The Vodafone Samsung Galaxy s5 and Gear Fit Review pt 1

This is part 1 of a two part review. Click here for part 2.

Heya,

I've teamed up with Vodafone UK to review the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the wearable goodness of the Samsung Gear Fit curved smart watch, to see how the devices work together and how they can benefit the health concious, I'll be using the combo with GrampsBike throughout the review.

For the record the review model I have is the Samsung SM-G900M for Vodafone, meaning it's passed Vodafone's strict firmware tests and included some 'value added tools' that can thankfully be disabled if you dislike them. Similarly with the Vodafone Smart 4 Turbo this can only be seen as an advantage to the customer as the pre-installed bloat is to such a minimum it could never inconvenience you.

From using the device for less than a day I feel the S5 is a lovely device packed full of features and size too, at 5.59x2.85 inches in size there is plenty of space for these features, while a fair whack larger than my S4 mini it feels comfortable in the hand with a sturdy feel on the sides and a leather effect battery cover for extra grip, add in minimal flex and water resistance and I can see why the handset is popular.



The Samsung Gear Fit is a wearable slightly different to the other Samsung Gear devices available as they natively run Android Wear and Tizen. The Gear Fit runs a Real Time Operating System, meaning less app compatibility with all the inbuilt functions but also increased battery life and a more light weight system, designed for the fitness bug in all of us. On testing it this afternoon it performed well, with the pedometer matching the tool I use on my current device which uses the accelerometer to estimate the steps you take.

I'll wrap this up for now as I'll need more time to make any sound conclusions on the devices, but with the #SchoolPedal into full swing this December there's lots more to come.

Paul