Why I Like the Samsung Gear S2 Classic Better Than Gear S2 Regular or Sports.

Gear S2 classic with Nato Straps Black and White Stripes

First off, I am not the type of guy to dwell so much on the technical specifications. Sure I am as geeky as most other people who are in to technology, however you can read tech specs anywhere else. This is an actual user review of these products as they are used. I was able to purchased them myself that is why I had the opportunity to spend a good amount of time with both of these watches.

Am I crazy to purchase both? Not really. I was able to do so because my first unit the Samsung Gear S2 regular (or sports) was defective so I had the opportunity to replace it with the Gear S2 classic.

What you should immediately watch out for when you buy your unit?

As I mentioned my first unit is defective and I only noticed it 24 hours after my purchase. So what’s wrong with it? It doesn’t vibrate! A lot of people will probably not be able to notice this at all especially if they are all excited about their watch. You should know now that the gear S2 doesn’t have any speakers on it and the only way that it can alert you with the notifications that you have on your phone is to vibrate. Mine didn’t. You will be able to test this by sending your phone (that is connected to your gear) a message or call it up. If you don’t have another phone though, you can open the gear app from your mobile phone (which you are required to install by the way), and then click on the “find my gear” option. This is supposed to help you find your watch if you have misplaced it by making it light up and vibrate. This is quite helpful and you can actually find your phone using your watch with this same method as well. Naturally your phone will not only vibrate, it will ring too so that you’ll be able to easily look for it.

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Why I like the Samsung Gear S2 classic better than the regular or sports version?

I’m pretty sure this is what you came here for so let’s get down to it right away. You can read the rest of the other features that I like after this section of this article.

1. The classic is classy – There’s no denying it, you can actually wear this as a dress watch as it already comes with black polished leather straps. This is probably one of the few smartwatches out there that you can wear with pride while you are in a business meeting or attending a formal event. You won’t look geeky at all, but you will still be updated with your notifications without having to take out your phone from your pocket.
2. You can change the strap with other regular straps you can find elsewhere – This wasn’t clear to me before when I read other reviews but I want to make this as clear as possible for you. The Gear S2 classic comes with a 20mm black polished strap that you can easily change with other straps that are not necessarily from Samsung. The regular Gear S2 does not have this option as you can only change the band with another one that comes from Samsung as of this moment. This is because the regular Gear S2 uses proprietary straps that you will not find elsewhere. 

So why do I like the capability to change my straps easily?

1. If my strap breaks or becomes worn out, I would like to be able to easily purchase a new one anywhere. Asprey and I-Watch are easy to find here in Metro Manila and they have a good selection of 20mm bands. 
2. Gear S2 Classic has a lot of watch face options so depending on your mood or your current OOTD / OOTN (yes that does stand for outfit of the day or night) you can make your watch look different. Naturally, you will want various straps with you in order to pull-off different looks.
3. Leather, Rubber Silicone, or Stainless – Whatever you want, you can have it when it comes to straps. I am currently on the lookout for a black stainless steel strap though as I’m sure it would look awesome with this watch. If you have any suggestions where to find one, please leave a comment.
4. My favorite right now, the NATO Strap with my Samsung Gear S2 Classic – I recently bought 2 NATO straps and 2 Zulu straps for my Gear S2 watch. I have a leather NATO strap for occasions when I need to dress up more on the smart casual side. I also have a camouflage strap that can be worn with almost anything. For everyday use, I like my olive green Zulu Strap for my Gear S2 classic. I love these straps because they can easily be installed and removed. You will be sacrificing one function of your Gear S2 though if you choose to go with this kind of watch band. You will not be able to measure your pulse rate with your watch as you will be covering the back of your Gear with the strap. I don’t really use this function anyway so I am fine with my decision. 

Gear S2 Classic With Camouflage Nato Straps

Gear S2 Classic With Black Leather Nato Straps

What I like about the Samsung Gear 2 in General?

