Gear Fit 2 vs Gear Fit: what’s the difference?

Samsung just launched a new wrist-worn fitness tracker, the Gear Fit 2.

The Gear Fit 2 looks arguably better than its predecessor from two years ago, but is it worth spending money to upgrade? Samsung wants to help you make up your mind with a handy infographic that lists the main differences between the Gear Fit 2 and Gear Fit.

The biggest difference is probably in the processing department. The original Gear Fit was incredibly basic for a modern smart device, with 8MB of RAM, 16MB of storage, and a single-core 180MHz processor. In contrast, the Gear Fit 2 is close to a smartwatch (or even a very low-end phone), with 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM and a dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz.

The beefier hardware is needed to run Tizen, Samsung’s homegrown operating system. The original Gear Fit, on the other hand, ran a generic “Real Time Operating System” that Samsung didn’t even bother to brand.

While the screen on the Gear Fit 2 is smaller, the wider form factor seems more ergonomic. And because it’s more curved than the Gear Fit, the device will feel nicer on the wrist as well.

Another big upgrade is the presence of a built-in GPS receiver, as well as the ability to function as a standalone music player. Fitness buffs can finally leave their phones at home for their workouts, as long as they don’t need to keep in touch – if that’s the case, a cellular smartwatch like the Gear S2 or the LG Watch Urbane LTE remains the best choice.

Cosmetically speaking, Samsung is making the Gear Fit 2 more user friendly, with two wrist sizes and a trio of color options (black, blue, and pink). Contrast that with the austere black-only first generation.

We must give Samsung props for making the Gear Fit 2 compatible with most Android smartphones running KitKat or higher. For a while, the company locked its Gear wearables to the Galaxy ecosystem – that wasn’t good for consumers and it wasn’t good for Samsung’s sales either.

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