the sporty nature of the Gear S3 Frontier, a silicone Band comes standard. This helps with the watch’s water resistance, ensuring that no leather will get ruined if one’s wrist gets splashed. However, it is easy to replace the bands through the 22mm standard connectors. A myriad of bands are available from Samsung via partnerships with plenty of fashion companies, but this silicone complemented the style of the Gear S3 nicely.
The body case is a large 46mm, definitely bigger than either of the previous Gear S2 models. This size makes it tough to recommend for anyone with small wrists, regardless of one’s gender. Even my own wrists could barely contain the large frame of the watch. While it certainly doesn’t look obnoxious on my wrists, it took a little bit of time to get used to. This size adds room for plenty of features and protection – turning the watch body over reveals the heart rate sensor and designations for the 316L stainless steel material that makes it up. And finally, a MIL-STD 810G rating adds extra shock, heat, and cold resistance to the existing IP certification.
What we really applaud the Gear S3 Frontier for, is its ability to work with plenty of different outfits. While it is most at home among a more formal ensemble, the sleek head-turning design makes it a centerpiece when wearing casual clothing. And to that end, it is hardly a loud device in terms of look – the black color blends in well with most paired clothing.
Which brings us to the marquee feature that returns from the Gear S2 – the rotating bezel. It takes just little tug or a little push in order to make it move, and every click from the bezel is as satisfying as the last. Full touchscreen capabilities are available still, but this physical method of moving around the Tizen interface is fluid, responsive, and as snappy as it should be. Movements far in the interface or just to the next element are equally easy, making this an ideal smartwatch for anyone that wants a tactile experience to, in many ways, replace touchscreen experiences.
Display
And the display is half the story regarding the size of the Gear S3 – at 1.3 inches, the OLED display is covered in Gorilla Glass SR (Scratch Resistance Plus) and boasts 360 x 360 resolution. Though these specs might sound a bit run of the mill for most high-end smartwatches, credit goes to Samsung for leveraging it as effectively as possible. OLED lends to really great colors coming from the Tizen OS along with the ability to truly turn off the display’s lighting for battery savings.
And to that end, watch faces on the Gear S3 take on a different nature when the ‘Always on Display’ option is ticked. When using pretty much any watch face downloaded from the Samsung Gear application, covering the display with one’s hand or letting it time out reveals a more toned down version of the face that still keeps the essential elements in view no matter what angle you’re looking at the watch from. For any fans of the Always on Display on the Galaxy smartphones, this is about the closest that it can get strapped onto a wrist.
In all situations – even in broad daylight – the brightness of this OLED panel keeps everything properly viewable. And it is important to have an easy time glancing at the screen because the Tizen operating system tries to pack in as much as it can in the main screen. Some watch faces have hidden functionality when tapped upon. For example, the default face doubles up as a stopwatch. Even when features like these are running, small elements are strewn about the watch face to alert the user to changing circumstances like standing notifications or when the watch is not connected to a smartphone.
Make no mistake – this is the best way to read notifications on a smartwatch. Ever. The combination of the high quality screen and the rotating bezel to scroll down in even long notifications is an experience that is unparalleled by the touchscreen-centric Android Wear and the button pressing Pebble. Even when pictures load up in the preview, they’re shown in effective fashion and simply add to the idea that this watch is supposed to be more standalone than perpetually tethered to your smartphone.
Performance
So, for a watch that wants to do as much as possible, there has to be quite a bit of power under the hood. For the Gear S3, this comes in the form of an Exynos 7270, born and optimized by Samsung and for Samsung, in the case of their own smartwatch operating system Tizen. It comes at no surprise, then, that the watch simply flies through its operating system and applications. A quick spin of the rotating bezel shows how fluidly all of the widgets and screens zip past with no issues at all.
The only problems we had with applications came from third party developed downloads from the Gear Manager. This is not so much the problem of the watch and its processing power, but from the development of the apps. While this is an issue that bears mentioning, the core experience of the Gear S3 is still about as good as it can get – and that says a lot, because this watch tries to do a lot out of the box.
Hardware
As mentioned earlier, we have been able to use a 4G LTE enabled version of the Gear S3 that comes with a few extras. Namely, the ability to sync up the watch without needing to be around the smartphone it pairs with. Setting up the Gear Manager properly means that as long as both the smartphone and smartwatch are connected to some sort of network, notifications will come to the Gear S3, no matter where the user is.
