I've had my Gear Fit 2 Pro for 2 weeks now and I'm loving it (1st "smartwatch" I've owned). I have no experience with the other 2 but you missed a couple very important pro's for the Gear Fit2. 1st the music playback uses spotify as you stated but you can also just transfer songs you own on your phone to the Gear fit 2 music player, with 4 GB worth of storage space (although with all the apps it comes preloaded with your left @ 3GB, still plenty). 2nd the watch it self only has @ 8 watch faces loaded on it but the app store you use through your phone has 100's of faces to choose from with prices ranging from free to $2.00, most paid ones being closer to $1.00. I found a couple faces I like that were free and a few I liked that cost @ $1. 3rd, the Gear fit 2 does track sleep and does offer statistical breakdown from movement to light movevement to complete stillness and shows you on a colored graph your results including time in each "state" and overall "efficency" of your sleep. Imo battery life is mediocre but I take mine off at bed time anyways so doesn't affect me much (I've tested the sleep tracking during couple naps lol). With wifi (other then initial update wifi just not needed) and GPS turned off and only bluetooth on I use @ 40% of the battery on a typical day which includes an hour run using the music player and turning on GPS for the run only. I have the screen set @ halfway on the brightness scale and the HR monitor can be set to constant, frequently, or off, mine being set to frequent. As far as other tracking items like food and fitness my Gear came with a free year of premium usage on MyFitnessPal MapMyRun and UnderArmours apps, plus Samsung Health app is great and all these apps sync with each other, huge plus. These 3rd party apps really make this watch so useful. I got mine on sale for $169 at Best buy who was matching Microcenter's ad sale and I'm pleased with my purchase all @. The other 2 are bigger and alil more everyday watch looking but I like the sporty look of the Gear Fit 2 as well. Good video
Good info, thanks for sharing it! Battery life was one of my concerns as well, but if you don't mind charging every day, it's not a big deal. I love the screen, wish more trackers cared about the screen quality as much as Samsung does!
Couldn't make fitbit work. It may have been a Windows 10 problem, but its all academic now because there wasn't sufficiently good information to be able to install, and help worth the name so I sent it back.
Garmin needs to explain what trans-reflective display is lol. I also own VA3 and I was really disappointed until I saw the screen at daylight. It is a device meant for outdoors.Truly.
Hock Sing Ng display is the strongest feature of VA 3, not the weakest. It's outdoor visibility and low power consumption is the most important aspect for me
Thanks a lot. I couldn´t decide between the Ionic and the Vivoactive for weeks. Right now I´m using the charge 2 and so the Ionic was my favourite because I´m fitbit user for more than 4 years and so i already have a lot of data in the app. But a great dealbreaker is that the garmin is measuring the HRV which is not only important for your stresslevel but also gives an insight for your level of willpower (for more about this read "the willpower instinct" by Kelly McGonigal). So, after 4 Years I´m going to change from Fitbit to Garmin. Thanks a lot.
Thank you very much for the great review. Among these 3 and others, which watch do you (or the respective commentators ) recommend these days for swimming training/ exercises? My major priorities are : price less less than $300, reasonable smart features (texts & calls with longest Bluetoothing distance possible ), music unnecessary, accurate measurements of heart rate and calories during training (without a need to wear strap at chest). Thx
I went from fitbit Charge HR to Garmin Vivofit Activ HR back to Fitbit Ionic. As a shift worker I want accuracy in sleep tracking that Garmin wasn't able to provide and phone/computer interface on Fitbit I found better. I would have preferred to stay with Garmin as I use it for my cycling. If Garmin get the sleep tracking better I will return.
Thank you for your videos they are extremely helpful. I have the Gear Fit 2 Pro and would like to be able to set the watch on HR only while I am swimming so I can see my HR changes. Is that possible?
vodyssey80 Im also on the fence between the garmin and the sport, been holding off. so far im leaning towards gear sport myself. but would love to see more reviews from video gurus.
JEN ESCO Yeah I'm also favouring the sport but a little worried about Samsung's bad track record of fitness sensor accuracy. No doubt the look and operation of the sport is better than the Garmin but think the Garmin may have the edge on the sport part of the sport! We shall see...
If you would prefer in depth sports tracking information my advice would be to go for the Garmin. If you are leaning more to a nice looking smart watch and are not a serious sporty type... go for the Samsung.
Great comparison video! You actually answered all the looming questions concerning the three devices. I really was impressed by the obvious amount of preparation, that must’ve wen into the making of this. I actually read somewhere that one could connect a BT chest strap to the ionic. Did you try that? Might be just an unqualified comment of another YT review, though, but it might be interesting to know for all folks doing HIIT and loving the Fitbit ecosystem. It completely eludes me why Fitbit is not supporting this, being aware of the built-in shortcomings of wrist-based HR measurements.
They are waiting for the new FW update, some of the owners have issues with the battery life in a way that last only 1 - 2 days... (Garmin forum source). Anyway gj +Techy Agent
Hi, how would you compare the step counter between ionic and the garmin? I am agonising between the two and feedback from other fitbit users is that they can be very sensitive and pick up steps which aren't there. do you have any feedback? Thanks in advance.
Paula Wear Hi, Paula. I dont own these devices but I do own a Vivosmart HR+ and a Fitbit Blaze. Unfortunately, the Garmin doesn't fit comfortably for me for 24 hour usage but one of the things I absolutely loved about it was its step counting. That thing is a champ at not counting extra steps. Not at my desk and not while driving. Word of warning though about Garmin software. The sleep tracking is pretty bad and if you want to use calorie counting their app only works with My Fitness Pal and it doesnt offer a breakdown in calorie consumption, just kind of overall info on calories consumed/burned. Now, Fitbit has fantastic software and better integration with MFP and Lose It as well as their own Food database. Their sleep tracking is fantastic. Most of the Fitbits I have tried definitely over counted steps but the Blaze seems much more tame about it. I dont find it to be as sensitive as other models plus you can desensitize it a little bit in the app settings by switching the dominant/non dominant wrist setting to dominant. You can also work around the driving issue kind of by adding a Driving activity for the time spent driving and it will negate any counted steps during that time. I typically just take my device off while driving and it doesnt count anything. It's always been kind of a joke among wearable enthusiasts that if we could get a device with Garmin's hardware and Fitbit's software then we would be happy. I like Garmin's devices but they are definitely geared toward activity rather than general health. I like Fitbit's software and I like my Blaze quite a bit but I'm really hesitant to spend $300 on any Fitbit given their past history of quality control issues. Hope that helps.
It's a bit of a bummer that the Garmin doesn't have any on-board music support, but i typically like running without music these days anyway. That external HR support is definitely a huge selling point for me. Maybe there will be a killer black Friday deal on it.
+Paul F yes, I’m at the point where I refuse to buy any fitness tracker that does not include support for external heart rate sensors. As good as the Fitbit Ionic is, I consider external heart rate sensor support as more valuable than music storage.
