Smart watch Samsung Gear S3 frontier (SM-R760NDAASER) - Reviews. Samsung Gear S3 Frontier is one of the best smartwatches

Smart watch Samsung Gear S3 frontier

Well, now my favorite dial is this one, it’s called S3Illuminator24h. Very convenient and visual.

Swipe from top to bottom - area of ​​quick switches.

Rotating the gear counterclockwise is a notification. Moreover, they are very convenient to view. Here, for example, is a notification of a letter.

Tap on the screen - and the entire letter can be scrolled and read using the wheel.

Rotate the wheel clockwise - widgets for various applications. Tap on the widget - call up extended information and, possibly, icons for various actions (as, for example, in a phone application). Weather.

Contacts - there you can view a contact, call, send an SMS.

Reminders.

Calendar entries.

Kcalories burned (tracking physical activity of various types).

Step counter.

Barometer and altimeter. By the way, the barometer does not have “millimeters of mercury” units, it only has hPa and inches of mercury, which, in general, is not particularly good.

Samsung news app.

Media player. It can play audio tracks both from a smartphone and from the watch itself (the icon on the top right switches the track source). It reproduces very competently from the watch itself (not like in Android Wear). Shows a list of tracks, allows you to create playlists, sort by albums and artists. Songs are downloaded to the watch from a smartphone from the Samsung Gear application wirelessly.

Pulse measurement. It can be carried out automatically from time to time. But the sensor, as usual in watches, does not detect it very accurately, and if the hand is also sweaty, then it really screws up.

Calendar.

Well, there is also a list of various widgets that can be installed: alarm clock, world clock, and so on.

The top button works as a return to the watch face, the bottom button calls up applications. They do not fit on one desktop; there is a special icon that calls up the next desktop with applications.

Phone application. There is a call log, you can call a subscriber, dial a number.

Dialing a number.

Let me remind you that there is a speaker and a microphone, so you can easily answer calls received on your smartphone directly from the watch. Physical activity tracking.

There are a lot of interesting things in the settings. And there is a “Do Not Disturb” mode that can be set directly on the watch, which is important.

Find My Phone app - makes a call on your phone.

The activity tracking mode is very well done. The watch determines the type of activity and records its duration. At the same time, they periodically encourage you with messages “Keep it up,” and at the end of the walk they express all sorts of compliments.

They can also track your sleep patterns and the next day in the morning show you what time you fell asleep, what time you woke up and how long you slept. Which, in general, is also quite interesting.

In September, at IFA 2016, Samsung presented two versions of its new smartwatches: Gear S3 Frontier and Gear S3 Classic. We have already talked in the news about their key innovations compared to the previous version. Now that the watch has officially gone on sale in Russia, it’s time for detailed testing.

It is worth saying that this time Samsung decided to make the Classic and Frontier versions very close in almost all respects. The models have the same set of technical characteristics and differ, in fact, only in the presence of e-SIM. In addition, the Frontier version is claimed to be more protected: it is impact-resistant and resistant to high and low temperatures. It was the Frontier version that came to our test.

Specifications Samsung Gear S3

• CPU @1 GHz (2 cores)
• Touch round display 1.3″ Super AMOLED, 360×360, 302 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 768 MB, flash memory 4 GB
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC, GPS/Glonass
• Microphone
• Gyroscope, accelerometer, heart rate sensor, light sensor, barometer
• 3G/4G (e-SIM support for Frontier variant), call transfer to smartphone via Bluetooth
• Li-ion battery 380 mAh
• Tizen operating system
• Degree of protection: IP68 (from moisture and dust), MIL-810G (the Frontier version claims protection from shock, temperature and vibration)
• Dimensions: 46×46×12.9
• Weight 57 g (Classic version) or 62 g (Frontier version)

For clarity, we compared the Gear S3 with previous versions of Samsung smartwatches, as well as with their competitors, the Apple Watch.

Packaging and equipment

The Gear S3 Frontier comes in a medium-sized black plastic box, shaped like a cylinder.

The watch in the box lies sideways and is magnetized to the docking station.

Under the plastic circle there is an additional silicone strap, a charger with a Micro-USB output (5 V 0.7 A), a small warranty booklet and a quick user manual in English.

