Samsung announces the Gear Fit 2 smart fitness band, available June 10 for $179

Samsung officially unveiled the Gear Fit 2 this afternoon, a sequel device to 2014’s Gear Fit. Designed to be worn all day during any type of activity, this wearable smartband features a 1.5″ Super AMOLED curved display, plus a dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM.

Differences between the Gear Fit and Gear Fit 2 will likely jump off of the page for owners of the original, which includes an added GPS radio, speedier Exynos 3250 processor, complete notification support for Android devices, as well as a standalone music player application. Most importantly, while the Gear Fit was only compatible with Samsung Galaxy devices, the Gear Fit 2 will work on any Android device running 4.4+.

Other specs for the Gear Fit 2 include IP68 water and dust resistance, 15 different activity tracking modes, 4GB of onboard storage, heart rate monitor, and Bluetooth v4.2. The Gear Fit 2 is also a bit smaller than the original, and because of this, it features a slightly smaller battery of 200mAh, down from the Gear Fit’s 210mAh battery. However, Samsung still lists the Gear Fit 2 at lasting 3-4 days on a single charge.

One major feature addition is a custom-built Spotify music player app. Perfect for those with a set of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds — such as the IconX buds from Samsung — the Spotify app allows users to store cached music on the smartband itself, meaning you won’t need to take your paired smartphone on all of your runs. In addition, the built-in GPS will allow runners to keep track of all movements, regardless of whether a smartphone is synced or not. This same functionality can be seen on the Moto 360 Sport, which we admire quite a bit.

The Gear Fit 2 will be available in two different sizes (Small and Large), as well as three different colors – Black, Pink, and Blue.

Pre-orders for the Gear Fit 2 begin tomorrow at Amazon, Best Buy, Macy’s, Samsung, and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Priced at $179, general in-store and online sales will begin June 10.

Specs

• Display: 1.5”, Curved Super AMOLED 216 x 432
• Chipset: Dual Core (1 GHz)
• Memory: 512 MB (RAM) / 4 GB Storage
• Connectivity: Bluetooth v4.2
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Heart Rate Monitor, Built-in GPS, Barometer
• Dimensions: 24.5 (W) x 51.2 (D) mm
• Weight: Small – 28g Large – 30g
• Battery: 200mAh
• Compatibility: Android 4.4/ RAM 1.5 GB
• OS: Tizen
• Additional Features: Notifications (SNS, call, email, applications, schedule), IP68 certified, Standalone music player
• Colors: Black, blue and pink
• Sizing: Small (Size of the wrist: 125 ~ 170mm), Large (Size of the wrist: 155 ~ 210mm)
• Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, M4A, AMR, AWB, OGG, OGA, 3GA