Gear S vs Gear S2...prefer the Gear S but...

[germit123]

Hi, First off im a complete newbie to the smartwatch world and after reading so many conflicting reviews i figure the best place to ask the questions i really need the answers to would be to the people that own them so bear with me

Ok i have an Samsung S6 on the EE network (UK) and being a wheelchair user and also someone who is a busy mom of 4 who does school runs etc i decided to invest in a smart watch for practicality mostly. I have narrowed the list down to the Gear S and the Gear S2. Now i have to admit i do love the Gear S a lot, the screen looks great, i love the fact its 3G, it has a speaker, lots of things going for it. I do like the look of the S2 but in honesty im not sure how im going to get on visually with the round screen and price wise i notice that even though the Gear S is now what's consider by Samsung an outdated model its still fetching as much as the S2 new!. So that bring me to what am i going to use it for...well i want to be able to make an receive calls on it ideally tethered to my phone though i do have a talk talk sim i could use if i wanted, i want access to texts and emails and also a browser. Can i dismiss notifications for texts and emails and then go back into say my text messages or emails later and reply? Does it store the text messages on the device? I also live in quite a rural area and the EE signal is pretty poor so i often miss calls on my phone in the house, would my watch being tethered improve this in any way?
My last concern is how quickly is the Gear S going to become obsolete? If it has an issue would i be able to get it repaired or would it be a case of buy a new one as Samsung wouldn't want to know? I love Samsung but once they move on to a new product they drop previous products like a hot brick which is pretty annoying, im also a bit worried about the app availability for the Gear S, with the new round face coming out im guessing the Tizen apps appearing will be mostly aimed at the S2 and not at the Gear S so will that mean no more new apps for the Gear S?
Sorry for the long winded post but you guys are the guys i figured would be the best people to ask

x

 

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to Android Central! I don't have either watch, but I think one of our Moderators has. I will ask him.

 

[Golfdriver97]

While we are waiting, I can try to answer some, but I am basing everything off the Moto 360.

The watch probably won't help with reception.
I haven't used mine much for direct replies. I don't think I can back out of a text and return to it. I am pretty sure it's send or don't.

 

[itguyjax8430]

Hi, First off im a complete newbie to the smartwatch world and after reading so many conflicting reviews i figure the best place to ask the questions i really need the answers to would be to the people that own them so bear with me

Ok i have an Samsung S6 on the EE network (UK) and being a wheelchair user and also someone who is a busy mom of 4 who does school runs etc i decided to invest in a smart watch for practicality mostly. I have narrowed the list down to the Gear S and the Gear S2. Now i have to admit i do love the Gear S a lot, the screen looks great, i love the fact its 3G, it has a speaker, lots of things going for it. I do like the look of the S2 but in honesty im not sure how im going to get on visually with the round screen and price wise i notice that even though the Gear S is now what's consider by Samsung an outdated model its still fetching as much as the S2 new!. So that bring me to what am i going to use it for...well i want to be able to make an receive calls on it ideally tethered to my phone though i do have a talk talk sim i could use if i wanted, i want access to texts and emails and also a browser. Can i dismiss notifications for texts and emails and then go back into say my text messages or emails later and reply? Does it store the text messages on the device? I also live in quite a rural area and the EE signal is pretty poor so i often miss calls on my phone in the house, would my watch being tethered improve this in any way?
My last concern is how quickly is the Gear S going to become obsolete? If it has an issue would i be able to get it repaired or would it be a case of buy a new one as Samsung wouldn't want to know? I love Samsung but once they move on to a new product they drop previous products like a hot brick which is pretty annoying, im also a bit worried about the app availability for the Gear S, with the new round face coming out im guessing the Tizen apps appearing will be mostly aimed at the S2 and not at the Gear S so will that mean no more new apps for the Gear S?
Sorry for the long winded post but you guys are the guys i figured would be the best people to ask

x

I myself have own both of them. I can say they both have their pros and cons. I did like the Gear S because the screen was a lot larger and it did a lot more with being able to reply to Hangouts and things like that. The Gear S2 looked more like a watch but it also did less. If you go with the non cellular version of the Gear S2 it does not have a speaker for speaker phone. You would have to get the one that takes a SIM card to be able to make and receive calls and answer calls from your phone. Granted you can answer calls from your phone with a non cellular version of the Gear S2 but it will be on your phone itself not the watch the call that is.

As far as support for the Gear S I would think that Samsung will continue to support it. I don't think you're going to get any better coverage using your watch as a phone vs your phone unless you have a different carrier associated with your Gear S.

From all the things you are saying that you want to do it sounds like the Gear S would be the best option to me.

 

[germit123]

Thankyou for that that helps a lot. I do like the Gear S more from the reviews i have seen it seems to do more and the screen looks much better, im not sure how i would get on visually with the S2.
Can i ask about Texts and emails? Can you go back into them after you have dismissed the notifications to reply? Or even compose a new text without receiving an initial text first? Also are you still find new apps appearing that support the Gear S as i'm worried they will only support the S2.
Sorry to bombard you but it's so hard to find information on these issues and as i'm wanting it so i can avoid having to try and twist myself round to get my phone out my bag from the back of my wheelchair or from out my trouser pocket this smart watch could be the perfect solution

 

[cperrry1]

I have both, the Gear S 3g and the Gear S2 4g, and I will say, after using the Gear S2 for several months, I went back to the Gear S. My reasons being the bigger screen, mobile browser, and full keyboard. Also, when i'm at home charging my Gear S, I can see my notifications without having to pick up my phone. I couldnt do that with the Gear S2, which didnt make since to me. Battery life is about the same between the 2.

As far as new apps for the Gear S, yes, they continue to add new apps and updates.

As far as notifications, if you dismiss them, on the gears S they are gone, but you can compose new text messages.

As far as getting better reception, I have the Gear S througn Sprint and the Gear S2 through tmobile In my area tmobile has stronger signal and faster data speeds. So, if you have more than one choice in carriers for your area, your phones connection wont improve, but if you use your smartwatch as a standalone {not remotely connected), you could get a better connection.

For me, the Gear S Looks futuristic, big curved screen. Ive always wore big watches, G shocks with all the sensors. The bigger the better, for me anyway.

Hope this helps

 

[mountainbikermark]

I have both, the Gear S 3g and the Gear S2 4g, and I will say, after using the Gear S2 for several months, I went back to the Gear S. My reasons being the bigger screen, mobile browser, and full keyboard. Also, when i'm at home charging my Gear S, I can see my notifications without having to pick up my phone. I couldnt do that with the Gear S2, which didnt make since to me. Battery life is about the same between the 2.

As far as new apps for the Gear S, yes, they continue to add new apps and updates.

As far as notifications, if you dismiss them, on the gears S they are gone, but you can compose new text messages.

As far as getting better reception, I have the Gear S througn Sprint and the Gear S2 through tmobile In my area tmobile has stronger signal and faster data speeds. So, if you have more than one choice in carriers for your area, your phones connection wont improve, but if you use your smartwatch as a standalone {not remotely connected), you could get a better connection.

For me, the Gear S Looks futuristic, big curved screen. Ive always wore big watches, G shocks with all the sensors. The bigger the better, for me anyway.

Hope this helps

If your entire text conversation is a must, you can get an app called 5 Tiles but it comes with a whacky keyboard and doesn't allow usage with the stock one. If I want to view older messages I just open it, read the message, close the app, open the stock message app, and respond there. It's a work around for a big oversight on Samsungs part.

 

[Chris5626]

If you find anywhere in the UK selling the Gear S for a decent price please let me know.