Unsure if I will use the smart-functions enough to justify buying this

[Ninjasquirrel]

Hey.

Been drooling over this for a while now, and finding it a beautifully designed piece of tech might be reason enough to buy it, but as the title says, I started to get unsure if I'll use the watch to its full potential.

Comparing to my smartphone-use (I'm an applehead (not really relevant), but I'm currently loving my note 9), I don't really use lots of apps, mainly the basic like camera, chrome, messenger etc.

I'm more of a pen and notepad in my pocket kinda guy.

Been seeing some "best apps"-vids on youtube, and very few seems useful to me.

From reviews the only function I know I would use is fitness-related, but alas here it seems the watch is sub par. I get the impression the watch can do everything ok, but nothing great.

Anyway, so I'm currently in a doubtful mindset about buying the watch. Thinking why buy a piece of tech that's gonna be outdated in a year or two when I can buy a timeless mechanical wristwatch like the Seiko Prospex SRPB51K1. A beautiful timepiece imo.

Anyway, so I'm just wondering if anyone has had the same thoughts as me. Have you used the watch less than you thought you would? More?

Any feedback much appreciated

 

[supersoulfly]

I use my watch everyday.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm trying to figure out if there's any usage for me between simple timekeeping and on the other end, being a power user that uses apps for every single thing. Uber, where did I find my car, how long to cook the spaghetti etc.

I realize ofc that this is very individual, but don't wanna risk buying it and only use it for timekeeping

 

[supersoulfly]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm trying to figure out if there's any usage for me between simple timekeeping and on the other end, being a power user that uses apps for every single thing. Uber, where did I find my car, how long to cook the spaghetti etc.

I realize ofc that this is very individual, but don't wanna risk buying it and only use it for timekeeping

I don't know what you will do.
I use mine a lot.

Maybe buy one and return it if you don't like it.

 

[sygnus21]

Been drooling over this for a while now, and finding it a beautifully designed piece of tech might be reason enough to buy it, but as the title says, I started to get unsure if I'll use the watch to its full potential.

As one who just got the 46mm version to go with my Note 9, I'd honestly suggest you really think about why you're buying this watch and what you'd expect of it.

And if you’re not using a Samsung phone you could end up with limited functionality or compatibility issues. Especially where the watch uses Samsung’s proprietary Tizen operating system. That basically means limited app availability and compatibility.

Here’s an example of one such issue – I use Microsoft's Outlook app for android devices. Since I use Outlook in favor of Samsung’s default phone email app, the watch’s email app is essentially useless because it gets its data from the phones "default" email app. Since I have no email accounts set up there, there nothing for the watch app to read and thus when I open the watch's email app all I get is "No email account. Set one up on your phone?". So yeah, the watch's mail app is useless because Outlook isn't supported there, and there is no Outlook app in the watch store.

That said, you can still get email notifications on the watch, but they’re shown through the watch, not the email app, and they aren't saved to the watch once read.

Also, there isn’t a huge selection of apps available so that favorite app you have for your phone may not be available to the watch; again, example: Outlook. Or Verizon’s Message+.

Speaking of messages, be aware your old text messages aren’t ported from your phone to watch, but only the messages you’ve received after setting up the watch. Here, I’m using Samsung’s default message app on the phone. Was using Verizon’s Message+ app, but worried about compatibility issues there too.

Then there’s the reliability of the health sensors of the watch with many complaining of inaccuracies or spotty functionality at times.

Outside of those, it is a nice watch with plenty of functions, and features, but it’s also a mix of hits and misses. In the end I’m keeping mine because it does enough good things to justify it. And the ability to change watch faces and straps also makes it a nice time piece that integrates with your phone.

So, my advice…. honestly think about what you expect of the watch, then look around the forums to get an idea of what’s being said and reported and go from there.
Good luck.

 

[pdqgp]

Been drooling over this for a while now, and finding it a beautifully designed piece of tech might be reason enough to buy it, but as the title says, I started to get unsure if I'll use the watch to its full potential.

common situation you're in. it's a great solution to a problem that doesn't exist for many people. My suggestion is to consider of all it's features, what are the top 1, 2 or 3 you will find useful in day to day life.

Comparing to my smartphone-use (I'm an applehead (not really relevant), but I'm currently loving my note 9), I don't really use lots of apps, mainly the basic like camera, chrome, messenger etc. I'm more of a pen and notepad in my pocket kinda guy. Been seeing some "best apps"-vids on youtube, and very few seems useful to me.

I'm a Note user but not a 'power user' by any means. I have had a Note 3, then 5 now an 8. For me I love the big screen, fast phone and awesome camera.

From reviews the only function I know I would use is fitness-related, but alas here it seems the watch is sub par. I get the impression the watch can do everything ok, but nothing great.

Try the FitBit Versa. I have one and it's great too. Far far above the Galaxy watch in terms of fitness tracking. The heart rate sensor on the galaxy is on par with the Versa and the step counter is as well. The Galaxy doesn't do steps at all well if at all. I have yet to get mine to work. Versa is spot on. se sleep tracking on the Versa is far better too. Way more detailed and accurate. Add in the fit bit software which is more robust and user friendly and works well with food tracking and all in all it's a solid package.