The added benefit is the ability to make calls and send texts in this very situation, without the smartphone around. On ATT, this service is called NumberSync and it makes it so that the watch goes off alongside its paired phone. Calls on the watch make use of a speaker and microphone combo that is found on the left side of the body, tucked under the top half of the watch. The experience of taking calls on the S3 is akin to a small walkie talkie that is strapped to your wrist, but it isn’t effective in even semi-loud environments and thus requires either a Bluetooth headset connection or, surprise surprise, moving to the phone. It’s a great idea made into reality, it’s just not as awesome as we probably all expected it to be.
Not the mention that having this extra functionality in the Frontier LTE means paying for a smartwatch plan that encompasses data and wireless signal, which costs 10 on top of any smartphone plan you are already paying for. Is it worth that extra money each month? That’s up to you, but we think that there is already so much fun to be had on the Gear S3 without having to shout at your wrist.
Connecting a Bluetooth headset to the watch opens up a couple of possibilities. Not only will calls be easier to manage, but the on-board storage can be used for local music playback. The LTE-enabled Frontier allows for Spotify streaming, which is nice but is a battery drain. 4GB of storage is available for local files so that content is always within reach.
One final feature on the Gear S3 is Samsung Pay, enabled on the Gear S3 through an add-on that is installed in the Gear Manager. The setup takes a little bit of time, but after getting any credit cards put into the add-on and then transferred over to the NFC and MST enabled Gear S3, payments are quite easy at multiple stations across major stores. Simply hold the back button, select which card to use, and then bring the watch up to the station and voila. This is yet another fun aspect to using the Gear S3, and even this skeptic that prefers physical credit cards gets a kick out of it.
The battery of the Gear S3 is charged via a wireless charging dock that is magnetic, making the watch snap right into place easily. Though Samsung claims two days of battery life out of the 380mAh unit, that is less true when usage is constant and aggressive. This is mostly true for the Frontier LTE, in which everything from taking calls, sending texts, and even fitness tracking combined will make the watch seem more like a one day warrior. When using more applications and functions on the regular, be prepared to take the watch off and dock it at least once a day to top off the battery.
Software
And lastly, Tizen – the smartwatch OS of choice for Samsung. Since the Gear S2, there have been some enhancements made to the operating system, and existing Gear S2 users will get this through an update. These are mostly in terms of using the rotating bezel, which can be rotated to answer or decline calls, for example.
The main noticeable changes are in the overall optimization of the Tizen software, and it shows in the smooth look and feel that the Gear S3 provides. Which is good, because there are a lot of apps that require some due diligence. Weather, calendar events, reminders, Flipboard, S Health, and so much more are available to the user, and it can get a little overwhelming. Add upon all that the different ways that users can respond to messages – voice, emoji, canned messages, and a T9 keyboard that is a bit easier to use on the larger screen but is still far from ideal.
S Health returns in Tizen as the main method of fitness tracking. Much like in the Gear S2, S Health will count steps and periodically take heart rate metrics to get a snapshot of the day’s fitness. While its step count default of 6000 is still rather absurd to us, there are a few more tools here to use when going out in the wild. GPS tracking is available when doing distanced based workouts, though it has to be enabled via the specifically selected activity, like hiking. And speaking of hiking, there are barometers and altimeters to get a better handle on one’s environment. Hikers, in particular, will probably find altitude information useful. Other functions in S Health help users track water and caffeine intake along with sleep, but these are rather simplistic in their execution.
The app ecosystem of Tizen has grown a lot since the Gear S2, and some apps that I envied Android Wear and Pebble for during my usage of Samsung’s OS have finally arrived. That said, there are issues with some third party application development, as we mentioned earlier. Sleep as Android, my sleep tracker of choice, is still a little buggy and didn’t give full reports a couple of nights. And S Voice is just not as good as Google’s voice assistance.
All in all, Tizen is an experience that is still best taken at its core, because that is where it shines best. Third party support is still lacking, but Samsung is still able to make it work where it counts – fitness tracking, though sometimes simplistic, is robust; and Samsung Pay helps add a bit of flair to the notification prowess and daily info already built into the Gear S3.
Conclusion
There was a feeling I couldn’t shake when using the Gear S3 – with every notification that came in, I found myself enjoying reading the entire message (usually SMS) on the screen, scrolling down with the satisfying clicks of the rotating bezel. This is an experience I had before on the Gear S2, but for some reason this was better on the even larger, more men’s fashion-oriented Gear S3. And for any faults that I came across in this smartwatch, like buggy apps or tough to hear voice calls blaring from my wrist, the simplest daily activities were made better by what Samsung continues to build upon since premiering their unique tactile user experience.