Just joined the Fitbit community I didn’t think an app would make me workout and run more but definitely subscribed and will check every notification and if you or anyone reading this have tips on bettering my resting heart I’m all ears (eyes) I know it should be lower but I recently went back to college and have set very high goals gpa wise for my bachelors so idk if it’s stress anxiety or something else
I have an unusually low resting heart rate and it’s not necessarily because I do a ton of cardio, but I think that high intensity interval training helps a ton
Techy Agent thank you so much for the reply and will definitely start incorporating that into my weekly routine now instead of low pace long distance jogging and I think it’ll be better for knees anyway
I bought the Garmin Vivoactive 3 and ended up returning it. It wouldn't stay connected to my phone which is a Samsung. I am a very moderate fitness user and am getting the Gear Fit2 Pro .
Chances are your phone kept trying to shut Garmin connect app down. Need to go into battery settings on phone and enable Garmin connect to always run in the background. It needs that app to stay synced. Anything newer than android 9 phone will panic that the app is using too much battery (it does keep Bluetooth active for example) and force close.
@@DevilishGuy1 glad you're enjoying it. I've got the vivoactive 3 and connection is rock solid. Does everything I need. I know about that issue though as I had original vivoactive and was forever losing connection with my new phone. As soon as I changed battery management to manual rather than auto for Garmin connect, and leave running in background it never disconnected again with little impact on battery.
Very useful comparison video. You mentioned that samsung fitbit 2 pro's heart rate sensor is not as accurate during fast ups and downs. Would it give reliable readings during a swimming session?
Hi I had a vivofit 3 which unfortunately died. You were able to see the Kilometers that you walked and using share have a second reading of Kilometers running at the same time. I purchased a vivofit 4 and was wondering if it can do the same thing?
I now have a Fitbit Ionic, and I'm sooo disappointed. For the $$$ price, I expected it to at least be somewhat on the level of a Pebble, but it's super buggy and has a horrible UI. It's missing many basic smartwatch functions. The buttons I needed, well they won't control the music once the screen turns off for a while. Athletes need to pause/play/skip at a seconds notice. Instead we have to stop, bring the watch to upright position, and then swipe down on the screen. AND THEN you can access the music controls. Not very handy for an athlete, or anyone else for that matter. The notifications don't really work, at least not very well. There's no wrist shake-to-wake which is annoying too. I can ramble on-and-on about all the things that suck. I'm gonna put it in a drawer and hope Fitbit makes some major improvements to it over the next few months.
Hey! Been watching some of your videos for the past week - mostly wearables' reviews and comparisons. I really like your style and format of the reviews, it really helps a lot. I'm looking to buy an activity tracker (not necessarily a 'watch') which is also a good investment for the amount of money I'm putting in. I'll basically be using it for running and biking, but would be great if it can stay on my wrist comfortably during the day and track my resting HR (also tells the time!). I've had my eyes on the Vivosport and after watching a few reviews including yours, I'm convinced that it'll be a good option for me. But I want to know if you have any suggestions - if there's a better option in that price range currently, and if not, is the Vivosport durable enough to hold up for a while. Really banging my head around TH-cam to figure it out, so I finally thought I'll drop a comment and ask you directly instead. Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hear from you.
Thank you, Eric, as usual these are great reviews. Would you put the Apple Watch Series 3 WiFi within the same category of these devices? On that same note, I would suggest doing a video on the current state of the Apple Watch fitness apps (sans phone) and which one is the best.
Hi Techy agent great review , I do my exercises indoor, its a mixture of pushups, sit ups , ab crunches , spot jogging , spot jumping and a few dumbbells lifting . which would you recommend, between these 3. Would they automatically detect the exercise or would I have to manually do something, I am so confused , First would I have to go into cardio mode manually and then everything gets detected automatically or how does it happen.Really appreciate your response.Thanks.
Great video Eric! It was really helpful! Think you'll get an opportunity to review the Misfit Vapor? I'm curious as to how it will compare to the Ionic and Vivoactive 3.
Great Video! Do you know of any GPS fitness watches that have both onboard music storage and golf features? I know at this point Garmin does not have a single Fitness watch out that has on board music that I am aware of. I have not heard anything about any apps for the ionic that will allow for golf. I am currently stuck with the Samsung Gear S3 which is absolutely horrible in many features including golf apps. Thanks again for the great quality videos!
Unfortunately I don’t know of any good watches that have both golf tracking and onboard music storage. You’d have to go with a smart watch like the Apple Watch for something like that.
Thanks so much for the response. I guess I'll have to continue waiting for Garmin to finally get on board and start offering music storage on their devices since they are the only ones that offer golf features. Seems like they are behind the times with music though!!
When using the Samsung gear fit 2 pro, did you find the gps tracking to be accurate? Like distance, pace, and the map of your runs? This important to me, as well as the ability to listen to music while running. Love the review!
It's decent, it could be off by a quarter mile or less. I know because as a military person I run a 2 mile rout that we have to run for physical fitness test and it never hits the mile marks where it suppose to. But overall it's a good fitness watch
This is cool, I came from a Microsoft Band 2 and got the Fitbit Ionic and am very hppy with my purchase. I run and bike and the Ionic does this very well. Also it appears you are in Ohio, I am also in Dayton
Thanks for the review. I agree with many others, this is how reviews should be done. Excellent setup. If you were doing just weightlifting and wanted to track calories out and heart rate, what would you pick?
If I was just going to do weightlifting and nothing else, I would pick the Garmin Because it has the option of pairing with external heart rate sensor’s and I prefer to use external heart rate sensor’s when I’m doing weightlifting
Hi I would like some advice on which sport watch is right for me. I would like it to be the most accurate of all calculations, calories day and night, that monitor sleep, sport weight (bodybuilding), monitor the 24 hour beat, which is waterproof, that has the option to disable bluetooth, that is independent of a smartphone used only to collect data at the end of the day and that the battery lasts at least more than 2 days. I have no price limits. As always, I put myself in your hands. Thank you for your presence and your valuable advice
It’s a tough question because I don’t think any fitness tracker is the best in all those areas. Every tracker will be great in some ways and it will compromise in other areas. If money is no issue, I would recommend buying 2 fitness trackers and 1 heart rate sensor. Something like the Garmin Vivoactive 3 with the Polar H10 chest strap and also the Whoop Strap, or something like that.
I just picked up a Vivoactive 3 this week after returning a Apple Watch 3. So far I’m loving the the vivioactive 3 but I was already a garmin user so I may be biased lol
+Sarah Day Yeah, I have really enjoyed using Garmin products the last few years. I’m not a cop follower, but I do appreciate their consistency in releasing quality products.
Do any but vivo3 have golf features? I can can see how someone might prefer the fitbit to get the levels of sleep tracking but does the fitbit come even close to the garmin for exercise tracking AND workouts?
tim enchanter I am the same looking for a watch but with golf also,the other 2 I don’t think have it I will probably go with either vivoactive 3 or the Apple series 3 now that Apple is similar in price. Was just looking for more battery life than those 2 though.
great comparison, still think the Garmin is the best looking device, but even with the black/gunmetal option for a bit more, would you recommend a screen protector, if so which one? don't really care for on-device music storage, as I mostly use this in the gym that typically plays great music
+Ian McNabb with gorilla glass three, I’ve been pretty comfortable not worrying about using a screen protector and I haven’t had any scratches. The costing on the gun metal version Will act as an extra measure of protection. But if you really want to go all out, I’m sure you can buy one on Amazon. But I haven’t personally tried any so I can’t make any specific recommendations.
