Samsung Gear S3 Review

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This looks like everyone is talking about how the smartwatch market is collapsing. But that hasn’t stopped Samsung from taking another stab at high-end wearables. From that rotating bezel to its compatibility with non-Samsung Android phones, last year’s Tizen-powered Gear S2 was full of good ideas. Not trying to build on that foundation would have been a shame.

Enter the Gear S3 Frontier. It’s a better, bigger, more refined take on Samsung’s smartwatch formula. The company threw in every feature it could think of. That rationale is Samsung through and through. Even if now might not be the best time to buy a smartwatch, it makes the Gear S3 worthy of your consideration.

Samsung tried to squeeze a lot into the new Gear S3 Frontier from an LTE radio to automatic fitness tracks to a form of Samsung Pay. And that works almost anywhere. These whiz-bang features work well while an excellent user interface makes the watch easy to use. The underlying Tizen platform. Nevertheless, you won’t find many great apps just yet. The Gear S3 Frontier is a mostly strong performer with bad timing. That is with Android Wear 2.0 coming soon. You would be smart to hold off on a purchase right now.

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Pros

  • Excellent performance
  • OLED display is bright and crisp
  • Respectable battery life
  • Still, has the best smartwatch interface

Cons

  • Not many good Tizen apps
  • Automatic exercise tracking can be weird
  • Will be too big for some

Specifications:

NETWORK:

  • Technology: No cellular connectivity

LAUNCH:

  • Announced: 2016, August
  • Status: Available. Released 2016, November.

BODY:

  • Weight: 59 g (2.08 oz)
  • Dimensions: 49 x 46 x 12.9 mm (1.93 x 1.81 x 0.51 in)
  • Build: Stainless Steel 316L
  • SIM: No
  • Samsung Pay
  • IP68 certified, dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 metre, and 30 minutes
  • Compatible with standard 22mm straps.

Display : 

  • Type: Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
  • Resolution: 360 x 360 pixels (~278 PPI pixel density)
  • Size: 1.3 inches (~48.1% screen-to-body ratio)
  • Multi-touch: Yes
  • Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass SR+
  • Always on display
  • Rotating bezel

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PLATFORM:

  • CPU: Dual-core 1.0 GHz
  • OS: Tizen-based wearable platform 2.3.2
  • Chipset: Exynos 7270

MEMORY:

  • Card Slot: No
  • Internal: 4 GB,768 MB RAM

Camera: No

Sound:

  • Alert types: Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
  • Loudspeaker: Yes
  • 3.5mm jack: No

COMMS:

  • WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth: v4.2
  • NFC: Yes
  • GPS: Yes, GLONASS
  • USB: No
  • Radio: No

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Features:

  • Sensors: Accelerometer, heart rate, gyro, barometer
  • Browser: No
  • Messaging: SMS(threaded view), Email, IM
  • Java: No
  • WPC wireless charging
  • S-Voice natural language commands and dictation
  • MP3/M4A/AAC/WAV player
  • Photo viewer
  • Voice memo/dial/commands

Battery:

  • Non-removable Li-Ion 380 mAh battery
  • Stand-by: Up to 72 h (3G)
  • Talk time: Up to 72 h (mixed usage)

MISC:

  • Colors: Silver, Black

Wrap-up

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Samsung did a commendable job building a wearable with a little something for all with the Gear S3 Frontier. The device still falls short in lots of ways. Even after a year, that includes its overzealous automatic fitness tracking and a limited app selection. Still, with few truly interesting smartwatch options out there. The Gear S3 can’t help. On concord, feel like a refreshing change of pace. The S3 is worth considering if you are in the market for a high-end wearable. Android Wear 2.0 is coming early next year, so waiting for the next crop of watches is probably the smartest move.

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