The Gear S3 Frontier, in particular, really tries to wear a lot of hats at once – smartwatch, notification center, health monitor, payment system, GPS tracker, audio player, and voice caller, to name a few. And though there are a large number of users that may be turned off by the visage of this smartwatch, credit has to be given where credit is due – Samsung managed to make the bulk of these features work well enough in concert to make what has been one of the most enjoyable smartwatch experiences we’ve had in a little while. Android Wear unfortunately has one of its biggest competitors in the Samsung Gear S3.
Hot Android Phones:
What do you think of the Samsung Gear S3? Would you buy one? Or is an Android Wear device or the Apple Watch more your type of smartwatch? Let us know your views in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев below!
Samsung Gear S3 Review
Just narrowly missing out on the top spot overall, the Samsung Gear S3 scored exceptionally well in our tests. This model is very easy to use, has a fantastic display, long battery life, and is by far the best out of the entire group at being a fitness tracker. Unfortunately, it loses a ton of functionality when used with a non-Samsung phone, such as no longer being able to receive notifications.
Our Analysis and Test Results
This stylish watch is available in two designs, with the sleeker Classic look or the sportier Frontier model. Featuring a unique rotating bezel to navigate between menus, this is definitely a model worth considering if you have a Samsung phone, or an Android phone if you don’t mind limited text, call, and email notifications. This model will work with iOS phones but the capabilities are even further reduced.
Performance Comparison
We spent in excess of 160 hours researching and testing the top 8 models of smartwatches that you can buy today, conducting over 25 different tests and comparing the results side-by-side. The Samsung Gear S3 did very well as mentioned above, earning the second-highest score of the group with a 75 out of 100.
Our test was split into five weighted sections, Ease of Use, Smart Functions, Display, Fitness Impact, and Battery Life, each with a handful of different tests and comparisons. The following sections give more detail on how the Gear S3 did in each test and its subscore for each test section.
Ease of Use
Making up the largest portion of the overall score, Ease of Use was the most important metric in our test. We ranked and compared the interface, resistance to water, charging method, screen responsiveness, and the difficulty in swapping wristbands for each model. The Gear S3 tied with the Apple Watch Series 2 for the top score in this metric, with both watches earning an 8 out of 10. The following chart shows how the remaining watches compared to these two top scorers in terms of being easy to use.
The Gear S3 had one of the most responsive screens of the entire group, both at waking up and navigating using the touchscreen. This model woke almost instantly when raising your wrist to look at the screen, lighting up with practically zero delay. The touchscreen responded easily to inputs without being finicky or twitchy, making it very nice to scroll through all of the menus. This model lacks a crown scroll but has a bezel scroll — a unique feature, and a convenient way to navigate through the menus.
The Gear S3 had one of the nicest charging setups of the group, sitting securely in a cradle. This was an exceptionally reliable connection and not prone to accidental disconnects like other models.
This model is water resistant to the IP68 standard, meaning it can be submerged for up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, but is not suitable for swimming or diving
Smart Functions
To judge the set of Smart functions on each watch, we tested compatibility with popular apps, the ability to take phone calls directly on the watch, whether or not you could control music, pay for things, and if the watch had a standalone GPS module. The Gear S3 did alright, earning a 7 out of 10 in this set of tests, which make up one-fifth of the overall score. This watch compared quite well with the others in our test in terms of Smart functions.
We took 10 popular apps and attempted to install them on each watch, rating them on compatibility and functionality. The Gear S3 actually scored very poorly in this test, only working with Messenger and a very reduced form of
The Gear S3 did allow you to make phone calls from your wrist and had average sound quality when your wrist was raised. This model did allow you to control your music, but only allows you to skip, play/pause, and adjust the volume, not thumb tracks up or down in Pandora.
It also has NFC technology, allowing you to pay for transactions with Samsung Pay. Finally, it also a built-in GPS in the unit, though it will drain the battery faster.
Display
None of the features and functions on any of these products are useful if you can’t see the screen. We compared the quality of the screens on each device, their visibility in both bright and dim lighting conditions, if the display was complete or clipped, if you could set the brightness to automatically adjust, and if you could set the display to be on all the time. The Gear S3 bounced back from its lackluster Smart functions score, tying with the Apple Watch Series 2 for the top score in this metric with an 8 out of 10.
Our rating panel rated this as having the second-highest screen quality, finishing just slightly behind the Apple Watch Series 2. The Gear S3 has a 1.3″ 360×360 AMOLED screen that looks great but just isn’t quite as sharp or crisp as the Retina display on the Apple Watch.
It was easy to see the Gear S3 in both bright and dim conditions, on par with the Apple Watch. The screen is also a complete circle — not a clipped, “flat tire” that many poorer-performing models had.
