Samsung Gear S3 Frontier - Black - Smart Watch With Band Black - 4 Gb Review
Our Verdict
With its slick and durable pattern, GPS and optional LTE, the Gear S3 Frontier has all the makings of the all-time smartwatch ever — if just it had more than apps.
For
- Handsome and durable design
- Built-in LTE
- GPS
- Samsung Pay
- Proficient vocalization control
Against
- Very express app selection
- Heavy
Tom's Guide Verdict
With its slick and durable design, GPS and optional LTE, the Gear S3 Frontier has all the makings of the all-time smartwatch ever — if merely it had more apps.
Pros
- +
Handsome and durable blueprint
- +
Born LTE
- +
GPS
- +
Samsung Pay
- +
Proficient vox control
Cons
- -
Very limited app choice
- -
Heavy
Can you finally go out your smartphone at domicile? With its own LTE, eye-charge per unit monitor, Wi-Fi and GPS — non to mention mobile payments and voice control — the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier is the beginning smartwatch that promises a fully untethered experience. This timepiece also happens to be gorgeous and pretty durable. And yet the 4G execution and app ecosystem aren't quite where they need to be.
Editor's Notation: Since the Gear S3 Frontier was released, Samsung has come up out with 2 successors, the Samsung Galaxy Picket, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, and the Samsung Galaxy Picket Active two, all of which offer additional features such as on-lath music storage. We really like the Milky way Scout for its long battery life and stylish design, only the Galaxy Sentry Active 2 is better for those looking for something smaller and sportier. And be sure to cheque out all our best smartwatch picks.
Pattern
There'south no getting around that virtually smartwatches are built for larger wrists, and the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier is no exception. Its face measures 46 ten 49 millimeters (1.8 10 1.ix inches), and the watch weighs ii.2 ounces (without the band). That's more twice every bit heavy equally the 0.99-ounce Apple Watch Serial ii.
While not as flashy every bit the Fossil Q Founder — which remains my favorite-looking smartwatch — the Gear S3'south stainless-steel case is attractive. I particularly liked the serrations on the rotating bezel, which not simply await great but get in easier to turn. It looks the part of a loftier-end timepiece, unlike the squared-off and uninteresting Apple Watch.
However, the Gear S3 is much larger and heavier than the Apple Sentinel and the Gear S2, which will plow off people with petite wrists.
Our review unit came with a rather blah black silicone strap, but it'southward easy plenty to swap it out for whatever 22-mm strap. (Samsung sells additional straps starting at $29.99.)
The correct side of the S3 has 2 buttons: The upper i works as a universal back push, and the bottom button serves to render you to the dwelling screen or the app menu.
The Gear S3 Frontier is built to take some abuse. Its face is protected past Gorilla Drinking glass, and it's MIL-SPEC-810G rated to withstand drops of almost 5 feet. The sentinel can withstand being submerged in upward to 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) of water for up to 30 minutes. The Apple Sentinel Serial 2, nonetheless, tin go as deep equally 164 feet (50 meters).
More than: Best smartwatches
Brandish
The S3'southward 1.three-inch AMOLED screen was bright plenty to view, 24-hour interval or dark. With a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels (no flat tire!), images that appeared in Flipboard news items were crisp enough that I could make out the numbers on players' jerseys in sports stories. Colors, too, were vivid.
Yous have the option of setting the S3's display to always on; its "dimmed" setting doesn't differ all that much from when the screen is fully on. The Chronograph watch face, for example, looks nearly identical, with the exception that the 2nd-hand subdial disappears and is replaced past a white tick mark that moves around the edge of the screen. The same is true for many of the other lookout man faces; while you lose little accents here and at that place, most of the colors and details remain.
Setting the display to be ever on chews upward battery life. Fortunately, I found that the S3'southward screen turned on about instantly when I raised my wrist.
Interface
Instead of Android Wearable, Samsung opted for its homegrown Tizen operating organisation for the S3. In some ways, it looks like a hybrid of Google'southward and Apple'south watch operating systems. For the most part, I establish it more useful than Android Article of clothing, as information technology works equally well with Android and iPhones.
At that place are 2 layers to the Tizen Bone. From the home watch screen, you can swipe left or right to access notifications and recently used apps, create reminders, and check the weather and health stats, amidst other tasks. When y'all press the bottom button on the side, the screen switches to Tizen's app card; here, circular app icons are bundled around the edge of the S3'southward display. Only eight apps are visible per page, but as you install apps, additional pages are included.
