And now let’s blow off steam, exhale and do not rush to throw stones at me 🙂 This article is subjective and the author’s opinion may absolutely not coincide with yours.

For quite a long time, I was very skeptical about such a category of “smart” devices as smart watches. But in September 2014, Apple showed its first wearable accessory and something lit up in the heart.

By the end of 2015, I was ready to buy. First, the watch itself didn’t go on sale until April, because Apple, as usual, announced a product that was too raw for the market.

Secondly, I thought for a long time — is it worth it, is it necessary. As a result, I decided and in December 2015, the Apple Watch was painted over on my wrist.

34 days with Apple Watch…

At first there was euphoria. 40 minutes of first setup, Apple magic, everything. I didn’t take the watch off my wrist for days. Constant notifications, saturated colors of a miniature but OLED screen (choose the 42mm version)…

All this quickly got boring and Apple Watch went to the bulletin board, where they were successfully sold in just a few hours.

…and another week

A year later, I succumbed to nostalgia and bought an Apple Watch again, but this time Series 2.

The watch became faster, more responsive, but one thing was killing it — the old, frankly boring design.

A week later, I caught myself thinking that most of the time the smart watch is on the bedside table and I’m just too lazy to put it on again.

The verdict is to sell. No sooner said than done, and ten days after the purchase, the smart watch went to the same place as its predecessors.

Hey Samsung Gear S2

Behind Apple Watch, Mi Band of two generations, Amazfit from Xiaomi, a couple of no-name bracelets and two Pebbles. The warmest impressions were from Pebble Steel with a monochrome screen. A chic watch with excellent autonomy, but in 2018 their capabilities were clearly not enough and the device was sold.

I have always been skeptical about Samsung. I consider most smartphones in the middle segment to be clearly overpriced, and in general, a brand that produces thousands of devices from various fields is somewhat alarming.

A couple of months ago, I decided to return to the topic of wearable electronics and changed the Nixon Master Blaster headphones to Gear S2.

Two months of operation and I’m ready to act as a prosecutor in relation to the Apple Watch. Watches from Apple are inferior to the South Korean gadget in several ways at once.

Design that makes you sick

The photo shows only a part of Samsung wearable devices

Since 2014, Apple has not changed the design of its only wearable accessory. Guys, but you have the most talented designer in the industry. Johnny, have some more energy drinks, draw a normal clock with a round screen — people are waiting for it.

This Apple smart watch was released a year later. Every.

In the case of Samsung, you can see the company’s desire to experiment. There were both flat and curved screens. Finally, after playing with the shapes, the company chose a classic round dial, for which they want to say thank you.

The clock must remain a clock. Smart or not, it doesn’t matter, but I personally consider this form the most successful.

Inconvenient control

At one time, Apple sang the praises of the element with the proud name of Digital Crown. Everything, as in a mechanical watch and a complete simulation of a classic winding.

But in life, such a solution turned out to be not at all practical. Try putting on gloves and getting behind the wheel of a bike or bicycle. You will soon realize that this «crown» is constantly pressed, which is very annoying.

At Samsung, control is carried out using the ring. I could not imagine that it would be so convenient. As a result, menu navigation is a real pleasure.

And pleases symmetrically placed buttons. There are two of them and they are located on the sides and protrude quite a bit above the edge of the body. Those. physically, with any bend of the brush, you will not accidentally press the buttons. This is a serious bonus device.

Pitiful autonomy Apple Watch

I remember with horror the days when the Apple Watch battery drained in a matter of hours. Then Apple finished watchOS for a long time, trying in every possible way to optimize the system, but when compared with Gear S2, watches of any generation from Apple rest.

Gear S2 quietly work up to three days on a single charge with a very impressive stream of notifications from 5-6 instant messengers. The Gear S3 is still better, especially after the recent patch.

Questionable Ion X protective glass

Ion X and Gorilla Glass. Who do you think you should trust? Of course, a brand proven over the years, specializing in the production of shock-resistant glasses for mobile devices.

Apple’s variant and «mega-strength glass» failed all tests at the time. There is also a luxury version, but let’s face it and compare the cost of devices for the average consumer.

Moreover, while selling the first generation of Apple Watch, after a month of operation, I noticed two barely perceptible, but scratches.

I also took the Gear S2 in the secondary market, but the screen of this smart watch is pristine, although the previous owner honestly admitted that he did not spare the watch and actively exploited it “both tail and mane”.

System security that harms operation

«The most secure OS» is scolded for being completely closed. Third-party apps don’t have access to the system, which is good from a security point of view, but bad if you decide to quickly transfer a track you like to your Apple Watch that isn’t in Apple Music.

In the case of the Gear S2, there are no problems. You simply download MP3 from anywhere, mark the track in the application on your smartphone and send it to your watch. All.

Where does the reasonable question come from — do I need pseudo-security when it comes to the functionality of a sports accessory? I think no.

Disgusting docking station

I hated the Apple Watch puck. I hated this semblance of a medical phonendoscope, which looked out of place with the design of the watch itself, which is clearly inferior to the Samsung solution in terms of functionality.

The Koreans, on the other hand, took care of the users and did not regret a couple of grams of plastic, putting in the kit a full-fledged docking station with a rubberized base.

It’s nice to put a watch on it. It can be connected to any microUSB cable. The watch does not fall and is securely held even with active shaking.

Apple, you forgot how to make products for people

It’s hard for me to believe what I’m about to say. Apple has really stopped thinking about the user.

Being an avid fan of the company, I am gradually moving under the wing of other brands. There is no sympathy for a single company and Samsung is just one of them.

But when you compare a device that you believed about — there can be no better smart watch than Apple, and then you find out that you were deceiving yourself, it becomes sad.

It’s sad that blinded by the “bitten apple of temptation” sometimes you don’t notice really worthy products. The last few generations of Samsung smartwatches are one of them.