The Gear S3 did have a slight edge on the Apple Watch in terms of adjustability, being able to configure its display to automatically adjust and to always remain on — traits that the Apple Watch lacked.
Fitness Impact
In addition to helping you remain connected to your digital life, this product can improve your physical life as well, aiding you in tracking your fitness. We evaluated the accuracy of the heart rate monitor and step counter against controls, as well as ranking the workout tracking capabilities of each model. We also awarded extra points for being able to track flights of stairs climbed. The Samsung Gear S3 did very well, earning an 8 out of 10 in this metric — the highest score of the group.
The Gear S3 had a very accurate step counter, with a count that only differed from our manual control count by 0.8% — only about 22 steps short over a mile walk.
To test the accuracy of the heart rate monitor, we compared its measurement to a chest strap style monitor and scored the watches based on the different readings. The Gear S3 did well, usually within about 5 bpm while resting.
While it did very well in our heart rate and step counting tests, it was in workout tracking where the Gear S3 truly excelled and ran past the competition. This model will automatically detect certain workouts and record the relevant data after you have been doing them for 10 minutes and had the largest array of workout profiles to choose from. You can choose from running, walking, cycling, hiking, elliptical, stationary bike, step machine, treadmill, lunges, crunches, squats, stair jumps, pilates, yoga, and rowing, as well as an “Other” profile if you are doing an activity that doesn’t fall under that above list.
The Gear S3 will track your start and stop time for your workout, duration, distance, calorie, average speed, max heart rate, intensity zones, as well as a map of where you went. This model also has an altimeter to track your elevation changes.
This model was also the only one of the entire group that tracks how many flights of stairs you climb in a day and was reasonably accurate, only missing one flight out of ten in our test.
Battery Life
Our final metric, Battery Life, made up 15% of the total score. We tested how long each model lasted with normal use, the time it took to charge completely, and the time to fast charge to 50% to determine the scores. The Samsung Gear S3 did exceptionally well in this test, meriting a 7 out of 10 and tying with the Asus ZenWatch 3 for the top score, as highlighted in the following graphic.
We sent an identical set of notifications and call to each model on a schedule, and the Gear S3 lasted the longest of the entire group, making it 76 hours until it died. It did charge a little on the slower side, taking about an hour to hit 50% charge and 140 minutes to completely top off, but this is understandable since it has such an impressive battery life.
Value
The Gear S3 is a fantastic smartwatch for those with Samsung phones but does have one of the higher price tags of the bunch. If this tag is causing you to shudder, then you may want to consider the predecessor to the S3, the Samsung Gear S2, which usually retails for close to 150 less.
Conclusion
The Gear S3 is an overall strong performing model with an impeccable set of fitness tracking attributes. However, we would only recommend this to Samsung phone users, even though it is compatible with other Android and iOS phones. The compatibility with other phone types is reduced and if you are going to pay a premium for a top smartwatch, it’s best that you have the ability to make full use of its functions.
The best Samsung Gear S3 apps
Despite the arrival of the Samsung Gear Sport, the Samsung Gear S3 is still one of the best smartwatches you can get your hands on right now.
The Gear S3 Frontier and Classic watches have that wonderful rotating bezel, some solid sports tracking and health features and one of the most intuitive smartwatch operating systems in Tizen.
However, app support is not one of its strengths compared to other smartwatches, but things are slowly improving as Samsung rolls out regular software updates to improve its hulking Gear S3 smartwatch duo.
While it might be slim pickings on the app front, we’ve managed to pick out the ones S3 owners need in their lives and will actually find useful on a daily basis.
Got any questions or thoughts about our selections? Hit us up in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев section below.
Spotify
Sorry, Apple Watch owners, the Gear S3 is the only smartwatch with an official Spotify app to allow you to enjoy music from your wrist through Wi-Fi or LTE.
You are free to browse through your playlists, charts and search for tracks on the app, with offline support for Android users also now in tow. This allows Premium users to listen to saved playlists even when not connected to an internet source.
Under Armour Connected Fitness Suite
With Samsung only offering basic Strava support, the third-party options for exercisers isn’t all that strong. But with the recent Under Armour collaboration, the Gear S3 supports the Under Armour Connected Fitness suite. meaning you have access to apps like UA Record, MapMyRun, Endomondo, and MyFitnessPal.
This not only gives you a bit more choice when it comes to how you want to enjoy untethered GPS tracking and route viewing, but you can also keep tabs on your diet, too.