Similar the Gear S2, the S3 has a rotating bezel that lets you scroll chop-chop and easily through carte items, apps and and so forth. (You lot can also swipe the screen to achieve the same effect, only information technology's overnice to have options.) Each turn of the bezel is met with a subtle click and just the right amount of resistance; it reminded me of the dial on the Nest Learning Thermostat.
I besides liked the myriad ways in which I could respond to notifications and letters on the S3 Frontier. For example, although there's no Facebook Messenger app — nosotros'll get to that later— if I received a message while the S3 was tethered to my phone via Bluetooth, I could reply on the sentry, either with a canned reply, or past typing or dictating a bulletin. Even libation was the ability to trace letters on the screen — much like you tin do on the Apple Lookout — to write out responses. I wouldn't want to compose a lengthy email similar this, merely it'south good for messages of a few words.
More: Smartwatch Buying Guide
While I take my issues with Android Wear, one feature I missed on the S3 was contextual awareness. It would be great if the Gear S3 could automatically display directions for getting abode about the time I was ready to leave, or if it could be smart enough to send me alerts and directions based on my calendar appointments. Hopefully, Samsung will integrate the smart assistant it'south rumored to be working on for the Galaxy S8, but I wouldn't buy the S3 hoping for this characteristic to announced in the time to come.
Where are the apps?
The biggest issue with Samsung going information technology lonely with Tizen equally an operating system is that information technology has to convince others to make apps for its platform. And, as much equally Samsung tries, information technology doesn't have the pull of Apple or Google.
Sadly, piffling has changed in the twelvemonth since Samsung launched the Gear S2. In the Health and Fettle category for Gear apps, none of the major players — MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal, Strava, etc. — were present. Yous'll accept to use S Wellness instead. While it's non bad per se, information technology stinks that you lot're so limited.
When the Gear S2 launched, Samsung claimed that apps for Twitter, eBay and Groupon were coming. One twelvemonth later, just eBay has made an appearance. There is an app for decision-making your Nest thermostat, but it's $1.99 and made past a third party. Despite the Spotify logo featured prominently on Samsung's product page for the S3, that app isn't bachelor, either. (There is an app for iHeartRadio, though.)
Other categories were marginally better: I found Yelp, Uber, the Wall Street Periodical, the Weather Aqueduct and NPR. But there's no Facebook Messenger, no Twitter and nothing from Google. As of this writing, the ESPN Companion for Gear works just with the S2.
When tethered to a Samsung Galaxy S7 via Bluetooth, I was able to receive and reply to Facebook Messenger notifications. But when the phone was out of range, I was cut off from the social network.
Maps for Gear is surprisingly detailed given the S3'due south screen; you can zoom in and out using the rotating bezel, and see everything from subway stations to private streets. Yet, information technology can't provide navigation unless the lookout man is paired with a phone. This seems like yet another missed opportunity, given that the watch has both a data connection and GPS.
One potential advantage the S3 has over other smartwatches is that you can install apps directly on the S3, rather than downloading them through a smartphone commencement. However, adept luck finding any; in the Get More Apps screen, only 15 were shown, and it was a random assortment, from Korean Air to Fruit Ninja Plus to i that turns the S3'due south face white.
Fitness
While the S3 is packed with sensors — information technology has an altimeter and a barometer, in addition to GPS and a heart-rate monitor — the lack of major fitness apps for the Gear S3 is a bummer. You lot can sign up for the splendid Pear app, which provides training, merely other than that, you're stuck with the Gear Fit app. To be certain, the S3 can rails a wide diverseness of activities — including elliptical, rowing machines, squats, lunges and cycling — and it has an altimeter and barometer to measure out your elevation and the weather condition.
Although the S3 has 2 concrete buttons, you'll still need to touch its brandish to start and finish workouts. This was problematic when my fingers were sweaty, as the screen didn't accurately recognize my touches. Fortunately, the S3 limits these interactions to taps, and not swipes. Cleverly, you tin rotate the bezel to switch between distance, calories, step, speed, cadency, heart rate and even music controls.
Just similar the Samsung Gear Fit2 (and the Apple Watch Series two), the S3 doesn't wait to acquire a GPS signal before it starts you lot on your run. This is a large miss, and one that Samsung needs to rectify. Every running watch I've tested — likewise as the Moto 360 Sport smartwatch — will wait until information technology has a steady indicate before sending you on your fashion. As a result, the S3 undercounted my runs by about a tenth of a mile or so. For what it's worth, the Apple Sentinel Series ii overestimated my runs by about a tenth of a mile.
MORE: How to Choose the Right Fitness Tracker for Your Needs
Fortunately, the S3's centre-charge per unit monitor proved more authentic, though I had to cinch the lookout tighter on my wrist to ensure it read my pulse correctly. Later on my runs, I loosened the strap to a more comfy setting.