Thanks for the video! I've heard the Gear Fit 2 Pro's GPS is very inaccurate, so it was okay for you? Heard that it can be off by a few hundred meters in a 5K run. Samsung released a new update just yesterday which supposedly has helped with the accuracy of the sensors (e.g. Pedometer, HRM and floors), have you been able to try that out? And in regards to the pedometer on the Gear Fit 2 Pro, was that accurate? I love the form factor of the Gear Fit 2 Pro but it seems to really suck in everything :( Still want it though...
+Spacemonkeymojo I thought it was pretty accurate in terms of counting steps and GPS. My biggest complaint with it wasn’t the accuracy for running, but the metrics: it only provided basic metrics like distance and time, where the other devices provide advanced metrics like cadence, and vo2 max.
I'm also having some GPS accuracy issues with my Gear Fit 2 Pro. Can you maybe tell me where I can see this software update info? I've been searching for a while now, but can't seem to find the website that specifies what's the latest update and it's contents.
Fritso Vid Yeah, so there's a post on the gear fit subreddit (reddit.com/r/gearfit) where someone posted a screenshot of the update details from their phone. Where are you located? Now I'm starting to think maybe it's only been rolled out in the US. Hopefully it'll go to other regions soon.
I'm located in the Netherlands. My firmware version is still r365xxu2aqg9. Checked for updates today, and says everything is up to date. Hope my region gets the update soon.
Hi Eric I would really appreciate your opinion.I'm bit lost in what would really work for me.I'm doing mostly crossfit a bit of indoor running and casually some soccer.I really like the vivoactive 3 but I don't want to end up with an impressive list of functions but that won't fit me. What would you recommend me??
Hi Eric, I just got a Samsung gear fit 2 pro and was on the cusp of ditching it for a Vivoactive 3 because of the strength traini g features, but would really rather not because of the extra cost. Is it possible to do strength training tracking from the gear fit 2 pro like the garmin or do I need to take out my phone to do the tracking there?
I don’t think that the Samsung has the ability to track repetitions and exercise detection like the Garmin. But if you are mostly concerned about tracking your heart rate and calories burned, it will do that.
The Ionic seems to have everything, its a little big and not as elegant looking as the Garmin but it plays/stores music and would be a great stand alone device. I've been going around and around trying to decide what to get. I just don't care for the Apple watch at all. Hey, at least we have some good choices here.
Yep, the Fitbit Ionic is still the best wearable Fitbit has ever released. Even compared to the newly announced Fitbit Versa, the Ionic is the better device.
Hello, Eric! I have problems with vivoactive 3. It doesn't measure my HR well during a workout. I tried to change position on my arm... Only for yoga and running works fine. But when I select cardio it doesn't. I do hiit, circut workouts.. what do you advice?
I have used first generation fit bit which was so poorly designed every week some or other part will needed to be glued charging was not at all user friendly and worst was skin irritation I still have some where.Recently bought fit bit ionic and very happy with it waiting for few newer apps.
Which one should I get, the fitbit blaze or the gear fit 2? You say the gear fit 2 HR monitor is not as accurate which one is more accurate and which one is all around the best value?
+SourStrawberrys I think that the blaze has a better heart rate sensor, and honestly I prefer the blaze all around over the Fit2. I have not checked to see what the current pricing is on the blaze, but it’s probably a better value as well
Techy Agent I think the blaze and the gear fit 2 will be around the same price on black Friday, $150. I like the nice screen on the gear fit 2. But I already have a smart watch (the very first samsung gear) and I mostly want a good fitness watch. So I'll go with the blaze like you said. The ionic and that other watch you reviewed is more than I want to pay for a fitbit or watch centered around fitness.
Thanks for the comparison...I'm more confused than ever. I'm trying to decide between the Fitbit Ionic and the Garmin VivoActive 3 - I need to be able to sync with Strava and Weight Watchers. I'm an avid road cyclist and am looking to monitor heartrate, cadence, distance, elevation, etc...which watch do you think would be best for me?
In your case I would consider the Garmin because it can connect with external heart rate sensor’s, cadence sensors, and it also records advanced metrics like elevation and you can export the data Strava
I have a Amazfit Stratos and it's great watch however, it's just to dim for me to read the display without struggling. My eyes are going a little . Which gps ,hrm watch that pairs with external hrm's and has music storage would you recommend. I need a bright screen that i can read indoors at arms length on my bike.?
+Joe i’m in the middle of reviewing the new Apple Watch, and I think that I would probably pick the new Apple Watch over these 3 IF you can afford the extra money. I would say that the Apple Watch performs equally as well as the Fitbit Ionic and Vivoactive 3, but it has the advantage of being a fully functional smart watch. So the Apple Watch Series 3 has the advantage of being just as accurate and having smart watch features, but it’s also more expensive. So for someone who doesn’t really care about having advanced smart features, I think the Fitbit and Garmin do just fine, Especially since they are cheaper
Thank you for your response. You've provided great reviews over the years and your reviews are important in the decision making process. How do you find the Apple "back-end" ecosystem? I've never had an apple watch, so I don't know how the data compiles. I like looking at Garmin Connect and comparing my month's reports (calories or miles or active calories, etc) to see how they stack up or see how many calories I've burned playing tennis vs doing strength workouts. Does apple let you compare such things? Thanks again and keep up the great work!
I run 5 times a week And sometimes swim And play soccer And fitness (Push upps etc) Hr is important And how the app works Which one would you recommend
I've used a low level polar HR in the past, but OVER analyzing for the past several years, waiting for the "perfect" all sport run/swim/bike non chest band watch has driven me crazy. I'm giving up on that actually happening now, willing to accept the fact that for swim, I'll probably have to wear a chest band, but also wanting more than a 3meter protection on a watch; I'm ready to pull the trigger at the end of July (milestone bd and training achievement). Sticking point; old man eyes 56, looking for largest digital readout as possible. Is there anywhere near Atlanta/southeast that I can shop on a wide variable of products? It seems stores are carrying fewer options these days. Summary, best swim chest band? Acceptable HR watch $250-$500 with larger digital readout?
I just purchased the Fitbit ionic and I'm hoping that it is a good companion for tracking all my fitness activities. I currently on the Apple Watch series 2 and it doesn't cut it for me on many things. I don't really care about the smart stuff. I'm more concerned about Fitness.
Garmin's watches are trash IMO. The screen is something you would get in a device in 2010.. The swimming on the Vivoactive is useless in accuracy. So disappointment with my VivoactiveHR.. I love the look of the gear Fit 2 -- It reminds me of the microsoft band which IMO was far superior to the Vivoactive. I would go with the Gear Fit 2 or Gear Sport over the other 2. My friends wife had the Fitbit Ionic and returned it after a few weeks because the "replaceable" bands -- which sounds like a terrific idea kept detaching during workouts.
Great review, however I already have gear s3 but it's not truly waterproof. Could you recommend some waterproof fit band which will work nice with gear s3. Like synch tracking with same apps. Ideally if it will have hart rate monitor or/and simple watch
good review, i love my Gear Fit2 Pro as well.. I find the sleep tracking in the Samsung app to be good info as far as how restless of a sleep you may have had. Not sure how it compares to Fitbit. Only complaint is no direct Strava app. There is an option to link the accounts for an auto sync after your run, but I have found the data synced to Strava to not completely accurately match to what Samsung Health shows.
