Samsung Gear S3

I'm currently using a Samsung S8+, I think it's awesome, I love the screen, the power, the camera, the battery etc etc. But we're not looking at that for now.

Beforehand I had an iPhone, and with it I had an Apple Watch Series 1. From the moment I first had a smart watch, I wondered how I ever lived without one before. Being able to not miss calls, messages, news flashes and everything else my phone wanted to tell me was the best thing I'd experienced since first using a multi-touch screen.

When I moved to the S8+, I also needed to fill the void of the blinking, buzzing and tapping on my wrist. I had a look around and at first I managed to pick up a cheap Moto 360 v2, which runs stock Android Wear. It was ok, it did the job, but it never really felt snappy and comprehensive enough to take over the Apple Watch. One of the main things was the fact that it didnt have a microphone for taking calls on it, which despite me thinking how ridiculous i look talking to my watch in public, I actually used a lot on the Apple Watch.

I'd seen a friend wearing the S2 and always thought it was a decent device, and did a little research to see that the Gear S3 was out.

I grabbed one off Carousell in mint condition, and havent looked back since.

Highlights of this device:

• Great screen
• Simple Tizen interface
• Solid but not too intrusive vibration (can be altered too)
• Battery life (easily a day and a half of regular usage)
• Range of apps (I can watch YouTube on my wrist!?!)
• Auto workout detection for walking, running, swimming, cycling, *sleeping*
• Samsung Pay

Shortcomings:

• There's no smaller version for my missus to wear
• The default strap is dull
• Not keen on the circular app selection UI

All in all, if you're running a Samsung Phone, you should definitely consider the Gear S3, it's very solidly built, pleasant looking customisable UI, and a great assistant for tracking activity. The positives definitely outweight the negatives. (they cost around $498 from Samsung, or second hand you might find one for cheaper)