1. It’s fluid and fast – In both models I find it very easy to navigate through everything. The software is as fluid as it can be and I didn’t find any problems when it comes to using it at all. So you won’t have to worry about any lags.
2. The magical rotating bezel – As of the moment it is the only watch with a rotating bezel that functions as an actual controller. Moving it clockwise or to the opposite direction will help you navigate easily through the menu or scroll through your messages comfortably.
3. Battery Life – I have been seriously using this watch and experimenting on different faces and apps with it for the past couple of days. While it didn’t last a complete 48hours of used, mine did in fact went over the whole day at least. I’m pretty sure that if I use it in an average manner, it will be able to last up to two days.
4. Not just Samsung but other android phones – Yes you can connect this watch to other android phones as well! Just make sure that yours is supported by looking into Samsung’s website.
5. S voice – S voice has certainly improved throughout the years and this time around S voice is definitely in a very functional level with the gear s2 watch. Now, while I’m driving not only can I see my incoming messages easily without reaching for my phone, I can also reply back using the S voice. All I have to do is say Hi Gear, text “whoever” say my message, and then say send. Yes, I have already done this more than a couple of times especially when I’m stuck in Manila traffic.
6. You can program your own preset messages – There is of course an option to program preset messages with your phone this way, you can easily text back your goodnight, I love you too, or I’ll text you later I’m just driving type of messages.
7. Notification from every single app in your phone – Do you need to keep updated with your Facebook, Instagram, twitter, emails, or even your clash of clans (and other games) notifications? The S gear 2 can alert you with all these updates so you won’t miss a thing. Naturally you can deselect the apps you don’t want to get updates from so that your watch will not be vibrating all of the time.
8. Wi-Fi connectivity – at first I asked myself why will this watch require any Wi-Fi connection at all since it is already connected to my phone via Bluetooth. As it turns out this is a very good feature. Bluetooth connectivity is limited only up to a certain distance (most likely just your whole room). With Wi-Fi connection, you can leave your phone in your room, cook something in your kitchen or watch TV in your living room and you will still be able to get your notifications as long as both your phone and your watch are connected to same internet router.
9. 4 Gigs storage – what can use this storage for aside from apps? Well aside from storing photos from your phone, you can actually transfer some of your music files directly to your watch. This way, even if you don’t bring your phone with you while jogging, you can simply connect it to your Bluetooth headset and be able to listen to your music selection.
10. S health functionality – Measure your pulse rate, the number of steps you have taken, and be able to keep track of your activity level, the amount of water you drank for the day, and some other stuff. If your new year’s resolution is to get fit, this watch will certainly be useful to you. As of the moment, I find the pedometer really helpful as I am encouraged to fulfill at least 6000 steps a day.
11. The many watch faces – There are certainly a lot of watch faces that you can choose from depending on your taste. If you own the regular S2 you will find a wide variety of modern style digital watches that will perfectly suit it. If you own the classic though, you will be able to experiment more on chronograph styles and elegant watch designs that can easily fool anyone that you are wearing a real classy watch. Some watch faces will not only tell the date and time, but also include your level of activity especially if you are seriously recording the number of steps that you have taken within the day.
12. Did I mention you can play your music with it – while it doesn’t have its own speakers, if you connect to it to another Bluetooth headset or speaker you will be able to control your music quite comfortably without having to take out your phone from your pocket.
13. It simply looks good – I hated the square watches. They just simply didn’t feel right. I owned the first Samsung gear when it was released with the Note 3 and I felt like I would never buy another smartwatch again. I didn’t want to shout to the world how Geeky I am. The new gear s2 is round and nobody will be able to suspect that you are carrying a mini-computer on your wrist. If you like the sporty modern watch, you should go for the regular Gear S2 unit, but if you want something that you can wear during more formal affairs, I would really suggest the Gear S2 classic. They are functionally the same and they only differ in aesthetics. The regular is slightly (not noticeably) bigger, but the gear S2 classic has a more elegant bezel design. 
14. Outdoor mode – I am not sure if this is a new update since I haven’t seen this mentioned in other reviews, but a while ago while I was walking outside I tried to change the brightness of my watch but it wouldn’t let me since it told me that it is in outdoor mode. This basically brightens up your display so that you will be able to see your watch clearly. I think this is a good thing since I usually set the brightness level to 3 (the brightest is up to 10) when I am indoors.

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What I disliked about it in general

1. The price – I really wish it would have been cheaper, but still since I am quite satisfied with how the gear S2 classic looks on my wrist, I would say it’s still worth the money.
2. Lack of apps – I feel that most of the apps right now that I find in the store are mainly watch faces. Sure there are a few games like Snake and a copy of Flappy Bird but I just wish there were a lot more. Nonetheless, the included Samsung apps are really functional and helpful. Hopefully Other developers will support this OS.
3. The proprietary straps on the regular Gear S2 – this is the main reason why I shifted to the classic version. I didn’t want to be limited with what Samsung can provide in terms of watch straps. Sure the classic version is more expensive, but it is worth it as I can put other straps on it.
4. I wish there was a bigger version – the Gear S2 is Unisex so there are only currently 2 versions of it. The 40mm classic, and the 42mm regular. If you are a woman, then this is certainly big enough, for a man however who has a big wrist, this may seem small. In comparison, a regular TW steel watch is around 45 to 50mm. However, after wearing it for a day, I have gotten used to the size and I actually began to like it. I still wish there was a bigger option though (I’m sure it will come up next year).

So what rating do I give it based on my own satisfaction when it comes to using it? 

7.5 out of 10 for the regular Gear S2

8 out of 10 for the Classic version

It's not perfect, but it is something that I can sincerely recommend.