Samsung traditionally puts a different size strap in the box along with the watch. Unfortunately, with the third generation of its smartwatches, the South Korean company decided not to have an additional main-size strap (as was the case with the Gear S2), so if something happens to the main strap, you'll most likely have to buy a new one. However, it is worth noting that the Gear S3 is compatible with absolutely any strap from various watch manufacturers, so you can choose the one that suits you best.

The wireless charging dock is good for its compact size and the presence of a magnet, thanks to which the watch is held while charging. In fact, the dock design is similar to what we saw in the Gear S2, so we won't repeat it.

Design

Let's take a closer look at the watch itself. They look great, it feels like you’re wearing not a smartwatch, but some kind of Tag Heuer. And this comparison is not accidental: the Gear S3 looks exactly the same as one of the models of the famous Swiss brand. However, Samsung is not at all shy about this and says that one of the goals when creating the Gear S3 was its similarity to a regular watch. All those who complained that smartwatches look somehow ridiculous can breathe easy.

The Frontier version looks brutal. Like the Gear S2, the watch screen is round and has no dead spots. Steel body, grey. You can control the Gear S3 either using the rim (bezel) or by “flipping” on the screen itself. If you have thin hands, you might want to take a closer look at the Classic version - it's a few millimeters narrower. For example, on the hand of the author of the article, Frontier looked too bulky.

Like the Gear S2, the main design element is the rotating bezel. Operating the watch is really very comfortable: every step in the menu is felt, so it’s really very difficult to miss the right item. When you control it using the bezel, you get real aesthetic pleasure: at such moments you understand that this is exactly how a smartwatch should be controlled.

There are two function keys on the right; they are easy to press. The bottom button allows you to exit to the home menu, the top button allows you to return to the previous menu or screen. Below the bottom button is a microphone hole. On the left there are three speaker holes - the watch can be used as a hands-free headset, which is very convenient if you are, for example, driving.

Screen

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, noticeably better than that of Google Nexus 7 (2013)), so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are slightly worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 2013 screen. For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off:

The screen of the Samsung Gear S3 is a little brighter (brightness according to photographs is 131 versus 113 for the Nexus 7). Note that from bright objects reflected in the screen, there is a not very pronounced bluish halo, more elongated along the wrist. The reflection ghosting is weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, the maximum value (10 on the scale) of brightness was about 600 cd/m², the minimum (1 on the scale) was 10 cd/m². You can enable automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor, which is presumably located under the screen. Depending on the adjustment value (we present the results for 1, 6 and 10), in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 10, 20 and 130 cd/m² (the first two values ​​are normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light (about 550 lux) sets to 10, 130 and 300 cd/m² (only the average value is suitable). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works adequately and to some extent allows the user to customize their work to individual requirements. Note that the brightness decreases only after the screen is turned off and on. In very bright environments (from bright day lighting conditions outdoors, but without direct sunlight (20,000 lux) and brighter), the brightness always increases to an incredible 950 cd/m², regardless of whether auto-brightness is turned on or not. This ensures that the user always sees what the watch is showing him.

In the graphs of brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis), only for low brightness can one see significant modulation at 50 Hz.

As a result, at low brightness there is a visible flicker of the image, but the modulation phase somehow changes depending on the coordinate on the screen, which significantly reduces the noticeability of the flicker.

This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in equal quantities, as confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

We observed a similar “structure” of the screen, for example, in the case. The spectra are typical for OLED - the primary color areas are well separated and appear as relatively narrow peaks:

Accordingly, the coverage is noticeably wider than sRGB, and there are no attempts to reduce it:

Note that the colors of regular images optimized for devices with sRGB screens appear unnaturally saturated on wide-gamut screens without appropriate correction:

Pay attention to the tomatoes and the shade of the girl's face. The color temperature of the white and gray fields is approximately 7500 K, and the deviation from the black body spectrum (ΔE) is 2 units. Color balance is acceptable. Black is just black from any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is simply not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. The screen has excellent viewing angles with a much smaller drop in brightness when looking at the screen at an angle compared to LCD screens. In general, the quality of the screen can be considered very high.

Interface and functionality

Like previous generations of smartwatches and other Samsung fitness devices, the Gear S3 runs the Tizen operating system. The South Korean company continues to believe in its OS and is actively developing it. At the time of writing, the watch was running Tizen OS version 2.3.2.

