Review of fitness tracker Samsung Galaxy Fit E (SM-R375)

Specifications

Display – The Galaxy Fit can handle bright days if you know how to use it

The Samsung Galaxy Fit features a 0.95-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 240 x 120 pixels. If this sounds like a downgrade from something like Fit2, then you're right. But then again, the Galaxy Fit's starting price is also much lower.

A large piece of black frame around the actual display panel protects the Fit from angled light. Interestingly (well, to some) you can see the edges of the panel more clearly here than on the Huawei Band 3 Pro. This is likely due to the fact that Samsung's screen architecture has more layers that end up reflecting a small amount of light.

The Samsung Galaxy Fit's display is clear, bright and can withstand sunny days

Its maximum brightness can handle sunny days too, although you'll need to manually set this with a swipe and a few taps. A fully automatic brightness mode no longer seems too much to require in an 8k wearable watch, but it is not yet used in bands in this category.

How many watch faces can you choose? There are 24 of them, but since most of them are variations on a theme, it is more truthful to call them a library of seven.

Two of them have an analog window. Others are digital, with different fonts and information fields scattered around.

The Samsung Galaxy Fit has seven different styles to choose from, each with different color options

Appearance and ergonomics

Bracelets are sold in different colors. Fit - in black and silver, Fit E - in black, white and lemon yellow.

Let's start with the Galaxy Fit. The bracelet is made of hard plastic, the strap is made of thick rubber. Like any similar tracker, it weighs almost nothing. It is comfortable to wear without taking it off even while sleeping.

The only unpleasant nuance is the not very convenient fastening of the strap. I had difficulty tightening it, securing it, and pushing the tail inside towards my wrist. But this is a matter of habit. The strap is removable and is secured with clips on the sides of the case.

A separate plus for charging: thanks to the magnets, the bracelet seems to fly into it when it approaches.

Galaxy Fit E is similar to its older brother in ergonomics, but there are still a couple of differences. Firstly, the body here is not snapped off, but squeezed out. Secondly, charging here is non-magnetic.

There is also a slight difference in dimensions, which, however, is not noticeable. In practice, the Fit E, with its smaller screen, feels the same on the hand as the Fit.

The nuance with the strap is the same, you need to get used to it.

Review of the affordable Samsung Galaxy Fit e fitness bracelet

While many manufacturers seem to have become disillusioned with the wearable electronics segment and began to curtail the production of new models of fitness bracelets and smart watches, Samsung, on the contrary, is expanding its range. Until recently, there was only one bracelet in its line - Gear Fit (and its “successors”). At some point, Samsung Charm was added to it, but no one took this primitive gadget seriously, and this branch was not developed. But the South Korean manufacturer decided to divide the Fit brand into several families, which differ quite significantly. The flagship today is Gear Fit2 Pro with a recommended price of 13 thousand rubles. It retains the main qualities of its predecessors: wide functionality (almost at the level of a smartwatch, with the exception of the ability to install applications) and a curved color AMOLED screen. But two more affordable devices were added to it: Galaxy Fit for 7 thousand rubles and Galaxy Fit e for only 3 thousand. Our article is devoted to the last of them.

If we look at the fitness bracelet market, we will see that the most intense competition is now taking place in this segment - cheap (up to $50) devices with a minimum of external bells and whistles, but at the same time with a heart rate sensor and notification display. The times when you could sell bracelets that could only count steps for $100 are long gone.

On the other hand, GPS and other additional sensors, color screens, microphone and speaker are still the prerogative of more expensive devices. So the set of possibilities described above is the “arithmetic mean”, which is apparently in greatest demand. Hence the abundance of offers. Current devices include Xiaomi Mi Band 3 and Huawei Honor Band 3 (Band 4 already has a color screen and costs more than $50). It is logical that Samsung also decided to play in this league. How successful was it for the South Korean company?

Let's take a look at the detailed specifications of the device.

Specifications Samsung Galaxy Fit e

• Screen: rectangular, flat, black and white, PMOLED, 0.74″, 128×64
• Water protection: yes (5 atm)
• Strap: removable, silicone (width 13 mm)
• Operating system: FreeRTOS
• Compatibility: Android 5.0 and above / iOS 9.0 and above
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 LE
• Processor: not reported
• RAM: not reported
• Built-in memory: no
• Sensors: accelerometer, heart rate sensor
• No camera
• Internet: no
• Microphone: no
• Speaker: no
• Indication: vibration signal
• Battery: 70 mAh
• Weight 15 g

For clarity, let’s compare them with the characteristics of Xiaomi Mi Band 3 and Huawei Honor Band 3. We have included in the table only those that are different and of significant importance to the user.

As we can see, the devices are very similar. At the same time, the Samsung Galaxy Fit e has the most modest battery capacity and the highest compatibility requirements (we emphasize that the bracelet can be used with equal success with iOS and Android, including Samsung smartphones). In addition, the screen area of ​​the new product is also minimal.

