Samsung gets sweaty with Gear Fit2 Pro and Sport watches, IconX wireless earbuds

Why it matters to you

If you’re in the market for a device to help you during your next workout, Samsung has just updated its fitness lineup with three new products.

Samsung may have announced a major smartphone just last week, but its IFA press conference is all about wearables. They’re all fitness-focused, from the Gear Fit2 Pro and the all-new Gear Sport, to the second generation Gear IconX wireless earbuds. We got some brief hands-on time with these devices, so let’s take a closer look.

Gear Sport hands-on review

The Gear Sport is the most interesting of the trio, because it’s a smaller, more design-focused Gear S3. It packs the same 1.2-inch circular AMOLED display, but it has a much smaller frame. That’s possible, because Samsung took out the Magnetic Secure Transmission technology that allows you to make payments with Samsung Pay at virtually any terminal with a card reader. Only Near Field Communication (NFC) is on-board, which means you can still use Samsung Pay, but at more limited locations. If Samsung Pay through MST is important to you and you didn’t think the Gear S3 was too large, then it may make more sense to go for it. The Gear Sport does feel far more comfortable to wear, though, and we think it looks much nicer.

The Gear S3 is known for its unique rotating bezel, and the Gear Sport has the same functional bezel. It lets you interact with the watch: Just twist the circular frame to the right from the watch face to see your app widgets, and left to see your notifications. Samsung told Digital Trends the tactile sensation and sound of rotating the bezel has improved, and it’s immediately noticeable. Rotating the bezel feels fun and satisfying, and the clicky sound is more pronounced but not too loud.

The Gear Sport is water resistant up to 50 meters — in both swimming pools and open water. To match this feature, Samsung has partnered with Speedo to offer a pre-existing app called Speedo On, which allows you to measure laps, time, stroke type, and more. It’s also MIL-STD-810G certified, meaning it can withstand its fair share of drops, and extreme temperatures.

But there are plenty of other smartwatch features the Gear Sport can do, especially with its improved user interface through Tizen 3.0. It can let you interact with your notifications, , and you can even control Internet of Things devices through Samsung Connect, which utilizes Samsung’s SmartThings home platform. The watch is designed to be a helpful companion, even when you’re not exercising. Kate Beaumont, Samsung’s director of strategic product planning, gave an example of the Gear Sport reminding her to stretch while buckled in for a flight. It’s also contextually aware of times when you’re driving, and automatically silences notifications.

With 4GB of internal storage and Spotify support, you can also save playlists for offline listening. On-board GPS also means you can use fitness apps to map your runs. These two features, including the NFC for contact-less payments, mean you should be able to leave the house without your phone and wallet when you’re out for a run. No LTE-supported version has been announced, so you’ll still need to be tethered to your phone via Bluetooth 4.2 for notifications.

There’s also an option to continuously monitor your heart rate via the heart rate monitor. The Gear Sport has a 300mAh battery, which Samsung claims should last four days. We’ll certainly test that claim in our review, but it seems extraordinarily high for a smartwatch.

The Gear Sport will be available from a variety of retailers, including Best Buy, Amazon, and wireless networks like Sprint and U.S. Cellular, starting September 15. It comes with a blue, black, or grey silicone band, which felt nice, soft, and comfortable. There will also be a hybrid sport band, which has leather on top and silicone on the bottom; colorful classic leather options, and “premium” Nato straps in mixed colors. Pricing for the watch or the interchangeable bands has yet to be announced.

Gear Fit2 Pro hands-on review

If you don’t need a full-on smartwatch, but want to enjoy the Gear Sport’s more fitness-minded features, the Gear Fit2 Pro might be more your speed. This tracker matches the Gear Sport’s 5 ATM water resistance (50 meters) rating, and offers the same swim monitoring functionality via the Speedo On app. It also has GPS tracking, and Samsung has partnered with Under Armour to offer a more tailored experience for apps like Endomondo, MyFitnessPal, and MapMyRun.

You’ll find the same continuous heart-rate tracking as on the Gear Sport, as well as the ability to add your calorie intake, and automatic activity detection. The Fit2 Pro has 4GB of internal storage too, and also supports the offline Spotify playlists feature.

Unlike last year’s Gear Fit 2, the Fit2 Pro now has a buckle, making it a little easier to put on and it won’t fall off your wrist as easily. The silicone strap felt comfortable, and the device is lightweight. The body felt a little cheap, but the 1.5-inch AMOLED screen looks vivid and bright.

You get all these features for a surprisingly low price of $200. The devices won’t ship until October, but you can pre-order it on August 31.

Gear IconX hands-on review

Samsung’s new Gear IconX earbuds have been updated to be lighter and more ergonomic than the outgoing model. If you have a Galaxy S8 smartphone or plan on picking up a Galaxy Note 8, the headphones are also Bixby-compatible. Simply tap and hold the side of the earbud to summon the virtual assistant, and you can ask it to perform functions like sending a message to a friend.

But one of the biggest changes to the IconX over last year’s model is battery life. We found the original model to have poor battery life, which was due to the heart-rate monitor. Samsung’s solution to fix this? It has taken out the heart-rate monitor, and the company claims the new IconX can last six hours of music streaming.

With the Gear IconX, you don’t need a dedicated fitness tracker to keep tabs on your running routines. The earbuds come with Running Coach, which can issue real-time updates about your journey on the fly. It tracks basic fitness metrics, like calories burned, step count, and distance traveled.

Like the Gear Sport and Fit2 Pro, the IconX also pack 4GB of storage for music, and you can add your own tunes and manage playlists via the Gear manager app. There’s a neat charging cradle that can offer an hour of usage with just 10 minutes of charging, thanks to support for Quick Charge.

Like the previous model, the new Gear IconX runs $200, and it will be available in October. It comes equipped with medium-sized ear tips, but there are other sizes available in the packaging.

Update: Added more details following Samsung’s IFA press conference.