The user is greeted with a traditional menu consisting of the following applications: Settings, S Voice, Music, Weather, S Health, Contacts, Phone, Messages, Phone Finder, Gallery, Brief News, World Clock, Alarm Clock, Calendar, Reminders, Baroltimeter. You can install other applications from the Galaxy Apps store. You are unlikely to find Google and Yandex.Maps applications there, but it is quite possible to download Yandex.Transport or order a taxi using the watch.

As for the dials, there are 14 options available out of the box. If for some reason you don’t have enough of them, then welcome to the store. You can see the available watch faces in the screenshots below.

Of course, the Galaxy Apps store is developing, but it is still very difficult for it to compete with the similar Apple product.

Smartphone operation and compatibility

Samsung is actively working to ensure that its smartwatches reach as many users as possible. Literally at the time of writing this article, compatibility with iOS was implemented.

First, let's test how the watch works in tandem with the flagship smartphone Galaxy S7 Edge.

On any of the Galaxy devices, you already have the necessary application for working with the clock, it is called Samsung Gear. The principle of its operation has not changed since the Gear S2, so we will not repeat it and describe it in detail - if you want, take a look at our Gear S2 review. It’s much more interesting to check the operation of the Gear S3 with other devices: for example, we tried to connect the watch to the not-so-new LG G4s.

You won't be able to simply connect your watch to the LG G4s (or any other Android device). You will need:

1. The Samsung Gear app itself
2. Gear S Plugin
3. Samsung Accessory Service

Moreover, after installing them, you can only connect the watch. To get the full experience, you'll need a Samsung Account (to download apps), and if you want to use S Health on your Android device, you'll also need to download it separately.

Of course, progress compared to the Gear S2 does not stand still, and this time we were able to “make friends” of the watch with an LG smartphone, but the connection process took us quite a long time.

As for connecting to iOS devices (we are talking about the iPhone, since the Gear S3, unfortunately, does not work with other iOS devices), here to work with the watch you only need the Samsung Gear S application. After you install it on your iPhone, you can fully manage your watch: install and uninstall applications, as well as track other important information.

The watch can be used to receive and send calls. This is very convenient if you are, for example, driving and reaching for your phone is not very comfortable at the moment. Unfortunately, unlike the Gear S (the first generation of Samsung smartwatches), you won’t be able to use the Gear S3 as a standalone device: it must be paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Currently, virtual e-SIM is not supported by Russian mobile operators.

Battery life

On average, when using the Gear S3 in conjunction with a Samsung device, the watch lasts about 2 days. This is a good indicator, especially considering that the display, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi are always on. In “normal” mode, where the screen turns on only when you use the watch, the Gear S3 can last up to 4 days.

Conclusions

Samsung Gear S3 is a logical continuation of the line of smartwatches from the South Korean company, which is certainly worth a closer look if you are planning to purchase this type of device. The Frontier version that we tested is recommended for everyone who leads an active lifestyle: the watch has various degrees of protection, is not afraid of shocks, high and low temperatures, so it is almost impossible to break it. But if you have small hands or lead an “office” lifestyle, we would recommend checking out the Classic version.

A logical question immediately arises: is it worth taking the Gear S3 if I have a Gear S2 or Gear S? In the case of the Gear S, it’s definitely “yes” - after all, this device came out three years ago and is already obsolete. The Gear S has a smaller battery capacity, no support for fourth-generation cellular networks, and a very controversial charger concept. But with the Gear S2, not everything is so simple: the model appeared in 2015, but Samsung is still actively working on its development: the fact that it was not removed from the market, but made into a cheaper version, speaks volumes. From a software point of view, the Gear S2 is almost as good as the Gear S3: it can also connect to other Android devices or iPhones. Therefore, in this case, you should be guided only by your desire and financial capabilities: if you have the funds to buy a new toy, great, you can go to the store to buy it. No - you have a good, current model, and you may well miss the new product.

The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier smartwatch was released at the end of 2016. This is a device that makes it much easier to use a smartphone for active people, drivers and sports enthusiasts. The watch can not only show the time and work as a pedometer. They have many applications and capabilities.

In the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier review, we will show all the features, advantages and disadvantages of the smartwatch and compare it with its competitors in key indicators. In the writing process, not only technical information was used, but also real customer experience.