Anyway, so I'm currently in a doubtful mindset about buying the watch. Thinking why buy a piece of tech that's gonna be outdated in a year or two when I can buy a timeless mechanical wristwatch like the Seiko Prospex SRPB51K1. A beautiful timepiece imo.

I bought mine mainly as a nice looking time piece and one that is more suited for my day to day work day. On weekends and at night I wear the Versa. It allows for reading of messages and seeing calls but I can't reply which stinks but is understandable. It's lighter, and overall less there if that makes sense.

I do however like the Galaxy's ability to do notifications far better. I use it a lot for text messages and in general to reduce my own dependency on having to actually carry my phone with me from room to room or even out to lunch. I flat out try and leave my phone in my office or bag when I can.

The new Galaxy is better than my first Gear S which I did like but didn't love. Still don't "love" it as it's definitely better and does a lot but it's far from great. If they took the Versa and crossed it with the Galaxy we'd have a REALLY good step towards greatness. Give it Google and I might just call it great.

 

[arunma]

I understand your reservations. For what it's worth, I pretty much use everything the Galaxy Watch has to offer, including the fitness features, the reminders, the calendar, the sleep tracking, and heck, even the web browser. I could never go back to a regular watch.

Regarding the fitness features. I've never had a non-Samsung fitness tracker, and therefore can't make a comparison to other brands, but I'll offer this crazy testimonial: since getting the Galaxy Watch in late August, I've dropped 25 pounds and officially entered the territory of "not medically overweight." I can definitely attribute this to the Galaxy Watch's food tracking and exercise-related features. So I can't say that it works better than a more popular device like Fitbit. But it works.

As for the other features you'd expect from a smartwatch, it gets notifications from virtually any app you can imagine, and allows for extended functionality on popular apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. (i.e. you can view photos and message threads, and send replies). When I make phone calls, recipients report good call quality. LTE works just fine if you get the cellular variant. Battery life hits the 3 day mark advertised by Samsung. And of course, it looks like a traditional watch, so it's good in the aesthetics department.

Downsides include a terrible version of Bixby, terrible voice transcription (it can't even understand half the words I say in a Midwestern American accent), and a lack of apps. It only offers phone-less streaming music via Spotify, and the Spotify app is very poorly designed.

Hope this helps!

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

To those who has used this for some time, pros and cons please

Hi all,

So I picked this watch up in late 2018, motivation being it was cool and also for simplicity having a everything in one-solution. Tho I have to say, I'm one of those people that find tech to be more overwhelming than liberating.

I returned it after a weak for multiple reasons.

1. Realizing that on all matters where this could do what my phone (Note 9 btw) did, I much rather prefered the 1-2 seconds it took me to pick up my phone.

2. On the rare occasions I did not have access to my phone, it was mostly because I didn't need it. If I'm out jogging I might come across an accident, but... come on, what level of paranoia-thinking is that.

3. On the features on the watch that my phone didn't have, like heart-rate monitor and other stuff I'm not too familiar with, it seemed like it wasn't trustworthy enough by reviews, and that if I cared about that stuff I would be better off getting a dedicated activity-bracelet with the band around the waist and all that stuff.
Also, when I'm lifting weights and all that, my mind is more than capable to actually remember each set, and noting it down in my trusty notepad instead of fiddling around with my smartwatch.

And finally (I've propably forgotten something), the watch faces... I can't be the only one that find the analoge watch faces hideous, as they lack any depth to them and look as fake as they are...

I've been fascinated by old automatic timekeepers the last year, like the cogs and wheels of it feels more personal, soulfull and timeless, rather than some technology that's gonna be outdated within a few years.

Having said all this, it's only my subjective experience for the very short time I had it, but I'm still drawn to the coolness of it, and would love for anyone to give me their pros/cons and also adress my grievances with this watch

Thank you in advance

 

[Casey Cheung]

I've only had my Galaxy 42mm watch for a week now, so far I'd say I'm obsessed by it. Yes, I use it every day. In fact, I find it very lightweight compared to my various Citizen Ecodrive analog watches. My Galaxy watch is noticeably lighter than my Citizen Skyhawk ecodrive analog watch, even though it has a lighter/stronger titanium wrist band versus heavier steel.

The 2 primary reasons I got the Galaxy watch are the following:

1) To have a LARGE font size showing the time, day, date, month (plus other items). In the past couple years, I find myself needing reading glasses because I can't read small print up close anymore, including my analog Citizen watches (eg: small font size dates, etc). But with my Galaxy watch, I deliberately choose many various digital watch-faces with extra large font sizes to easily view the time/day/date/month without needing reading glasses on. Problem solved!

2) To have instant notifications! I can now flick my wrist to see my many notifications throughout the day and choose to either ignore it or investigate further by pulling out my Samsung S9 smartphone. My phone is always kept inside my front trouser pocket. That means I am CONSTANTLY pulling out my phone from my pocket many dozens of times a day. My phone is always set on vibrate, so every time my phone vibrates in my trouser pocket, I pull it out to see who is pinging me (eg: email/text/phone/etc). But now with my Galaxy watch set to vibration mode, every time my phone vibrates, my Galaxy watch also vibrates simultaneously. So instead of pulling out my phone, I simply flick my wrist upwards to see what message is on my watch screen. Sooooooooo much more convenient, especially when you consider that I don't have to pull my phone out of my pocket every time to see what's going on.