Well, let's look at the design of the gadget and see what it can do.

Equipment and design

The bracelet comes in a compact box with extremely minimalist accessories.

In addition to the bracelet itself, there is only a charging cradle and leaflets. There are no additional straps or other accessories.

The cradle is connected to the bracelet from the back; there is no need to remove the silicone strap.

The design of the device itself is extremely minimalistic and, admittedly, faceless. It's just a small block with recesses on the sides for a strap and glass that covers the entire front surface.

It is easily removed from the silicone strap. At the same time, the color of the strap matches the color of the case. We had the yellow version, but there are also white and black versions.

There are no buttons on the device. The screen responds to touch, but gestures are not supported. Therefore, the maximum you can do is scroll through the widgets (we will talk about them separately in the next part of the article).

On the back surface of the bracelet there is a heart rate sensor and two contacts for charging.

Much more interesting is the strap design. It has a very unusual clasp, which is quite difficult to get used to at first. The pin in it is inserted not from below, as usual, but from above - as if nailing the long part of the bracelet to the hand.

To be honest, we cannot make an unambiguous assessment of this decision. It seems normal, “why not?”, but it seems unclear why. The only argument in its favor is the desire to get rid of any protruding metal parts. Well, let it be.

In general, this is the only interesting feature of the bracelet. Otherwise, everything is standard. It fits well on the hand, even on very thin ones. There are enough holes in the strap. There's nothing to scold about. But also praise. The appearance is devoid of any individuality. Even if you have already seen the Samsung Galaxy Fit e (for example, in an advertisement or on a store counter), you are unlikely to recognize it on another person’s hand, because dozens of other bracelets look exactly the same.

Screen

The screen of the watch is rectangular, straight, flat (unlike older Fit models), with a diameter of 0.74″. In millimeters, its sides are approximately 17.5 x 9. That is, in general it is less than two square centimeters. A very small window is significantly smaller than the front surface of the bracelet. This is not noticeable when the screen is turned off, but when the picture appears, the saving of usable space is, of course, embarrassing.

The image itself is monochrome and noticeably grainy. Testing it using our method and evaluating it in terms of brightness/contrast and other qualities is quite pointless, because only numbers and icons are displayed on the screen, so it is enough that they are quite visible in sunny weather.

In general, we saw the same thing with Xiaomi Mi Band 3 and Huawei Honor Band 3. However, they have a slightly larger screen area.

Operating system and interaction with a smartphone

For the bracelet to work, you need to install two applications: Galaxy Wearable and Samsung Health (they may already be pre-installed on Samsung smartphones). Galaxy Fit is needed for management and configuration, and Health is needed to work with fitness data.

Pairing with a smartphone goes without any problems. The Galaxy Fit main menu displays the remaining charge and basic settings. Here you can set an alarm (only for a fixed time; the smart alarm function is not provided), enable/disable vibration, send a signal to the bracelet so that it vibrates (useful if you threw it somewhere and can’t find it), select applications that can send notifications to the bracelet.

The “Widgets” item deserves special attention. Here you can select and swap thematic screens that will be displayed on the bracelet. The first screen is always the clock face, but if you click on it, then these widgets will be shown in the order in which they are listed in this menu. The choice, however, is small: only six widgets.

All of the above can be found in the Home section of the Galaxy Fit app. Another section is called "Clock Faces" and contains exactly the screens that are displayed first.

Here, too, the choice is modest: six dials. It is not possible to load any other options. Below are photos of what it looks like in reality.

So, what can the bracelet do besides display the time? First, it records your heart rate and can display your heart rate data in real time and simultaneously collect it into the Health app.

Next, as befits a fitness bracelet, it counts steps and calories burned. And during sleep, it records its duration and, apparently, quality. “Apparently” - because during testing we were not able to get any sleep data into the Health application, although they were displayed on the bracelet itself.

The manufacturer, having learned about the problems, said that “just” (a surprising coincidence) it became known about the defect exclusively in test samples. We believe. But because of this, we cannot comment on the operation of the function.

The screenshots above show that although the bracelet is connected to a smartphone and tracks, among other things, sleep, the corresponding information area says “No data.” Although the author slept with him for two nights. At the same time, there was information on the screen of the bracelet itself in the “Sleep” widget, and it was quite correct.

It is also significant that the Samsung Health app cannot share information with Apple Health. For comparison, here is a screenshot of a similar Xiaomi Mi Fit application (on the right).

However, we must take into account that Samsung produces its bracelets with the expectation of working within its own ecosystem.

Further, although the Samsung Galaxy Fit has full 5 ATM water protection, it cannot track swimming statistics. If we click on the “Swimming” icon in the Health smartphone application (the bracelet will respond with vibration at this moment), then the only thing the bracelet will do is count the pulse. He will not even be able to determine the start and end times of the session itself, let alone individual swims. Compare that to the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active smartwatch we recently tested. In general, we are not talking about any full-fledged training here. Only measure heart rate and number of steps. To be fair, we note: the manufacturer did not promise anything else. Still, seeing the “Swim” option in the app and knowing that the Fit e is waterproof, I wanted to believe that the bracelet could be more useful here.

