Tapping on selections and swiping through the different widgets and apps felt smooth and intuitive, and I liked being able to see so many menu options at a glance. That's not as much of an issue with the Gear S. We've complained in previous smartwatch reviews about how tough it is to navigate menus on such a tiny screen. Right now you can choose among blue, black, red and white options.Īdditionally, though I've been moaning about the size of the display, that extra screen real estate does have its merits. Still, it's unfortunate the wristband is proprietary and if you want to swap out straps, you'll need to use Samsung's own offerings.
Though it doesn't exactly exude the premium feel of a luxury watch, it does feel surprisingly comfortable for such a chunky device. It's certainly on the hefty side thanks to that bulky screen, but its curved shape transitions seamlessly to that plastic strap so it wraps smoothly around the wrist. Still, that's not to say the watch isn't comfortable to wear. There are also noticeably thick bezels above and below the display that make the screen seem much bigger than it actually is. It does fit under long sleeves comfortably though, so you can hide it if you find it embarrassing. The thick housing, chunky metal clasp and rubbery strap material do nothing to elevate the watch's style quotient either - the design here is decidedly more geek than chic. The result is a monstrosity of glass and steel that looks, frankly, pretty ridiculous when strapped to my dainty wrist. With a 2-inch curved AMOLED screen framed by metal sides, the Gear S looks like someone took a shrink ray to a Galaxy S5, bent it and wedged it into a plastic strap. Sure, most smartwatches tend to be bulky anyway, but the Gear S takes it to another level. When I say that the Samsung Gear S is like a phone for your wrist, I don't mean just functionally - it looks like it too.