Hey I really enjoy your videos. Can you please do a review comparison between the vivoactive 3 and the Samsung gear sport? I really don't know which one to buy...
Is Samsung gear fit 2 pro still not compatible with Iphone? Do you know anything about this issue? I am wondering to buy either Samsung GF2pro or Polar A370...what do you think which one is better value? Thank you.
Techy Agent thanks for your answer. My friend has a Polar A370 and she said each arm movement calculated as a step...so it’s really inaccurate in terms of step counting. Do you know any other device that counts the step using other methods?
Thank you for this. Do you know if the Gear Sport is going to be better/more accurate than the Gear Fit 2 Pro? I know it cost more, is it because of screen size and build? Or would it actually be better? I take none of these offer breadcrumb support(well I know the VA3 for sure doesn't natively, not sure about the other two)
+Tanya Bakerwitz Word on the street is that it will be, but those are rumors for now. I will definitely be reviewing it soon, as soon as I can get my hands on it
I know it came out last week and most big sites have reviews, but they aren't really good, as they don't test out the fitness side of it thoroughly, if at all, like you do. I really wanted to like the VA3, but that display wasn't the best, but it looks like I am forced to get that if the Sport isn't that good.
If you use an iPhone, I would not recommend a Samsung fit 2 pro. I purchased one and it worked great(I know it’s kinda weird, but the sales person there swore it works great with iPhone when I bought it). However, it kept disconnecting from my phone and it would never sync data and reconnect. I have tried everything the customer care recommended. I had to return it, that’s why I am currently watching this video...
Preshit Kulkarni I’d say the Ionic has the best battery. It also depends on how much notifications and alerts there are, that keep turning the device on and using the battery.
Great job on the comparison I have to say I'm surprised garmin doesn't have the best sensor. I think the fitbit is the better device the ability to workout without a phone pushes it over the top. I know you haven't done the gear sport yet but I do know they have a new sensor and I'd love to see a vs between fitbit and the gear sport. That will be the determining factor in which to but I think.
Awesome and I have to thank you for doing these videos I brought the Microsoft band solely off your video and indeed it was a great Fitness tracker. And with that said after the gear Sport review if you still feel the Fitbit edges it out I'll go with Fitbit.
Don't go for the Samsung. I have used the Gear Fit 2 since May. While the display is great it's horribly innacurate with the GPS. 5km runs would be logged as 4.6km and ever other stat is wonky as a result
I would recommend you shop the Garmin Forerunner lineup. They have some watches in that price point that include triathlon profiles that automatically track those activities
Under $300? The ionic is at $300. Meaning you it will be over that price with tax. The gear fit 2 is only about $200. $100 difference. Should have been compared with the blaze.
+Rocela Durazo Verdugo depends: if I had to buy only a device and could not use an external hr sensor, I would go with the Fitbit Ionic. But if I could buy a device and use an external heart rate sensor, I would go with the Garmin Vivoactive 3 and use a chest strap or arm band sensor for CrossFit.
The hardware is pretty much identical, but the pro version adds some software upgrades. If you watch my Gear Fit2 Pro review, I cover some of those differences
I've had my Gear Fit 2 Pro for 2 weeks now and I'm loving it (1st "smartwatch" I've owned). I have no experience with the other 2 but you missed a couple very important pro's for the Gear Fit2. 1st the music playback uses spotify as you stated but you can also just transfer songs you own on your phone to the Gear fit 2 music player, with 4 GB worth of storage space (although with all the apps it comes preloaded with your left @ 3GB, still plenty). 2nd the watch it self only has @ 8 watch faces loaded on it but the app store you use through your phone has 100's of faces to choose from with prices ranging from free to $2.00, most paid ones being closer to $1.00. I found a couple faces I like that were free and a few I liked that cost @ $1. 3rd, the Gear fit 2 does track sleep and does offer statistical breakdown from movement to light movevement to complete stillness and shows you on a colored graph your results including time in each "state" and overall "efficency" of your sleep. Imo battery life is mediocre but I take mine off at bed time anyways so doesn't affect me much (I've tested the sleep tracking during couple naps lol). With wifi (other then initial update wifi just not needed) and GPS turned off and only bluetooth on I use @ 40% of the battery on a typical day which includes an hour run using the music player and turning on GPS for the run only. I have the screen set @ halfway on the brightness scale and the HR monitor can be set to constant, frequently, or off, mine being set to frequent. As far as other tracking items like food and fitness my Gear came with a free year of premium usage on MyFitnessPal MapMyRun and UnderArmours apps, plus Samsung Health app is great and all these apps sync with each other, huge plus. These 3rd party apps really make this watch so useful. I got mine on sale for $169 at Best buy who was matching Microcenter's ad sale and I'm pleased with my purchase all @. The other 2 are bigger and alil more everyday watch looking but I like the sporty look of the Gear Fit 2 as well. Good video
Good info, thanks for sharing it! Battery life was one of my concerns as well, but if you don't mind charging every day, it's not a big deal. I love the screen, wish more trackers cared about the screen quality as much as Samsung does!
Your review is nice
In my case the Samsung pretty screen is the only saving grace. LOL Everything else is just mediocre.
Couldn't make fitbit work. It may have been a Windows 10 problem, but its all academic now because there wasn't sufficiently good information to be able to install, and help worth the name so I sent it back.
Had the gear fit 2 pro for 4 weeks then it broke got it replaced then 2 weeks after it got replaced it brake again
The display for Garmin is always on, and gets more visible in brightest daylight, unlike the rest. An important point not mentioned.
Garmin needs to explain what trans-reflective display is lol. I also own VA3 and I was really disappointed until I saw the screen at daylight. It is a device meant for outdoors.Truly.
+Hock Sing Ng That is true, thanks for bringing that up!
+RedNine Yes, that’s an excellent point!
Hock Sing Ng display is the strongest feature of VA 3, not the weakest. It's outdoor visibility and low power consumption is the most important aspect for me
I think the Ionic might have an option to have it always on
Thanks a lot. I couldn´t decide between the Ionic and the Vivoactive for weeks. Right now I´m using the charge 2 and so the Ionic was my favourite because I´m fitbit user for more than 4 years and so i already have a lot of data in the app. But a great dealbreaker is that the garmin is measuring the HRV which is not only important for your stresslevel but also gives an insight for your level of willpower (for more about this read "the willpower instinct" by Kelly McGonigal). So, after 4 Years I´m going to change from Fitbit to Garmin. Thanks a lot.
Great comparison, Thanks.
If you could add Samsung Gear Sport to the test that would be great.
+saeed moosaei I will probably do the Gear Sport against the Apple Watch, and then maybe one other final comparison video
This is what comparison should be
+tamer wahba Thanks! That means a lot!
Thank you very much for the great review. Among these 3 and others, which watch do you (or the respective commentators ) recommend these days for swimming training/ exercises? My major priorities are : price less less than $300, reasonable smart features (texts & calls with longest Bluetoothing distance possible ), music unnecessary, accurate measurements of heart rate and calories during training (without a need to wear strap at chest). Thx
I went from fitbit Charge HR to Garmin Vivofit Activ HR back to Fitbit Ionic. As a shift worker I want accuracy in sleep tracking that Garmin wasn't able to provide and phone/computer interface on Fitbit I found better. I would have preferred to stay with Garmin as I use it for my cycling. If Garmin get the sleep tracking better I will return.
