Samsung Gear S3
SMARTWATCH, FITNESS TRACKER AND FASHION ACCESSORY ALL IN ONE. HAS SAMSUNG MADE A TIMEPIECE TO TOPPLE THE BIG APPLE?
It’s no secret we loved the Gear S2, thanks to its easy-to-use nature and stylish exterior. For the S3 Samsung’s released two versions – Frontier and Classic (pictured) – doing a remarkable job of making a smartwatch feel and look like a piece of kit you’d want to wear every day.
When compared to the S2, the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier is a bigger, tougher and more attractive smartwatch that walks a fine line between elegance and ruggedness. Its signature rotating bezel cycles through settings and options with ease, feeling more precise and satisfying than in the past. Encased behind protective Corning Gorilla Glass SR+ (exclusive to this premium Frontier edition), the Gear S3’s Super AMOLED touch display is sharp and bright – at times it looks like an analogue timepiece.
That ruggedness extends to its beefy internals, too. With an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, this will happily survive a trip to the shower or a (relatively shallow) swim in fresh water. Battery life’s also impressive, as we got three or four days out of it before having to put it in its charging cradle. Though the local version lacks the standalone LTE functionality in overseas models, the Gear S3 still performs when away from your phone, provided both are connected to a Wi-Fi network. Aussies can use Samsung Pay with the S3, so you can make contactless payments, and you can now finally use it to take calls from your wrist — something you’ve been able to do for a while now on most other smartwatches, but new to Samsung.
It’s also a smart fitness watch, readily measuring steps, calories burnt, and automatically detecting the activity you’re engaged in. Throw in thousands of apps on the Tizen OS, and the Gear S3 left us impressed. While it works best with Samsung phones, it’ll also play nicely with any Android phone running 4.4 or higher, and also works with iOS 9.0. However, this is a watch for Android users, and it’s without a doubt one of the best you can get.
T3 RATES Stylish; fast; great battery life; lovely bezel; the watch strap can be swapped for any standard 22mm equivalent.
T3 SLATES Can’t use it swimming for too long or in salt water; so-so iOS integration.
T3 SAYS A truly fantastic watch for newcomers and Gear fans.