Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 review: Since last year, Samsung has been trying to patent out the perfect smartwatch in the market. And after the first Galaxy Gear crashed and burned in terms of sales and specs, Samsung is giving this model another shot with the release of its predecessor, the Galaxy Gear 2.

Aside from the Gear 2, Samsung also released various smartwatches, namely the Gear Fit, Gear 2 Neo, and the Gear Live. The Gear 2 doesn't differ much from the Neo model. Both have the same square and bulky body. Meanwhile, the Gear Fit is the simplest of all; it is a smartwatch styled as a fitness band with a questionable display.

The problem with the Gear 2, however, is that it does not pop out, considering that it is only for Samsung phones. Meanwhile, Android Wears such as the LG G Watch and even the Gear Live are ahead in the market because they can fit to various brands of phones, as long as they have the required Android OS. With the upcoming release of the Moto 360 and rumored launch of and Apple watch, things are not looking good for the Gear 2.

This is a real bad news considering that the Gear 2 sports a solid water and dust resistant built and a fun 2 MP camera. It also has a home button that accompanies the brushed-metal body and rubberized strap that can be customized or switched to a leather one.

Its 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display has a resolution of 320x320 pixels. Although it is considerably big and bright, its colors appear washed out when in direct sunlight. To combat this flaw, Samsung added an outdoor mode which can be triggered for a few minutes at a time.

Under the hood, the Gear 2 is powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor. This is already good enough to track steps or heart rate while playing music and doing other tasks.

Overall, the Samsung Gear 2 has a good, sturdy water and dust proof design and display with better notifications, a heart rate monitor, and basic fitness tracking. However, because it is only limited to Samsung users, unlike Android Wears, it is bound not to top the market. Still, if you're after a cheaper model that is compatible with your Samsung smartphone and delivers its basic functions as a smartwatch, then the Gear 2 is worth a look at least.