Finally! A good review on all 3 AND all in one video, thank you!
Thank you for your videos they are extremely helpful.
I have the Gear Fit 2 Pro and would like to be able to set the watch on HR only while I am swimming so I can see my HR changes. Is that possible?
It should be possible!
I am not able to decide between fit pro 2 vs vivoactive 3. I am looking for a smartwatch which can track gym workout sets and reps. Any suggestions?
Please compare these devices with the new Samsung Gear Sport... can't decide between the Samsung and the Garmin!
Ah see everyone has already pestered you for it!
+vodyssey80 😀👍
vodyssey80 Im also on the fence between the garmin and the sport, been holding off. so far im leaning towards gear sport myself. but would love to see more reviews from video gurus.
JEN ESCO Yeah I'm also favouring the sport but a little worried about Samsung's bad track record of fitness sensor accuracy. No doubt the look and operation of the sport is better than the Garmin but think the Garmin may have the edge on the sport part of the sport! We shall see...
If you would prefer in depth sports tracking information my advice would be to go for the Garmin. If you are leaning more to a nice looking smart watch and are not a serious sporty type... go for the Samsung.
Great comparison video! You actually answered all the looming questions concerning the three devices. I really was impressed by the obvious amount of preparation, that must’ve wen into the making of this.
I actually read somewhere that one could connect a BT chest strap to the ionic. Did you try that? Might be just an unqualified comment of another YT review, though, but it might be interesting to know for all folks doing HIIT and loving the Fitbit ecosystem. It completely eludes me why Fitbit is not supporting this, being aware of the built-in shortcomings of wrist-based HR measurements.
+Mathias Rhein unfortunately Fitbit does not yet include this feature. The Fitbit can pair with Bluetooth headphones, but not external hr sensors
$300 ionic, dead battery in six months, fitbit was all "no warranty for u lol." Ugh.
Firstly thank you. Do you have any information regarding: 1. Battery life with music and GPS?2. Battery life in basic use mode?
What about battery life? There are a lot of complaints on garmins forum about va3, but for me it is the best choice.
+Marko Rodic battery life on the Ionic and VA3 are not bad. I’m not sure why people are complaining.
They are waiting for the new FW update, some of the owners have issues with the battery life in a way that last only 1 - 2 days... (Garmin forum source). Anyway gj +Techy Agent
Hi, how would you compare the step counter between ionic and the garmin? I am agonising between the two and feedback from other fitbit users is that they can be very sensitive and pick up steps which aren't there. do you have any feedback? Thanks in advance.
+Paula Wear Garmin tends to do a little bit better in terms of being accurate with steps, and not counting things like car movement
Paula Wear Hi, Paula. I dont own these devices but I do own a Vivosmart HR+ and a Fitbit Blaze. Unfortunately, the Garmin doesn't fit comfortably for me for 24 hour usage but one of the things I absolutely loved about it was its step counting. That thing is a champ at not counting extra steps. Not at my desk and not while driving. Word of warning though about Garmin software. The sleep tracking is pretty bad and if you want to use calorie counting their app only works with My Fitness Pal and it doesnt offer a breakdown in calorie consumption, just kind of overall info on calories consumed/burned.
Now, Fitbit has fantastic software and better integration with MFP and Lose It as well as their own Food database. Their sleep tracking is fantastic. Most of the Fitbits I have tried definitely over counted steps but the Blaze seems much more tame about it. I dont find it to be as sensitive as other models plus you can desensitize it a little bit in the app settings by switching the dominant/non dominant wrist setting to dominant. You can also work around the driving issue kind of by adding a Driving activity for the time spent driving and it will negate any counted steps during that time. I typically just take my device off while driving and it doesnt count anything.
It's always been kind of a joke among wearable enthusiasts that if we could get a device with Garmin's hardware and Fitbit's software then we would be happy. I like Garmin's devices but they are definitely geared toward activity rather than general health. I like Fitbit's software and I like my Blaze quite a bit but I'm really hesitant to spend $300 on any Fitbit given their past history of quality control issues.
Hope that helps.
Great comparison mate, thanks. Very useful.
It's a bit of a bummer that the Garmin doesn't have any on-board music support, but i typically like running without music these days anyway. That external HR support is definitely a huge selling point for me. Maybe there will be a killer black Friday deal on it.
+Paul F yes, I’m at the point where I refuse to buy any fitness tracker that does not include support for external heart rate sensors. As good as the Fitbit Ionic is, I consider external heart rate sensor support as more valuable than music storage.
Just joined the Fitbit community I didn’t think an app would make me workout and run more but definitely subscribed and will check every notification and if you or anyone reading this have tips on bettering my resting heart I’m all ears (eyes) I know it should be lower but I recently went back to college and have set very high goals gpa wise for my bachelors so idk if it’s stress anxiety or something else
I have an unusually low resting heart rate and it’s not necessarily because I do a ton of cardio, but I think that high intensity interval training helps a ton
Techy Agent thank you so much for the reply and will definitely start incorporating that into my weekly routine now instead of low pace long distance jogging and I think it’ll be better for knees anyway
I bought the Garmin Vivoactive 3 and ended up returning it. It wouldn't stay connected to my phone which is a Samsung. I am a very moderate fitness user and am getting the Gear Fit2 Pro .
Chances are your phone kept trying to shut Garmin connect app down. Need to go into battery settings on phone and enable Garmin connect to always run in the background. It needs that app to stay synced. Anything newer than android 9 phone will panic that the app is using too much battery (it does keep Bluetooth active for example) and force close.
@@paultasker7788 I've had the Samsung and its awesome does everything I need it to do.
@@DevilishGuy1 glad you're enjoying it. I've got the vivoactive 3 and connection is rock solid. Does everything I need. I know about that issue though as I had original vivoactive and was forever losing connection with my new phone. As soon as I changed battery management to manual rather than auto for Garmin connect, and leave running in background it never disconnected again with little impact on battery.
Very useful comparison video. You mentioned that samsung fitbit 2 pro's heart rate sensor is not as accurate during fast ups and downs. Would it give reliable readings during a swimming session?
do any of these alow you to send a text message using an on screen keyboard and not just canned quick messages?
Bigbacon are you joking? The displays are way too small
Hi I had a vivofit 3 which unfortunately died. You were able to see the Kilometers that you walked and using share have a second reading of Kilometers running at the same time. I purchased a vivofit 4 and was wondering if it can do the same thing?
Fitbit Ionic has real buttons to control music. I wear gloves for lots of different activities. I need buttons, like baaad.
+Christopher Alden That’s another good point, thanks for sharing!
I now have a Fitbit Ionic, and I'm sooo disappointed. For the $$$ price, I expected it to at least be somewhat on the level of a Pebble, but it's super buggy and has a horrible UI. It's missing many basic smartwatch functions. The buttons I needed, well they won't control the music once the screen turns off for a while. Athletes need to pause/play/skip at a seconds notice. Instead we have to stop, bring the watch to upright position, and then swipe down on the screen. AND THEN you can access the music controls. Not very handy for an athlete, or anyone else for that matter. The notifications don't really work, at least not very well. There's no wrist shake-to-wake which is annoying too. I can ramble on-and-on about all the things that suck. I'm gonna put it in a drawer and hope Fitbit makes some major improvements to it over the next few months.