Uber
You know how it works by now, but the good news is that the S3’s version of the cab-hailing app doesn’t skimp on the features. The screen is big enough that dragging the marker to your chosen pickup location is easy, while the rotating bezel lets you zoom in and out of the map, and scroll through your choice of ride, be it a Pool, SUV or just a regular Uber X. It’s the same deal as the S2 version. our favourite Uber smartwatch app around. Just be warned, this one is exclusive to those of you with Samsung phones.
Facer
If you’re all about watch faces, then this is a download essential. After flexing its customisation skills on Wear, Facer is available for Samsung‘s Tizen-running smartwatches.
You can pick from over 15,000 different watch faces specially designed for the Gear S3 or you can have a go at creating your own through the Facer Creator portal where you can add in any images, pick different fonts, watch hands and drop in your favourite watch widgets.
Nest
An unofficial app previously let you control your home from the wrist, but now Nest has unveiled its own app for you to enjoy.
This allows users who own the Nest Learning Thermostat to monitor temperature, set the device status to ‘home’ or ‘away’ and even control the heat through the watch’s rotating bezel. Nifty.
Find My Car
You’ve taken the kids out to a theme park for the day. You left the car in car lot K, zone 4… you think. But it’s dark now, the kids are cranky from their sugar comedown and you could spend days in this concrete hell. That is, unless you’ve used the Find my Car app, which marked the location when you arrived. You can also leave yourself a voice memo to remind yourself “Car is parked by red bollard” or “Never let the kids eat ice cream again”.
Flipboard News briefing
One of our recommended Gear S2 apps makes a return as a pre-installed app on the S3, and again, it’s a bit of a surprise hit. You might not think watches were made for reading news, but Flipboard makes it work well, distilling stories down to the need-to-know facts. You can then tap a button to open the full story on your phone should you want to dig into the meat of it.
Rolling Hams
Twist the Gear’s bezel to navigate through a series of increasingly challenging labyrinths. The levels are vibrant, the gameplay will keep you hooked, and it’s a great showcase of what the Gear S3 can do which rivals cannot.
Glympse
Glympse’s function is simple: let people know where you are. Say you’re meeting friends in an unknown part of town, simply send them your GPS location through the app and they’ll be able to get to you. The Gear app simply lets you do it faster. You can also request a friend’s location by tapping a different icon. We likey.
Fruit Ninja
Not the official version, but this replica is a surprisingly good fit on Samsung’s watch, letting you command with a lot of precision. It can get a bit juddery now and then, but nothing that will spoil the endless fun of carving airborne watermelons. And it’s free. fruity bonus.
Pear
Sadly, the Nike app isn’t likely to come to Gear due to Nike’s partnership with Apple. To make matters worse, the selection of other running apps to choose from is woeful. Samsung Health isn’t terrible, and is getting better, but if you want another option, Pear is free and works without your phone, offering audio coaching and tracking heart rate, distance and calories.
White Light
The simplest app on our list, but quite a useful one. White Light turns your S3 into a mini torch by turning the display white and upping the brightness to max. Useful in a moment where you need some light and don’t want to fish out your phone. Unless you’re someone who sensibly carries a torch with them. Weirdo.
Camera Gear
Turn your S3 into a remote photo and video shooter. The app streams the image from either your phone’s front or rear camera to your wrist, where you can remotely capture or set a timer. It also supports a flash mode.
BMW Connected
Running and listening to music is great, but sometimes you just want to feel like James Bond, right? Thankfully, if you’re the owner of a compatible BMW vehicle, you can.
The BMW Connected app allows you to lock/unlock doors, check how much fuel is left in the tank, view details of your next trip and, conveniently, check just where exactly the car is. all from your wrist.
Here WeGo
If you’re going to download a maps app on your S3, we recommend this one as we find Google Maps a bit too fiddly on the watch. You can set a route and have it cache to your watch, so you can continue to use it without your phone later on. Handy. This one’s free, but if it’s navigation you’re looking for, Mobiteka’s paid Gear Navigator Standalone app may also be up your street. Get it?
Samsung Galaxy Watch VS Gear S3 Questions Answered Should You Upgrade
Michael Sawh has been covering the wearable tech industry since the very first Fitbit landed back in 2011. Previously the resident wearable tech expert at Trusted Reviews, he also marshaled the features section of T3.com.
He also regularly contributed to T3 magazine when they needed someone to talk about fitness trackers, running watches, headphones, tablets, and phones.
ЛУЧШИЕ СМАРТ-ЧАСЫ 2020 : Samsung Galaxy Watch или Gear S3 Frontier плюсы и минусы, отзыв
Michael writes for GQ, Wired, Coach Mag, Metro, MSN, BBC Focus, Stuff, TechRadar and has made several appearances on the BBC Travel Show to talk all things tech.
