Accessories
Samsung Gear S2 vs Moto 360: 5 Key Differences
This past week two excellent new smartwatches were announced by arguably two of the best in the business. Those being the new 2015 Moto 360 2nd Gen, and the Samsung Gear S2. Here in late 2015 consumers have lots of choices, and today we’ll be comparing a few key differences between Samsung’s Tizen-powered Gear S2, and the Android Wear Moto 360.
Yesterday Motorola officially unveiled the new 2nd Gen Moto 360 after months of rumors and speculation. A few days before, Samsung’s Gear S2 became official. They are two watches that have a lot of interest, but are very different devices that offer different features for prospective buyers.
Read: 2015 Moto 360: Everything You Need to Know
The Samsung Gear S2 doesn’t run Android Wear, Google’s OS for wearable devices, and instead runs Samsung’s own Tizen operating system. It blends the line between Google’s software and Apple’s, and has some compelling features. If you’re considering one vs the other, read on for more details.
One of the most important aspects of this launch is the fact that the Samsung Gear S2 will work with any Android smartphone. Well, almost any Android smartphone. The original was limited strictly to Samsung Galaxy devices, which made its market decrease significantly.
This year those who don’t own a Samsung phone can still enjoy all the Gear S2 has to offer. At the same time, the Moto 360 now works with iOS and the millions of iPhone’s, as Google’s just recently released an Android Wear app for iOS. That makes it instantly appeal to millions of buyers that Samsung’s watch can’t reach.
Those two things out of the way, lets get into the details about each watch, the specs, screen sizes, battery life and features. As those are the important bits that all smartwatch shoppers are interested in. The slideshow below will go over all the details we know so far, and we’ll update with additional information as soon as both are in our hands for a true comparison.
Tom Kiscadden
10/07/2015 at 10:49 am
I am really torn between these two devices, which are both similar priced. One one hand (no pun intended), I own a Samsung smartphone and would love the Samsung app integration, like Samsung pay, but on the other hand, I really want a premium-looking smart watch with silver metal bands. #FirstWorldProblems
Arturo Perez
11/15/2015 at 8:42 pm
I’ve tried them both. I’m an avid Samsung fan (owned galaxy s3, s4, s5, and now so edge, as well as a new tab s2) do I really wanted to like gear s2. Rotating bezel is awesome, and battery life is pretty amazing – but Tizen kills it. To use email and text you basically then have to use the stock email and messages on your phone, otherwise if you’d like to use third party options (I use Aquamail pro for my email, and SimplyText for SMS) then the gear s2 can’t use email or text (very Apple like of you Samsung, there’s a reason many of us shy away from iOS devices that force you to use stock apps). Current Tizen apps are basically limited to watch faces and stock gear S2 apps.
So as much as I wanted to love the Gear S2, it’s unusable for me. So back it went to the store, and now I’m happy with my moto 360 and Android Wear.