Samsung Gear S3 Frontier review | Introduction

Finally, you can leave your smartphone at home! Samsung Gear S3 Frontier($349 in the US and 24,990 rubles in Russia) with built-in LTE module, heart rate monitor, Wi-Fi and GPS (not to mention the mobile wallet function and voice control) - this is the first smartwatch that can work completely autonomously. The watch itself, as a device for measuring time, also looks great and is quite reliable. Still, the execution of the 4G module and the application ecosystem must be considered far from perfect.

Samsung Gear S3 Frontier review | Design and construction

It's no secret that most smartwatch models are designed for wide wrists, and Samsung Gear S3 Frontier no exception. The face measures 46 x 49 mm, and the watch itself weighs 62.3 g without the strap. That's more than double the weight of the Apple Watch Series 2, which weighs 28 g.

Samsung Gear S3 Frontier They don't have as flashy a look as the Fossil Q Founder, which is my favorite look, but their stainless steel body is quite attractive. I especially liked the fine serrations on the rotating bezel, which not only look cool, but also make it easier to turn the bezel. They look like parts of an expensive timepiece - in contrast to the straightforward and boring Apple Watch.

At the same time Samsung Gear S3 Frontier significantly larger and heavier than the Apple Watch and Gear S2, which will undoubtedly put off people with thin wrists.

Our test sample came with a fairly basic silicone strap, but it's fairly easy to swap out for any other 22-point strap. Samsung sells replacement bands starting at $22.99.

There are two buttons on the right side of the S3's body: the top one acts as a universal back button, and the bottom one takes you back to the home screen or app menu.

Design Samsung Gear S3 Frontier able to withstand some of the vicissitudes of fate. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass, and compliance with the MIL-SPEC-810G standard means it can withstand drops from a height of about one and a half meters. The watch can also spend up to 30 minutes underwater at a depth of 1.5 meters without affecting performance. However, Apple Watch Series 2 is designed for immersion to a depth of 50 meters.

Samsung Gear S3 Frontier review | Display

Samsung Gear S3 Frontier equipped with a 1.3-inch AMOLED display, bright enough for reading at any time of the day. The 360 ​​x 360 pixel resolution was enough to comfortably view the photos that appeared on Flipboard news: they were so sharp that you could see the numbers on the athletes' uniforms. The colors were also extremely saturated.

IN Samsung Gear S3 Frontier There is an option for an always-on display, and the dimmed light mode is not particularly different from the operating mode at full brightness. For example, the chronograph screen looks almost identical in both modes; only the second hand disappears, instead of which a white “ticking” mark is displayed, moving along the edge of the dial. The same goes for other watch screens: some small accents disappear, but most of the colors and details remain visible.

Samsung Gear S3 Frontier review | Interface

Instead of Android Wear, the Gear S3 Frontier uses Samsung's own Tizen operating system. In some ways, it looks like a hybrid of Apple and Google operating systems. This is both good and bad. For the most part, I find it significantly more useful than Android Wear, but you can't use S3 with iOS devices. Despite all their shortcomings, Android Wear smartwatches still retained some functionality when connected to an iPhone.

Tizen OS user interface has two layers. From the home clock screen, swiping left or right lets you access notifications and recently launched apps, create reminders, get weather forecasts, and check health information, among other things. If you press the bottom side button on the watch body, the screen will switch to the application menu mode: here you will see round application icons located along the edge of the screen. Only eight of them are visible on each page, but additional pages are automatically added as programs are installed.

Like the Gear S2, Samsung Gear S3 Frontier There is a rotating bezel that allows you to quickly scroll through menu items, applications, etc. You can achieve the same result by swiping across the screen, but it's nice to have a choice. Every turn of the bezel has a subtle click and is done with just the right amount of force - it reminded me of the wheel on the Nest Learning thermostat.

I also liked that I could reply to notifications and messages in Samsung Gear S3 Frontier in countless ways. For example, this watch doesn't have the Facebook Messenger app - and we'll get to that in a moment - and if I receive a message while the S3 is paired with my phone via Bluetooth, I can respond to it with either a pre-recorded message, or by typing a new one, or dictating it. Even cooler was the ability to draw letters on the screen - much like on the Apple Watch - to write the answer. I wouldn't use this method to type long emails, but it's fine for writing multi-word messages.