@@kristfur hey hiw are you finding the watch now after firmware updates etc
Hey! Been watching some of your videos for the past week - mostly wearables' reviews and comparisons.
I really like your style and format of the reviews, it really helps a lot.
I'm looking to buy an activity tracker (not necessarily a 'watch') which is also a good investment for the amount of money I'm putting in. I'll basically be using it for running and biking, but would be great if it can stay on my wrist comfortably during the day and track my resting HR (also tells the time!).
I've had my eyes on the Vivosport and after watching a few reviews including yours, I'm convinced that it'll be a good option for me. But I want to know if you have any suggestions - if there's a better option in that price range currently, and if not, is the Vivosport durable enough to hold up for a while. Really banging my head around TH-cam to figure it out, so I finally thought I'll drop a comment and ask you directly instead.
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hear from you.
Yeah, I think you are on the right track. It’s something that would be good for running and biking and at the same time be very comfortable.
Great! Thanks for the prompt response. :)
You can download watchfaces in samsung gear fit 2 pro.
you can on vivoactive too
Thank you, Eric, as usual these are great reviews. Would you put the Apple Watch Series 3 WiFi within the same category of these devices?
On that same note, I would suggest doing a video on the current state of the Apple Watch fitness apps (sans phone) and which one is the best.
+VVoltz Yeah, i’ve been wearing the Apple Watch Series 3 for the last couple of weeks and I would put it on par with these.
Hi Techy agent great review , I do my exercises indoor, its a mixture of pushups, sit ups , ab crunches , spot jogging , spot jumping and a few dumbbells lifting . which would you recommend, between these 3. Would they automatically detect the exercise or would I have to manually do something, I am so confused , First would I have to go into cardio mode manually and then everything gets detected automatically or how does it happen.Really appreciate your response.Thanks.
Would be great if you added the Suunto Spartan Trainer HR to your comparison
Great video Eric! It was really helpful! Think you'll get an opportunity to review the Misfit Vapor? I'm curious as to how it will compare to the Ionic and Vivoactive 3.
+Doug Pancoast I’m hoping to get a review unit, yes!
I will say the price is now $114.48 for Liquid Black, brand new on Amazon. Seems like kind of a good deal for such a device.
Great Video! Do you know of any GPS fitness watches that have both onboard music storage and golf features? I know at this point Garmin does not have a single Fitness watch out that has on board music that I am aware of. I have not heard anything about any apps for the ionic that will allow for golf. I am currently stuck with the Samsung Gear S3 which is absolutely horrible in many features including golf apps. Thanks again for the great quality videos!
Unfortunately I don’t know of any good watches that have both golf tracking and onboard music storage. You’d have to go with a smart watch like the Apple Watch for something like that.
Thanks so much for the response. I guess I'll have to continue waiting for Garmin to finally get on board and start offering music storage on their devices since they are the only ones that offer golf features. Seems like they are behind the times with music though!!
When using the Samsung gear fit 2 pro, did you find the gps tracking to be accurate? Like distance, pace, and the map of your runs? This important to me, as well as the ability to listen to music while running. Love the review!
Yes, the GPS worked really well
It's decent, it could be off by a quarter mile or less. I know because as a military person I run a 2 mile rout that we have to run for physical fitness test and it never hits the mile marks where it suppose to. But overall it's a good fitness watch
Thank you!
This is cool, I came from a Microsoft Band 2 and got the Fitbit Ionic and am very hppy with my purchase. I run and bike and the Ionic does this very well. Also it appears you are in Ohio, I am also in Dayton
+christopher evans I’m not too far south of you: Middletown/Monroe area
Thanks for the review. I agree with many others, this is how reviews should be done. Excellent setup. If you were doing just weightlifting and wanted to track calories out and heart rate, what would you pick?
If I was just going to do weightlifting and nothing else, I would pick the Garmin Because it has the option of pairing with external heart rate sensor’s and I prefer to use external heart rate sensor’s when I’m doing weightlifting
The only things I don’t like about the Fitbit is the blocky looks and price
Porkchop Divelbiss it is ugly
Hi I would like some advice on which sport watch is right for me. I would like it to be the most accurate of all calculations, calories day and night, that monitor sleep, sport weight (bodybuilding), monitor the 24 hour beat, which is waterproof, that has the option to disable bluetooth, that is independent of a smartphone used only to collect data at the end of the day and that the battery lasts at least more than 2 days. I have no price limits. As always, I put myself in your hands. Thank you for your presence and your valuable advice
It’s a tough question because I don’t think any fitness tracker is the best in all those areas. Every tracker will be great in some ways and it will compromise in other areas. If money is no issue, I would recommend buying 2 fitness trackers and 1 heart rate sensor. Something like the Garmin Vivoactive 3 with the Polar H10 chest strap and also the Whoop Strap, or something like that.
Techy Agent Thanks for the valuable advice. keep it up
I just picked up a Vivoactive 3 this week after returning a Apple Watch 3. So far I’m loving the the vivioactive 3 but I was already a garmin user so I may be biased lol
+Sarah Day Yeah, I have really enjoyed using Garmin products the last few years. I’m not a cop follower, but I do appreciate their consistency in releasing quality products.
Do any but vivo3 have golf features? I can can see how someone might prefer the fitbit to get the levels of sleep tracking but does the fitbit come even close to the garmin for exercise tracking AND workouts?
tim enchanter I am the same looking for a watch but with golf also,the other 2 I don’t think have it I will probably go with either vivoactive 3 or the Apple series 3 now that Apple is similar in price. Was just looking for more battery life than those 2 though.
Would you put the pro 2 above the gear sport?
+Pepper544 I’m not sure yet, I haven’t had a chance to try out the gear sport yet, but I should get it in early next week
Been checking everyday for this! Thanks!
+Ed Derepa 👍 thanks for watching!
great comparison, still think the Garmin is the best looking device, but even with the black/gunmetal option for a bit more, would you recommend a screen protector, if so which one? don't really care for on-device music storage, as I mostly use this in the gym that typically plays great music
+Ian McNabb with gorilla glass three, I’ve been pretty comfortable not worrying about using a screen protector and I haven’t had any scratches. The costing on the gun metal version Will act as an extra measure of protection. But if you really want to go all out, I’m sure you can buy one on Amazon. But I haven’t personally tried any so I can’t make any specific recommendations.
Thanks for the video! I've heard the Gear Fit 2 Pro's GPS is very inaccurate, so it was okay for you? Heard that it can be off by a few hundred meters in a 5K run.
Samsung released a new update just yesterday which supposedly has helped with the accuracy of the sensors (e.g. Pedometer, HRM and floors), have you been able to try that out?
And in regards to the pedometer on the Gear Fit 2 Pro, was that accurate? I love the form factor of the Gear Fit 2 Pro but it seems to really suck in everything :( Still want it though...
+Spacemonkeymojo I thought it was pretty accurate in terms of counting steps and GPS. My biggest complaint with it wasn’t the accuracy for running, but the metrics: it only provided basic metrics like distance and time, where the other devices provide advanced metrics like cadence, and vo2 max.
Techy Agent hmmm okay thanks for the info!