I don't normally use the built-in email app on my smartphone, but I went ahead and configured it for my Gmail account. So now whenever I get an email message on my Gmail app on my phone, the email app on my watch also simultaneously pings me. Yes, this means I'm getting duplicate email message alerts on my watch, but I find this a minor inconvenience which is highly offset by being able to see the email alerts on my Galaxy watch. Heck, I can even see/read new message alerts from WeChat messaging app installed on my phone, even though there is no WeChat app for the watch. Here's another real life example. When say I'm in the restroom and my S.O. sends me a text message while I'm doing my business, I don't know who is sending me a message until I'm finished and can pull my phone out of my pocket. But just recently, my significant other sent me a text message while I was taking a number one, and I instantly saw the text msg was from her cuz I simply flicked my left wrist slightly. You might find this to be inconsequential, but for me, this has happened to me too many times while doing my business. It's also cool that I can use the Galaxy watch to simply reply back with a quick text msg to someone by using either the pre-saved message replies such as "can't talk now" or "call you later" or even a smiley emoji face (same function applies to rejecting phone calls too). What's also cool is that I can press the microphone button and speak a verbal message to the watch and then send the audio file to the receiver. I find sending audio files for replies to be much easier than trying to do "swype?" writing on the small watch screen, especially since there is no keyboard. My S.O. is extremely jealous of this audio text msg reply function of my Galaxy watch cuz her Fitbit Versa can't do this, haha!

Additionally, the ability to talk on the watch for phone calls is cool. So is Spotify music via bluetooth synch to my S9 phone. Just the other day, I showed a friend a Youtube video movie playing on my Galaxy watch just for kicks. Yes, the watch has a Youtube-like app for watching Youtube videos. Not practical to watch due to its small screen, but definitely a crowd pleaser to show off to your friends, haha. I am also daily using the Alarm app, and have it set for 5:30am on vibration mode, plus to only go off during the weekdays Monday through Friday for work, but turned off on weekends. Very cool! The Voice Memo app is cool too, in case you have some moment of genius you want to record. Find My Phone and Find My Car apps are also cool, since the watch has GPS ability. Lastly, well maybe not lastly, I like seeing how many steps I've walked throughout the day, as I try to reach at least 10,000 steps daily.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Screw me still wanting the watch, you just got me so happy on your behalf.
It's obvious you really love this piece of tech, good on ya mate.

But yeah, apart from the alarm app and voice memos, nothing about what you described has any relevance to me.

I remember doing the step counter a few times, counting 100 steps in my head to see if they matched, went well, but I'm not sure if it works well over a long distance.
The heart rate monitor also, would be a huge selling point for me if it wasn't for all the bad reviews I have seen of it.

How do you find the analoge watch faces, do you - like me, find them to look as fake as they are? I know I can't expect them to look like real ones, but the lack of depth in them just make them look weird to me

 

[Casey Cheung]

Screw me still wanting the watch, you just got me so happy on your behalf.
It's obvious you really love this piece of tech, good on ya mate.

But yeah, apart from the alarm app and voice memos, nothing about what you described has any relevance to me.

I remember doing the step counter a few times, counting 100 steps in my head to see if they matched, went well, but I'm not sure if it works well over a long distance.
The heart rate monitor also, would be a huge selling point for me if it wasn't for all the bad reviews I have seen of it.

How do you find the analoge watch faces, do you - like me, find them to look as fake as they are? I know I can't expect them to look like real ones, but the lack of depth in them just make them look weird to me

Well, from your writing, it sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of it. So you had bought the watch and only used it for a week and returned it? I'd say a week isn't long enough to really test out whether you like it or not. Most stores have a 2 week or 1 month period for returns, so why didn't you try out your watch at least that long before returning it?

For me, the 2 biggest drawbacks of having this Galaxy watch are:

1) Y.A.P.O.E.T.I.H.T.C.D.
Yet Another Piece Of Electronics That I Have To Charge Daily ;-p I was getting used to my Citizen Ecodrive analog watches that are solar powered and not having to worry about buying expensive batteries. I detest going to the watch store to replace batteries, such a hassle. My Citizen Ecodrive watches are extremely low maintenance, the important thing is to expose the watches to some sunlight (or artificial light) to keep the battery charged up which lasts for up to 6 months.

2) Although my 42mm watch is noticeably smaller than the 46mm version, this Galaxy watch is still noticeably thicker/taller than my Citizen analog watches (except for my large-ish Skyhawk watch). This makes it a bit inconvenient when daily wearing my dress shirts as the cuffs get in the way. That's why I had preferred wearing my very thin Citizen Ecodrive watches so my long sleeve cuffs don't catch against the watch.

Anyway, the many cool features of the Galaxy watch far outweigh those 2 nuisance items I described above.