Although I have my own problems with Android Wear, of the functions available there in Samsung Gear S3 Frontier I missed the automatic execution of tasks depending on the location of the device (so-called context awareness). It would be great if the Gear S3 could automatically provide driving directions for home at the time I usually get ready from work, or if it could send me notifications and directions based on my calendar entries. There's hope that Samsung is working on a similar smart assistant for the Galaxy X8, but I wouldn't buy an S3 knowing that they might not have such a feature until sometime in the indefinite future.

Samsung Gear S3 Frontier review | Where are the applications?

The main problem with the Tizen operating system is that Samsung will have to convince others to create applications for this platform. And so far, no matter how hard they try, they can't come up with anything similar to the work done by Apple or Google.

Alas, a year after the Gear S2's release, not much has changed. In the Health & Fitness app category, Fear doesn't have any of the big players - MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal, Strava, etc. You'll have to use S Health instead. In itself, this is a good application, but the fact that there is no choice is depressing.

When Samsung unveiled the Gear S2, they said apps for Twitter, eBay and Groupon were on the way. A year later, we only have an eBay app. There is an app to control the Nest thermostat, but it costs $1.99 and is written by a third party. Even though the Spotify logo is prominently featured on the Samsung Gear S3 product page, there is no app for the service either. (There is an app for iHeart Radio, however).

The rest of the categories are no better: I found programs for Yelp, Uber, Wall Street Journal, Weather Channel and NPR. But there are no clients for Facebook Messenger, Twitter, or any service from Google. As of this writing, ESPN Companion for Gear only works with the previous S2 model.

After pairing with a Samsung Galaxy S7 via Bluetooth, I was able to receive and respond to Facebook Messenger notifications. But when the smartphone leaves the contact zone, you lose all connection with this social network.

Thanks to the screen Samsung Gear S3 Frontier The maps for the Gear look extremely detailed. Using the rotating bezel, you can zoom out or zoom in and see everything from subway stations to individual streets. Unfortunately, without connecting to a phone, the S3 cannot work as a navigator. Obviously, this is another missed opportunity, considering that this watch has both a modem and a GPS receiver.

Potential Benefit Samsung Gear S3 Frontier The difference between other smartwatches is that you can install the application directly into S3, you don’t need to download it to your smartphone first. However, I wish you good luck in finding applications. On the Get More Apps screen there are only 15 items, and of various types: from the Korean Air client and the Fruit Ninja Plus game to a utility that makes the dial white.

Samsung designers did everything to make the Gear S3 frontier difficult to distinguish from a classic watch. This particular model is reminiscent of the brutal Casio G-Shock. Many people like it, and so do I. For those who don't like this, there is the more discreet Gear S3 Classic.

There is no fault with the quality of assembly and execution. The case is made of steel, the display is protected by Gorilla Glass SR+. I didn’t pick at it with sharp objects, but I did touch the walls and iron handrails in subway cars several times for hours. Result: no chips or scratches during testing.

The watch is not afraid of dust and water - it has protection according to the IP68 standard. The gadget can be submerged to a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes, but do not take this as a guide to action. Waterproofing is not waterproofing. If liquid leaks inside, repairs will not be covered under warranty. The watch is also not afraid of shocks and is resistant to high (up to +70) and low (up to -40) temperatures. The latter is very relevant for Russia.

Gear S3 frontier looks great: metal, glass and maximum similarity to a regular watch.

There are problems with usability. Firstly, the watch case is very thick - it spoils the sleeves of clothes by stretching them. If the sleeves do not stretch, then the S3 frontier has to be put on clothes. Looks especially enchanting with a leather jacket.

Secondly, although the gadget looks cool, it feels bulky, and the silicone strap included in the package (along with it the S3 frontier weighs 85.3 grams) puts pressure on the hand and does not allow air to pass through - the skin sweats. But at least it’s easy to replace - any regular watch strap with a standard width of 22 mm will do.

First day with S3 frontier: acceptance stage – hard and uncomfortable. Second: the stage of humility. Third: the stage of incredible relief that you feel when these handcuffs finally go out for charging.

Alexey Vedernikov

Editor of the “Smartphones” section of the website

The interface of the Gear S3 frontier is a success: it not only looks beautiful and very stylish, but also works quickly and stably. Whatever one may say, the proprietary Samsung Tizen operating system on which this watch runs is better optimized than the “mass” Android Wear from Google. It’s logical: you can do whatever you want with your own software, but Google doesn’t allow you to modify its system for wearable devices.

