Gadgetory

hey guys this is Austin so what's the best SmartWatch to find out I gathered the second gen moto 360 Samsung gear s2 and Apple watch even though they look similar each takes a different approach Samsung was one of the first to tackle smartwatches with the original Galaxy gear but with the gear s2 they basically started from scratch with a bright fully round OLED display it looks more like a traditional watch than most and black it's pretty stealth looking although there is a classic option which comes with a classier leather band in different housing the normal s2 comes with a pair of rubber bands which are fine but it feels a bit on the cheaper side one of my favorite features is the bezel the touch screen works but most things are much faster to do just by rotating the bezel there are also home and back buttons along the side which all adds up to make one of the easiest to use smartwatches out there on the other end of the spectrum is the Apple watch this is the stainless steel version but it's essentially the same as the spork you're looking at a much more traditional rectangular display the OLED screen is just as good as the gear s2 with the blacks and solid colors but while options and menus work better without a round screen it just doesn't look at school like all smartwatches the touch screen works with such a small display it can be a bit awkward which is where forced touch comes in unlike the others which often rely on long pressing the Apple watch can pull up extra options by pressing harder on the screen and it works well there's also the digital crown which is how I interact with the watch 90% of the time I slightly prefer the rotating bezel on the gear s2 but the Apple watch is one solidly designed SmartWatch come over to the Moto 360 and there's no plastic or rubber to be found instead there's a solid metal chassis and a real leather band which gives a nice premium feel the only thing that slightly holds it back is that it feels oddly light for such a beefy watch like the first moto 360 we've got a round display which looks good but there is a small window on the bottom where the sensors look I don't really mind in normal use I quickly forget about it and this lunar bezel is nice where the 360 really loses out as in usability you're limited to the touch screen and a single button it's fine but having a quicker option to navigate the software like on the Apple watch and gear s2 would be a welcome addition when it comes to picking a SmartWatch one of the biggest deciding factors is what phones they work with it shouldn't be huge surprise that the Apple watch only works on the iPhone and the gear s2 works on Samsung phones but it also supports some other Android with a few exceptions I did have some issues getting it to work with my note 5 as a need a firmware update that wasn't out yet but it worked out in the end the real winner for compatibility is the Moto 360 not only does it work on Android but it also supports iOS as well Android wear has made big improvements in the last year but it does feel a bit unpolished as if it's too heavy to run smoothly on a watch while the second gen 360 is faster than before you'll still get some slowness from time to time in comparison the gear s2 feels lightning fast the animations are quick and it's easy to fly through the interface with next to no slowdowns the Apple watch is fast as well but it can take a while to open some things especially when it comes to more hardcore apps smartwatches are most useful for notifications in my opinion but all support third-party apps I'm not sure how many people want to read CNN on the wrist but the option is there being able to navigate especially with walking directions is nice but most of the utility is very similar on all three watches things like voice search work well although this is where Android wear on the 360 does best but asking Siri a quick question also works just fine unlike a normal watch you're pretty much going to have to get used to charging a smart watch every night it's not the end of the world but it's one more device you'll have to remember to plug in every night most of the decision really comes down to what phone you use the Moto 360 is the safest choice with the ability to customize the design and Moto maker you can really make it your own if you use an iPhone the Apple watch has the best integration and the design is the most premium here it's a bit more pricey but you do get what you pay for the biggest surprise is actually the gear s2 while the hardware is a bit on the cheaper side the screen is great the bezel works well and it's seriously fast if Samsung brings support for the iPhone the gear s2 is going to be hard to beat