I'm also having some GPS accuracy issues with my Gear Fit 2 Pro. Can you maybe tell me where I can see this software update info? I've been searching for a while now, but can't seem to find the website that specifies what's the latest update and it's contents.
Fritso Vid Yeah, so there's a post on the gear fit subreddit (reddit.com/r/gearfit) where someone posted a screenshot of the update details from their phone. Where are you located? Now I'm starting to think maybe it's only been rolled out in the US. Hopefully it'll go to other regions soon.
I'm located in the Netherlands. My firmware version is still r365xxu2aqg9. Checked for updates today, and says everything is up to date. Hope my region gets the update soon.
Hi Eric I would really appreciate your opinion.I'm bit lost in what would really work for me.I'm doing mostly crossfit a bit of indoor running and casually some soccer.I really like the vivoactive 3 but I don't want to end up with an impressive list of functions but that won't fit me. What would you recommend me??
Any of these 3 are good, if you want something more paired down and simple for what you do, the Polar A360 or Polar A370 are both great.
Hi Eric, I just got a Samsung gear fit 2 pro and was on the cusp of ditching it for a Vivoactive 3 because of the strength traini g features, but would really rather not because of the extra cost.
Is it possible to do strength training tracking from the gear fit 2 pro like the garmin or do I need to take out my phone to do the tracking there?
I don’t think that the Samsung has the ability to track repetitions and exercise detection like the Garmin. But if you are mostly concerned about tracking your heart rate and calories burned, it will do that.
The Ionic seems to have everything, its a little big and not as elegant looking as the Garmin but it plays/stores music and would be a great stand alone device. I've been going around and around trying to decide what to get. I just don't care for the Apple watch at all. Hey, at least we have some good choices here.
Yep, the Fitbit Ionic is still the best wearable Fitbit has ever released. Even compared to the newly announced Fitbit Versa, the Ionic is the better device.
I want Samsung gear fit to pro step .is this available in the market ?
is the FIT BIT the best wearable in the market in terms of running, counting calories and all that....???
It's Really hard to make a choice. Even after your review.
Hello, Eric! I have problems with vivoactive 3.
It doesn't measure my HR well during a workout.
I tried to change position on my arm... Only for yoga and running works fine. But when I select cardio it doesn't. I do hiit, circut workouts.. what do you advice?
+Ekaterina Rusanova I recommend getting an external sensor for hr data
I have used first generation fit bit which was so poorly designed every week some or other part will needed to be glued charging was not at all user friendly and worst was skin irritation I still have some where.Recently bought fit bit ionic and very happy with it waiting for few newer apps.
Which one should I get, the fitbit blaze or the gear fit 2? You say the gear fit 2 HR monitor is not as accurate which one is more accurate and which one is all around the best value?
+SourStrawberrys I think that the blaze has a better heart rate sensor, and honestly I prefer the blaze all around over the Fit2. I have not checked to see what the current pricing is on the blaze, but it’s probably a better value as well
Techy Agent I think the blaze and the gear fit 2 will be around the same price on black Friday, $150. I like the nice screen on the gear fit 2. But I already have a smart watch (the very first samsung gear) and I mostly want a good fitness watch. So I'll go with the blaze like you said. The ionic and that other watch you reviewed is more than I want to pay for a fitbit or watch centered around fitness.
your voice over talent is really good. thanks for the review.
Thanks!
Thanks for the comparison...I'm more confused than ever. I'm trying to decide between the Fitbit Ionic and the Garmin VivoActive 3 - I need to be able to sync with Strava and Weight Watchers. I'm an avid road cyclist and am looking to monitor heartrate, cadence, distance, elevation, etc...which watch do you think would be best for me?
In your case I would consider the Garmin because it can connect with external heart rate sensor’s, cadence sensors, and it also records advanced metrics like elevation and you can export the data Strava
Garmin always for cycling
I have a Amazfit Stratos and it's great watch however, it's just to dim for me to read the display without struggling. My eyes are going a little . Which gps ,hrm watch that pairs with external hrm's and has music storage would you recommend. I need a bright screen that i can read indoors at arms length on my bike.?
Man, I don’t know. The Fitbit Ionic is a good watch, but it does not pair with external hr sensors
What is the brand and model of the Abs wheel that is on the legs in the middle of the video?
+Sergey Sergeechev I’m not sure, i’ll have to check the next time I go to the gym
Which one would you choose as your daily watch? What if you throw the new apple watch into the mix?
+Joe i’m in the middle of reviewing the new Apple Watch, and I think that I would probably pick the new Apple Watch over these 3 IF you can afford the extra money. I would say that the Apple Watch performs equally as well as the Fitbit Ionic and Vivoactive 3, but it has the advantage of being a fully functional smart watch. So the Apple Watch Series 3 has the advantage of being just as accurate and having smart watch features, but it’s also more expensive. So for someone who doesn’t really care about having advanced smart features, I think the Fitbit and Garmin do just fine, Especially since they are cheaper
Thank you for your response. You've provided great reviews over the years and your reviews are important in the decision making process. How do you find the Apple "back-end" ecosystem? I've never had an apple watch, so I don't know how the data compiles. I like looking at Garmin Connect and comparing my month's reports (calories or miles or active calories, etc) to see how they stack up or see how many calories I've burned playing tennis vs doing strength workouts. Does apple let you compare such things? Thanks again and keep up the great work!
Pandora is dodgy as hell, because there is NO PANDORA IN AUSTRALIA please mention this, PANDORA closed in Australia
I run 5 times a week
And sometimes swim
And play soccer
And fitness
(Push upps etc)
Hr is important
And how the app works
Which one would you recommend
So which smart watch did you get and how's it working so far? I want to get one too and my usage is similar to yours
Is the s3 frontier good for fitness ?
I've used a low level polar HR in the past, but OVER analyzing for the past several years, waiting for the "perfect" all sport run/swim/bike non chest band watch has driven me crazy. I'm giving up on that actually happening now, willing to accept the fact that for swim, I'll probably have to wear a chest band, but also wanting more than a 3meter protection on a watch; I'm ready to pull the trigger at the end of July (milestone bd and training achievement). Sticking point; old man eyes 56, looking for largest digital readout as possible. Is there anywhere near Atlanta/southeast that I can shop on a wide variable of products? It seems stores are carrying fewer options these days. Summary, best swim chest band? Acceptable HR watch $250-$500 with larger digital readout?
one of my favorite review VDO for smart watch
Thanks!
Do you think the Fitbit Ionic will ever offer Spotify? That's really the only thing keeping me from buying it.
+Heather Petrucci I don’t know but I hope so
Hello Erik, I am confused on which one to buy....I go to gym daily for about 1.5 hours occasionally for jogging...kindly suggest...thanks in advance
For daily jogging any of these will work great but my favorites would be the Vivoactive 3 and Fitbit Ionic.
and for tracking strength trainings(wieght lifting etc)?
For strength training my current favorite is the Polar A360 or A370. I think it has one of the better built in optical heart rate sensor’s
I just purchased the Fitbit ionic and I'm hoping that it is a good companion for tracking all my fitness activities. I currently on the Apple Watch series 2 and it doesn't cut it for me on many things. I don't really care about the smart stuff. I'm more concerned about Fitness.
