Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

So I finally broke down and bought a fitness tracker. I did not want to spend $$$$ on a smart watch, as I always have my phone near me and do not need 4G, etc. I did a lot of research or a friend who wanted a fitness tracker as well. She decided on the Fitbit Charge HR. I was able to find her an excellent price and it fit her needs (steps, sleep, heart rate). I own a Galaxy S6 and the Fitbit would sync with the phone, as well as my Mac. However, I wanted a tracker that would also track my runs (pace, time, HR, distance, etc.) I compared many brands and read a ton of reviews. I decided that the Gear Fit 2 was the best option, as it does what other "advanced" trackers do not - have the capability to store music directly on your tracker, so there is no need to have your phone with you. However, you also have the option of listening to music from your phone - but that really isnt the point, is it? I finally started using the tracker for a solid week, actually wearing it at night as well to track my sleep. It works very well overall. Coupled with S-Health, there is a lot you can do, and the tracker also syncs with a number of partner apps (e.g. I have the Nike+ running app). You can also connect to social media and share your success (and failures) of staying fit with your friends directly from the tracker. There are a lot of detailed reviews, so here are some tips I learned over the last week: 1. You do not need to have the tracker "on" constantly. If you are inactive for most of the day, and simply want to keep track of steps and calories, use power saving mode. Too see where you are at during the day, you simply press the bottom button on the side of the phone. Otherwise, the screen stays dark. 2. If you prefer to not use power save mode and have the phone remind you by a "bump" (vibrations) to get moving around (great when you spend a lot of time working at the computer and times goes by faster than you realize, or you have been a couch potato for too long), see the screen frequently, etc. do the following: a. Turn off the wifi. Unless you are transferring data such as music from your phone to your smartwatch (or computer), then you do not need it on. b. You only need Bluetooth on to connect with your phone. However, it does not seem to be much of a battery drain, so it can be left on (I did in my most recent test - results below). c. Turn off Location services. Only use them when you want to track how far and where you walked/ran/etc. It is a huge battery drain otherwise. Results: The tracker will last approximately 2 1/2 to 3 days on a charge with wireless and location services off. It will depend on how often you look at/use the features of the watch that make the difference. The tracker seem to use 20-30% batter power every 24 hours. I got a 3 day stretch. Not too shabby considering the quality of the screen, etc. Otherwise, you should be able to get 5-6 days strictly on power save mode. I used it the last couple of nights in normal mode while I slept. It really sensed when I went to "bed" (ready to actually fall asleep) and when I "got up." When data synced with my phone, I could see how much I move, etc. The first night I know I slept well - and it showed in the tracker. The second night I was awoken twice (once by my dog to go outside and the second time because my significant other was called into work). Then I was awoken a bit early when he got home by our dogs (who wouldn't let me go back to sleep of course). The tracker did pick up on all this and had a lower percentage for sleep quality as well as time slept. I am not sure I will wear it every night, but it is good to use especially if you are stressed, etc. I most likely will put the watch in power save mode when I am asleep and on the dresser. ADVANTAGE: This would certainly extend the battery life. Instead of indicating sleep time, the tracker indicates "not on writs" (or something like that). DISADVANTAGE: the calorie tracker does not seem as accurate. It will estimate the amount of calories burned during the time off your wrist. I found it to be far more accurate when I wore the tracker to bed - there was a much lower calorie count when I started the day (difference of easily 300-400 calories -which is quite large). So it is a personal decision for you whether you wear it to sleep or not. The band is comfortable and I have an extremely small wrist (~ size 6) thus I purchased the small size. There is plenty of expansion room and I have 3-4 notches remaining depending on how tight I want the tracker and placement on my wrist (a little higher, 4 notches, lower, 3 notches). It will be interesting to see how long the band last, not to mention the beautiful screen. I have been quite careful and have not really whacked the screen (knock on wood). I did buy a protector for the screen but have yet to decide it I want to use it. The screen, as just mentioned, is gorgeous, and you have face options. You can add a number of widgets too and view them individually. The downside is that if you are outside and wearing polarized sunglasses, it is very difficult to see the screen. Also, because it is only so big, and the text/touch options are small, it isnt very easy to use while running. I make sure I have it set up to do what I want it to do while on a run, and my preloaded music is all the type of music I prefer to listen to while running. So it eliminates the need to skip songs, etc. The tracker synced without issues to my phone. I already had the Gear Circle wireless headphones (which I also recommend). No issues with syncing the headset either. I love the charging cradle. However, It is only USB, so it must be plugged into a computer or with your Samsung wall adapter. It charges fine on a Mac as well. Fast charge too - seems to take an hour or so via my Mac. I hope this review helps. I am stuck between 4 and 4.5 stars (although Amazon does not give us the half star option) due to the vulnerability of the screen and the potential durability of the band. I purchased the Gear Fit 2 from Amazon when it went on sale for $149 and I also had Chase points to use so I saved even more. Otherwise, I am happy with my purchase and definitely recommend this tracker for those Samsung fans. Oh - NOTE - the watch does not sync with Mac's! Luckily this isnt a deal breaker, since I have a Galaxy phone. I am happy to try to answer any questions that are not on ask on Amazon yet. UPDATE 9/30/16: Since my initial review, I began using the GF2 regularly. Three more items to note: 1. The band DOES stretch. As previously mentioned, I have a very small wrist. I was using the band on the 4th notch. it stretched to the point I need to slide it further up my arm to stay put when I am not engaged in activity and when sleeping. When I work out (anything with arm movement) I now need to put it on the 3rd notch so it is tighter and stay in place - otherwise it drives me crazy and cannot get an accurate reading of my activity. 2. Personally, I found the auto screen on when you move your wrist annoying. I move a lot (even typing at the computer) that the screen would come in frequently. I turned off this option so that the screen only comes on when I push a button. I found this SAVES the BATTERY and adds another one to two days of use if you do not use the GPS function (it is the most draining feature). I am getting 4-5 days before charging with the screen off. It still senses movement well and tracks properly and notifies me when I need to "move". 3. I read a lot of professional reviews of the GF2 before I purchased it. I wasnt overly concerned with hard core accuracy of the GPS. After testing it against the Galaxy S6 GPS (using both at the same time) I found the GF2 is about .10 mile off on average. For me this is no big deal, but wanted to confirm what I read in professional reviews and pass on in case anyone is concerned with pinpoint accuracy of the distance recorded by the GPS. UPDATE 10/26/16: I accidentally dropped the watch this morning coming down the stairs-I had several items in my hands and it slipped off my iPad. I have hardwood floors and stairs. The Gear Fit 2 took the fall well and there was no damage to the watch or the screen. So thus far, I can vouch for light/small drops and bumps (I am clumsy and tend to walk into walls and other things) and the watch face has held up. No scratches or dings or cracks. I do try to be mindful of the watch as I never put a screen protector on the watch face.