Tizen has the same disadvantage: third-party developers are less willing to write applications for this system than for Android Wear. But Samsung motivates them in every possible way, investing heavily in promoting Tizen. In general, there are fewer programs here, but there is equally little that is truly useful in both Tizen and Android Wear.

It is convenient to manage the clock. You can switch between applications in the Gear S3 frontier using the rotating bezel around the screen. Plus, the display itself is touch-sensitive, and there are two buttons on the side. One confirms the action, the second cancels it.

The watch is equipped with a Super AMOLED screen, which is very cool. There are a whole bunch of advantages: rich colors, very deep blacks, wide viewing angles and moderate power consumption.

The AMOLED screen in the watch couldn’t come at a better time: the picture is clearly visible in bright sunlight, and there is an Always On function.

There is an “Always On Display” function. In sleep mode, it displays a dim image of the dial on the S3 frontier display. In smartphones it is better to turn it off (it eats up 15-20% of the battery per day), but in watches it looks extremely appropriate.

The screen diagonal is 1.3 inches, the resolution is 360x360 pixels, which gives a density of 278 pixels per inch. The image comes out very clear.

An error occurred while loading.

Samsung positions the Gear S3 frontier as a gadget “for active users and fans of extreme sports.” Unfortunately, we cannot say that this is a watch for athletes. Rather, they are specifically for “active users” who like to collect various statistics.

The watch automatically measures speed and distance traveled - in steps, kilometers and flights of stairs. You can also choose from several dozen types of activities, from running and twisting to kitesurfing and yoga. S3 frontier, using built-in sensors, will calculate the time, the number of repetitions and build the route along which you moved if, for example, you were jogging or cycling.

There is a built-in altimeter: it tracks altitude and displays the readings in the form of a graph. This is useless in the city, but during a walk in the mountains or a hike it will come in handy. The Gear S3 frontier can also measure atmospheric pressure. Knowing its level in advance, a weather-dependent user will be able to better plan his day. If your blood pressure has dropped, it is better to go to bed early and try to be outside more. If it has increased, then it is better to minimize physical activity. These are just a couple of examples.

GPS and motion sensors work correctly, but there are constant problems with measuring heart rate. Even if you tighten the watch on your wrist very tightly to increase the contact of the sensor with the skin, the heart rate monitor does not always work, and the data is not particularly accurate.

The Gear S3 frontier is not suitable for professional athletes. GPS and motion sensors work well, but the heart rate monitor is disappointing.

The Gear S3 frontier has a microphone and speaker. First of all, this is necessary for the South Korean modification of the watch: there you can attach a SIM card with your number to it and go jogging lightly without a phone. The gadget will receive calls, voice the interlocutor's voice and convey to him what you say. But this function will not work in Russia - this is official information. So, in fact, the speaker and microphone are only useful for listening to music and voice commands. You can talk on the clock only if the phone is nearby and connected via Bluetooth.

The Gear S3 frontier has all the necessary modules and technologies (NFC and MST) to pay for purchases using the Samsung Pay payment system, which recently launched in Russia. I would like to believe that the function will be added in one of the future firmwares. There is no official confirmation of such plans yet.

By smartwatch standards, the Gear S3 frontier lasts for a really long time. I have it in pedometer mode without playing sports, with the Always On function disabled, but with a bunch of notifications they lasted exactly the same stated 4 days.

There is only one charging option - wireless. There are no connectors on the watch body, and this is probably for the best. The small docking station is lightweight and doesn't take up much space. True, it’s easy to accidentally forget it at home or in the office, and for some reason it is equipped with a microUSB connector that is becoming a thing of the past. S3 frontier charges from 0 to 100% in exactly 2 hours.

Gear S3 frontier at the charging station

The Gear S3 frontier can actually last 4 days, but with moderate use with Always On turned off. Active users should expect 2-2.5 days without recharging.

Opinion site

If you play sports seriously, then the capabilities of the Gear S3 frontier are unlikely to suit you: it is still a gadget, not a measuring device. The main disadvantage: problems with measuring pulse - the sensor does not always work and is not particularly accurate. But for simple collection of average statistics about activity, the watch is quite suitable. Unless, of course, you are not afraid of the price: they cost the same as a good smartphone - 25,000 rubles.