Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear IconX: What’s the story so far?

The original Samsung Gear Fit launched in 2014 and at the time, it was a lovely device with a good design, beautiful display in the right conditions and a simple and fluid interface.

Take a look at the Gear Fit two years on however, and you’ll probably see a dated and chunky device. Don’t worry though, because rumour has it Samsung has an update for the Gear Fit up its sleeve, aptly being referred to as the Gear Fit 2, as well as some wireless ear buds.

Here is everything we know so far about the Gear Fit 2 and Gear IconX. As usual, we will be updating this feature as more information and leaks appear so keep checking back for the latest.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear IconX: Release date and price

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 has appeared in a couple of different leaks over the last couple of weeks, accompanied by smart wireless earbuds going by the name of Gear IconX.

VentureBeat first leaked the devices at the end of April and this leak has since been followed by Samsung itself in an accidental leak on its official S Health website.

There has been no word on when we can expect the Gear Fit 2 and Gear IconX earbuds to arrive, but we suspect it will be sooner rather than later given the leak on the company’s website. The original Gear Fit was announced on 11 April 2014 so we are over the two-year mark now for the Gear Fit update.

In terms of price, Venture Beat claimed the Gear Fit 2 could be priced similarly to its predecessor, which would make it around $200. The Gear IconX ear buds are also expected to cost around this or more.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear IconX: Design

The original Gear Fit features a 1.84-inch curved AMOLED display and it sits around 12mm off the wrist. There is a metal rim around the display to provide a premium look and it features a textured rubber strap that is secured with two metal pins.

The Gear Fit 2 is rumoured to be “slightly more curved and ergonomic” than the original model. Leakster Evan Blass recently tweeted three colours which he claims is the Gear Fit 2 comprising black, pink and blue. The pink looks a little more like purple to us though.

A 1.84-inch AMOLED display is expected again, which we are fine with as it worked well on the original model. Based on the leaked images, Samsung appears to have done away with the metal frame surrounding the display, as well as introduced another button to the right-hand side.

Evan Blass

The body of the Gear Fit 2 also appears to be a little slimmer than the previous model, although none of the leaks show a good enough angle to tell for sure. The rubber textured strap appears to remain, as does the pin fastening mechanism but Samsung seems to have added an extra loop for the strap to go through, which should mean it won’t fall off as easy as the Gear Fit did.

In terms of the Gear IconX ear buds, it is rumoured they will be touch-controlled, with the touch aspect working like the Gear Circle Bluetooth headset. Based on the leaks, it looks like the earbuds will come in a charging case, as well as several colours and be Bluetooth-enabled.

Rumours claim the Gear IconX ear buds will be dust and water-resistant, which we would expect the Gear Fit 2 to be as well given its predecessor was.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear IconX: Hardware and specs

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 is rumoured to come with 4GB of internal memory, a heart-rate monitor and the ability to track various fitness-related things. This wouldn’t make it too different from the original model, especially with smartwatch functionality which we can’t see Samsung missing off the list for the Gear Fit 2.

There have been suggestions of built-in GPS however, which is something the original device doesn’t offer using your Samsung smartphone instead so this would be a step up, putting it in Sony SmartWatch 3 territory.

The Samsung Gear IconX earbuds are also claimed to be a fitness tracker, as well as a standalone digital music player thanks to one of the bud’s having 4GB of internal memory. Details on how they will work on what other features they will offer are still thin on the ground at the moment though.

Samsung Gear Fit 2: Software

The original Gear Fit runs on Samsung’s own wearable platform called Real Time OS (RTOS) so not Android or Tizen as it uses in other devices. It’s a smooth running device and although apps are downloaded slightly differently than the rest of the Gear family, we didn’t face any issues in our time with it.

Whether the Gear Fit 2 will also run on the same wearable platform or switch to Android Wear or Tizen is not yet clear. What we do know is that it will link to S Health again, like the previous device. We wouldn’t be too surprised to see a similar experience to the original.

Even less has been said regarding the Gear IconX earbuds but if the idea of them working as a fitness tracker is true then we suspect they will also link up to S Health, or even have their own app.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 / Gear Icon X: Conclusion

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 and Gear IconX have only been leaked a couple of times but they are pretty strong leaks, especially the accidental spill on Samsung’s S Health website.

We suspect the images are a pretty good indication as to what we can expect these two devices to look like so we’d put the salt down for this area.

When they will arrive and the specs they will feature are still a little up in the air though so we’ll keep the salt close by for now, but we don’t expect to be waiting too much long before we find out for sure.