Skip to main content

Battle of the Samsung Watches: Gear Live vs. Gear Fit vs. Gear 2

Google announced Samsung’s newest addition to the world of wearables at their I/O conference. Samsung’s newest smartwatch is the Gear Live and it’s available for pre-order now on Google Play.

The Gear Live will debut Android Wear OS, which means it’ll receive notifications like texts and calls, and can be paired with any Android device running on Android 4.3 or higher.  The Gear Live has a clear emphasis on compatibility, and the I/O event showcased the smartwatch interacting with several different Android devices. It’s available for pre-order now on the Google Play marketplace and will go on sale July 7. 

Recommended Videos

Here’s our spec showdown between Samsung’s Gear Live, Gear 2 and the fitness-oriented, Gear Fit. The obvious difference is that Gear Live touts the Android Wear OS. Below is a breakdown of the specs from all three watches. See how the Samsung Galaxy Gear stands up to the Sony Smartwatch 2 here

 

Gear Live

Samsung Gear Live Front Black
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gear Fit

samsung-galaxy-gear-fit-press
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gear 2

Samsung-Galaxy-Gear-2-mocha-grey-2
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Size 37.9 x 56.4 x 8.9 (mm) 23.4 x 57.4 x 11.95 (mm) 36.9 x 58.4x 10.0 (mm)
Weight 59g 27g 68g
Screen 1.63” Super AMOLED  1.84” Curved Super AMOLED  1.63” Super AMOLED
Resolution 320 x 320 pixels 432 x 128 pixels  320 x 320 pixels 
OS Android Wear Android Tizen
Storage 4GB N/A 4GB
Processor 1.2GHz processor 180MHz ARM Cortex-M4 processor 1.0 GHz Dual Core Processor
RAM 512MB N/A  512MB
Bluetooth Version 4.0 LE Version 4.0 LE Version 4.0 LE, IrLED
Battery About 2-3 days (300mAh) About 3-4 days About 2-3 days (300mAh)
Charger N/A Magnetic charger Magnetic charger
Price (Ave.) $200 $200 $300
Availability Google Play, Samsung Samsung  Samsung

Design

Samsung’s Gear Live and Gear 2 have similar touchscreens and resolution. All three watches are water-resistant. All include fitness features including heart rate monitor, compass, gyroscope, and accelerometer. The battery life is longest on the Gear Fit, but the 2-3 day battery life of the Gear 2 and Gear Live is manageable. The Live’s 22mm strap is offered in two colors: black and red wine.

Features

Gear Live offers what Google calls the “context stream,” a vertical list of cards that appear on the watch face one at a time and display specific notifications you might want to see, like weather, texts, emails, directions, or other actions. It’s streamlined from what Android phones offer, but far more robust than the the operating systems of Gear Fit and Gear 2. What’s more, Live’s voice recognition capabilities can take commands to check data and appointments, make calls, or even set an alarm with voice activation. The smartwatch can pair with Google Chromecast or play music on your phone.

Operating System

The Android Wear operating system offers a slew of features that aren’t available for the Gear Fit or Gear 2. For starters, the Gear Live displays notifications from a wide variety of compatible apps, unlike the Gear Fit and Gear 2. Though it’s still new, do to the scale of Android, Wear will likely have a much larger ecosystem of apps for the Android Wear, unlike the Tizen OS for Gear 2. Meanwhile, Fit and Gear 2 only pair with a several Samsung phones.  

Conclusion

Gear Live looks to improve upon Samsung’s past efforts in just about every way. This is a smartwatch that will pair with any Android device (4.3 or higher) and comes equipped large ecosystem of apps. Our reviews of both Gear Fit and Gear 2 reveal each device’s lackluster features. In comparison, the Gear Live has nearly identical specs to the Gear 2 but has a smaller price tag and better OS. To be fair, the Gear Live doesn’t emphasize its fitness components. In the gym though, Gear Live seems to be a worthy competitor of the Gear Fit. By the looks of it,  Gear Live is the most advanced smartwatch from Samsung. What’s more, the $200 price tag renders the other Samsung smartwatch contenders obsolete.  

Joe Donovan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joe Donovan is an editorial assistant for Digital Trends who covers a variety of general assignments throughout the…
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. Galaxy S25 Plus: what’s different?
Samsung Galaxy S25 colors

Like previous years, the early 2025 Samsung flagship phone series contains three models, the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The main difference between the three is size. While the Ultra goes all out with specs and extra features like the S Pen and Gorilla Armor 2 glass, the difference is minimized when comparing the more affordable duo.

You might think the differences between these two comes down to different display and battery sizes. But as you go into the details, you'll notice more differences than those immediately visible on the spec sheet or the box. Here's what you need to know about the two devices.
Galaxy S25 vs. S25 Plus: specs

Read more
OnePlus 13 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: What does the future hold?
OnePlus 13 versus Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The OnePlus 13 and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are two of the most exciting phones to launch this year. Both include premium features that place them amongst the best Android phones, and both are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset that's much more powerful than previous generations.

Both the OnePlus 13 and the Galaxy S25 Ultra have finally made their (separate) ways to the U.S. The OnePlus 13 is leveling up on its flagship status with super-fast charging, exceptional performance, upgraded protection against dust and water, new cameras, and a much faster fingerprint scanner. Samsung, on the other hand, is banking hugely on improved AI features and its commitment to software that make Galaxy S25 Ultra the best Android phone for a long-term and reliable use, The phone's high-end hardware, cameras, and the unique proposition of a stylus only strengthen its supremacy.

Read more
Apple Watch Series 10 vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: flagship face-off
Apple Watch Series 10 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7.

The Apple Watch Series 10 has arrived with a thinner and lighter design and an even larger screen, once again shaking up the smartwatch world. Apple’s smartwatches have been solid wearables for so long that they’ve become the standard against which most competing Android smartwatches are measured, and this year’s Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is no exception.

Samsung has often beaten Apple to the punch lately in terms of offering new health features, even if they’re not always fully baked at release, but that’s likely only because it can read the writing on the wall. Apple matches most of what Samsung comes up with only a few weeks later, keeping the two wearables neck and neck at most things. Apple and Samsung may be able to measure the same metrics, but each takes its own approach to how it presents and interprets them — and those approaches are as different as the designs of the wearables themselves.

Read more