As with the Gear IconX, you lot can transfer music you downloaded to your Samsung telephone to the Gear S3 (it has 4GB of storage), so you lot tin go for a run and listen to your favorite tunes without needing to carry your phone with you. This is a great feature, and one I'grand happy to see spreading to more devices.
S Voice
Returning to the S3 afterward being omitted in the S2 is a born speaker that was surprisingly loud, which ways the S3 not simply listens to your commands only responds to them. Only say, "Howdy, Gear," and you tin speak to the watch to practise things such every bit send an email, call someone or check the conditions.
However, Samsung'due south voice banana is nowhere near the level of Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri or Google's Assistant. For example, it can't answer questions such as "Are the Knicks playing this evening?" or answer to commands similar "Directions dwelling." Information technology will tell you corny jokes, though.
The S3 Frontier was largely accurate when translating my vocalization to text; in very few instances did it mess up, and that was ordinarily with words that had homonyms.
However, S Voice was a bit delayed in responding; you accept to wait a second or so to speak.
4G LTE: What you can (and tin can't do)
The 4G LTE radio in the S3 Borderland unleashes the potential of a truly untethered smartwatch. Leave your smartphone at habitation, and you can all the same make calls, read (and respond) to emails and texts, go news and weather updates, and even download apps. Notwithstanding, as mentioned, if there's no app for the sentinel itself (such as Facebook or Twitter), you won't get those notifications, and thus won't be able to respond.
The S3 Frontier handled voice calls well. I hands heard a voice on the other end of the line when I made a phone telephone call, and the person heard me every bit well, even when I extended my arm.
AT&T customers can take advantage of NumberSync, which lets you use the same number on the S3 as on your smartphone, and make and receive calls and texts.
SOS is a skilful condom characteristic that lets you send a distress message from the spotter to preselected contacts and permit them runway your location for upward to 1 60 minutes. After activating the feature in the Gear Manager and choosing a contact, all I had to do was printing the Domicile push button on the S3 three times, and a text message was sent to the contact, along with a link showing my location on Glympse.
Samsung Pay
You can leave your wallet at habitation, also. Afterward registering your card(s) in the Gear app on your smartphone, all you have to do is press and hold the Back button, tap the Pay push button on the S3, so hold the scout near the terminal.
Gear S3 versions
The Gear S3 Frontier is bachelor with LTE service from either AT&T or T-Mobile. If you choose this choice, you'll also take to add together it to your wireless plan.
If you're purchasing the watch through AT&T, it will cost y'all an extra $10 per month to add the S3 Borderland to your plan. If you purchase the S3 frontier for $49.99 with a two-year agreement when purchased with a Samsung Galaxy smartphone on AT&T Next or AT&T Side by side Every Yr with eligible service on both devices. Y'all can likewise get the S3 on an AT&T Installment Programme for $17.50 per month for twenty months ($350).
T-Mobile is charging $399 for the S3 Frontier, which yous can pay in installments of $16.67 per month over 24 months. Additional charges include a $20 activation fee, plus $5 per calendar month added to your mobile program.
Yous can besides purchase the Frontier in a Bluetooth-merely model for $299.
The Gear S3 Classic ($299), which has a brighter stainless-steel example, does not have an LTE selection.
Battery life
According to Samsung, the S3's 380-mAh battery tin can last up to three days on a charge. If you want to utilise it just as a watch, I'yard certain that's possible. However, fifty-fifty with the display set to turn on only when I raised my wrist, no GPS tracking enable and merely a few notifications coming through, I was able to get well-nigh 24 hours out of the S3 before needing to charge information technology back up.
Using GPS will drain the watch a lot faster, though; a 30-minute run used up a petty over 10 percent of the S3's battery.
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The S3 charges wirelessly on a minor stand; the dial turns 90 degrees so that you tin easily run across the time while it's docked.
Bottom line
If the ideal smartwatch is one that lets you leave your phone in your pocket — or at home — and still be just equally connected, then the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier succeeds more than than any other smartwatch, and even so nonetheless falls short in some critical areas.
For those who have Android phones, the Gear S3 is probably the best smartwatch still, as information technology's generally more functional every bit a stand-alone device than any Android Wear lookout man. Plus, the design, though large, is more bonny than the Apple Lookout man, and you get an ever-on display and born 4G.
Equally with the Gear S2, Gear S3 Frontier's biggest downside is that there simply aren't enough apps. Plus, the inability to check even sports scores or Facebook letters without your phone makes the S3 Borderland more frustrating than information technology should be. This is the best Android smartwatch, and yet it's withal disappointing.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/samsung-gear-s3-frontier,review-4071.html
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