This summer, Samsung will unveil a new fitness tracker, named Gear Fit 2 with the aim of competing with Fitbit. This fitness tracker will sport an all day step counting and automatic sleep tracking. It also comes with GPS sensor which is most useful for runners and cyclists, to accurately measure distance and pacing. Usually GPS is found in higher end devices like the Fitbit Surge and the Microsoft Band 2.Both these devices are available for $ 250. Samsung’s new smart watch Gear Fit 2 is cheaper than the new Fitbit Blaze, which doesn’t have GPS and is available for $200.
The only advantage that Fitbit Blaze has over Samsung’s new smart watch Gear Fit 2 is that it can sync with iPhones which Gear Fit 2 is not capable of doing. All Android phones can be paired with this device however it does not sync with iPhones. According to technology market research firm IDC, Samsung is the world’s fifth largest maker of wearable devices out of which most of them are Gear smart watches, where they have added fitness as an afterthought. However in Gear Fit 2 we find they give more importance to fitness. It also comes with typical smart watch features like it can reply to a message. In other rival trackers we find they are only capable of showing a message, only smart watches like Apple Watch and Samsung’s Gear S2 can reply to a message.
In US, from Friday advance booking of Gear Fit 2 will begin, with shipments starting next week. After few months this year it is believed that Samsung will release its $200 Gear IconX ear buds which will not only play music, but will also track exercise and heart rate. Rather than being a companion to the Gear Fit 2 they are designed as a standalone tracker.