Yeah, I think you’ll be happy with your choice
Garmin's watches are trash IMO. The screen is something you would get in a device in 2010.. The swimming on the Vivoactive is useless in accuracy. So disappointment with my VivoactiveHR.. I love the look of the gear Fit 2 -- It reminds me of the microsoft band which IMO was far superior to the Vivoactive. I would go with the Gear Fit 2 or Gear Sport over the other 2. My friends wife had the Fitbit Ionic and returned it after a few weeks because the "replaceable" bands -- which sounds like a terrific idea kept detaching during workouts.
Great review, however I already have gear s3 but it's not truly waterproof. Could you recommend some waterproof fit band which will work nice with gear s3. Like synch tracking with same apps. Ideally if it will have hart rate monitor or/and simple watch
+Piotr Pałka I don’t know if any products that will work with Samsung’s software besides Samsung devices.
good review, i love my Gear Fit2 Pro as well.. I find the sleep tracking in the Samsung app to be good info as far as how restless of a sleep you may have had. Not sure how it compares to Fitbit. Only complaint is no direct Strava app. There is an option to link the accounts for an auto sync after your run, but I have found the data synced to Strava to not completely accurately match to what Samsung Health shows.
For the price point, it’s a great wearable!
there is glonass in samsung also
Yes, good call
Hey I really enjoy your videos. Can you please do a review comparison between the vivoactive 3 and the Samsung gear sport? I really don't know which one to buy...
+Jossy Labe Yes, I do plan on doing more comparison videos and would like to include both of them
Techy Agent Thank you, I've just subscribed to your channel so I don't miss it!!!
If you really wanted to see what was the best for my context you should have compared them with the Apple Watch
Great video, thanks again, you really help out us fitness fanatics!
Is Samsung gear fit 2 pro still not compatible with Iphone? Do you know anything about this issue? I am wondering to buy either Samsung GF2pro or Polar A370...what do you think which one is better value?
Thank you.
+Judit Szomor I think the Polar A370 is a better value.
Techy Agent thanks for your answer.
My friend has a Polar A370 and she said each arm movement calculated as a step...so it’s really inaccurate in terms of step counting.
Do you know any other device that counts the step using other methods?
Ionic it is then! Thanks for the review!!
👍
Can you review the Samsung Gear Sports (and compare it with others)? I would love to get your opinion on it!
+Antony Yep, I’ll review the Gear Sport soon and do more comparison videos
Does this have Samsung pay?
Thought rarfit 2 pro has glonass also
Thank you for this. Do you know if the Gear Sport is going to be better/more accurate than the Gear Fit 2 Pro? I know it cost more, is it because of screen size and build? Or would it actually be better? I take none of these offer breadcrumb support(well I know the VA3 for sure doesn't natively, not sure about the other two)
+Tanya Bakerwitz Word on the street is that it will be, but those are rumors for now. I will definitely be reviewing it soon, as soon as I can get my hands on it
I know it came out last week and most big sites have reviews, but they aren't really good, as they don't test out the fitness side of it thoroughly, if at all, like you do. I really wanted to like the VA3, but that display wasn't the best, but it looks like I am forced to get that if the Sport isn't that good.
+Tanya Bakerwitz My review unit (Gear Sport) should get in early or mid next week, So I should have a full review up within a couple of weeks or less
@Techy Agent FTW
Any reason the Suunto Spartan isn't included in these comparisons?
Samsung pro2. I'm a hair stylist.. Is there a specific model that needs to be turned on for wearing it at work or in the shower.
No mode, the water resistance capabilities will always be active.
I bought new Fitbit Ionic and gps is inaccurate. Is there anybody else tje same problem and is it solved?
DO EACH HAVE NFC?
If you use an iPhone, I would not recommend a Samsung fit 2 pro. I purchased one and it worked great(I know it’s kinda weird, but the sales person there swore it works great with iPhone when I bought it). However, it kept disconnecting from my phone and it would never sync data and reconnect. I have tried everything the customer care recommended. I had to return it, that’s why I am currently watching this video...
Yes, i’ve had similar experiences with most Samsung watches. While they technically work with an iPhone, they don’t work great.
You should compare these with the Apple Watch series 1 or series 3
Googol Plexion or 4
Garmin has great sleep tracking I am not sure what you are looking at. This makes me question.
Thanks what about battery life
All of these get decent battery life. The Garmin and Fitbit at the best in terms of battery.
Preshit Kulkarni
I’d say the Ionic has the best battery. It also depends on how much notifications and alerts there are, that keep turning the device on and using the battery.
Good comparison, Thank you!
Great job on the comparison I have to say I'm surprised garmin doesn't have the best sensor. I think the fitbit is the better device the ability to workout without a phone pushes it over the top. I know you haven't done the gear sport yet but I do know they have a new sensor and I'd love to see a vs between fitbit and the gear sport. That will be the determining factor in which to but I think.
+Cornelius Jermaine Hightower I’m hoping to get to the new Samsung gear sport soon
Awesome and I have to thank you for doing these videos I brought the Microsoft band solely off your video and indeed it was a great Fitness tracker. And with that said after the gear Sport review if you still feel the Fitbit edges it out I'll go with Fitbit.
+Cornelius Jermaine Hightower Always give you my honest opinion! Glad you like the Microsoft band, I was sad to see them bow out of the game
Agreed
Microsoft Band RIP :(
Don't go for the Samsung. I have used the Gear Fit 2 since May. While the display is great it's horribly innacurate with the GPS. 5km runs would be logged as 4.6km and ever other stat is wonky as a result
I loved my garmin vivoactive 3 but the watch itself burnt my skin - garmin were great and offered full refund.Going back to my fitbit :)
I am a triathlete and my budget is $600. Do you know any fitness bands *fit* for people like me?
I would recommend you shop the Garmin Forerunner lineup. They have some watches in that price point that include triathlon profiles that automatically track those activities
Techy Agent thank you so much
Which of these is best for swimming. ??
The Garmin is significantly better in terms of the metrics it tracks and accuracy
Metrics may not be great for Ionic but does it accurately track laps? I know they say it will but does it really l?
Gear Fit 2 Pro is the best and it also can monitor different stages of sleep...
Under $300? The ionic is at $300. Meaning you it will be over that price with tax. The gear fit 2 is only about $200. $100 difference. Should have been compared with the blaze.
Eric if you had 300 dollars and you are doing Crossfit wish would you buy?
+Rocela Durazo Verdugo depends: if I had to buy only a device and could not use an external hr sensor, I would go with the Fitbit Ionic. But if I could buy a device and use an external heart rate sensor, I would go with the Garmin Vivoactive 3 and use a chest strap or arm band sensor for CrossFit.
According to all 3 smartwatches they all have up to 50 meters of water resistance or 5ATM.
5ATM means 40 meters, don't forget to add 1 ATM of air :D
You can download more watchfaces for the samsung gear fit 2 on your android phone 🤦♂️
Whats the difference between gear fit 2 and fit 2 pro ?
The hardware is pretty much identical, but the pro version adds some software upgrades. If you watch my Gear Fit2 Pro review, I cover some of those differences
Waterproofing
Very complete review, thanks!
+Roberto Merino thanks!
If we talk about music on va3n get a va3 music and your problem with no onboard music is sorted.
THE SAMSUNG HAS A APP INTIRE FOR WATCH FACES!!!!!!!!!! THERE ARE OVER 4000 FACES