And the last thing this gadget can do is notify you about calls and messages. In the case of calls, it shows the name or (if it is not in contacts) the subscriber’s number, in messages the messenger icon and recipient are displayed, but the text itself (even its beginning) cannot be seen, and this is a minus compared to its direct competitors, not to mention more expensive devices.

The overall impression of functionality is modest, even more than that. At the dawn of the era of fitness bracelets, this would have been a very good set, but today I want various workouts (including swimming, since it is waterproof), text notifications, and a smart alarm clock.

Autonomous operation

One of the main parameters of such devices is battery life. We reported that the battery capacity of the Samsung Galaxy Fit e is about a third less than its closest competitors. But I wanted to believe in a miracle - you never know, what if the software is so effective that the bracelet will still work for more or less a long time? Alas, the miracle did not happen. Moreover, our copy apparently had some kind of preliminary version of the firmware, since with heart rate measurement and notifications turned on, the device lasted only two and a half days on a single charge, while the manufacturer promised five days and emphasized that this is not an exaggeration.

Again, as in the case of transferring sleep data, we can believe it. But even five days is still not enough for a device with very poor functionality. Let's put it this way: this is an average value, and it cannot exactly be considered a plus.

True, if you turn off heart rate tracking, you will get more, and if you remove notifications, you will get even more. But why a bracelet at all? A smartphone can also count steps.

conclusions

When a very large and well-known manufacturer produces a direct competitor to devices already existing on the market from Chinese companies (also, by the way, large and well-known), we expect, first of all, greater stability, more thoughtful and convenient software, as well as an original design. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Fit e - an analogue of the Huawei Honor Band 3 and Xiaomi Mi Band 3 - we did not find any of the above.

Its plus is the price: 3000 rubles. For such a brand - quite a bit. And it seems that for this money the user gets a good set of capabilities - no worse than those of its analogues. But during use, problems emerge that call into question the appropriateness of choosing a new product. Message notifications are displayed without text here. Despite being waterproof, the bracelet does not collect swimming statistics - it only measures heart rate during swims... Coupled with the faceless design, this completely deprives the device of its attractiveness.

Let's close our eyes to those shortcomings that can be attributed to a pre-production sample. Let's believe that the bracelet can work for 5 days without recharging. But even in this case, we cannot recommend the device, since it does not have a single undeniable advantage over its competitors. So the only salvation is a significant reduction in price and distribution of the device as a bonus to smartphones. Although, perhaps, fans of the brand, all other things being equal, will prefer the South Korean gadget rather than the “Chinese” ones.

Display

The displays of the models differ greatly. Galaxy Fit screen resolution is 240 × 120 pixels. It is colored and made using AMOLED technology.

The Fit E has a monochrome PMOLED display with a resolution of 128 × 64 pixels. Due to the flickering frequency, the screen image in the photo is incomplete, but in real life it is displayed correctly.

Control

Galaxy Fit is controlled using a touch screen and a mechanical button on the side of the case.

The dial lights up when you turn your wrist, and goes out automatically or with a light tap on the display.

The screen supports swipes. Using these gestures, you can switch between widgets and scroll through information in them. Default widgets: notifications, weather, sleep quality, stress level, workout mode, activity and heart rate.

A swipe from above brings up the bracelet settings panel, for example, adjusting the brightness level or turning on protection against false clicks in the water.

Notifications appear on the screen, but they are of little use: in notifications from instant messengers you can see the sender's name and the beginning of the message, but from other applications, as a rule, only the program icon.

Mail programs sometimes include a signature in the sender's notification, but the subject of the letter is no longer included.

The Fit E doesn't have a mechanical button. This means that you cannot switch to training mode from the watch: such activity is read only in the background and, most likely, not always correctly. There is also a more modest set of widgets: a pedometer, the number of calories burned, sleep mode and weather. Calendar and heart rate can be added in the application.

There is only one movement on the screen to control it, and it doesn’t matter whether you swipe or just click on it. The manual recommends pressing harder on the display, but any manipulation does not work 100% of the time, regardless of the strength of the touch.

It also supports notifications with a minimum of information, and the screen lights up when you turn your wrist.

Working with the application

The guides recommend using bands with the Galaxy Wearable app. It is supported on Android devices. We tested trackers from an iPhone, so we installed a Galaxy Fit with similar functions and interface. The first thing in the program shows the bracelet's battery level, below is a button to go to Samsung Health - Samsung's service for tracking activity and sleep quality. The bracelet automatically sends data to your profile in this service - if you choose another tracker, you will have to use intermediary applications.

Also in the Galaxy Fit app you can set an alarm clock with vibration - one of the main functions of such bracelets, which will help you get up on time without waking up your family with a loud sound. Using a special button, you can turn on the bracelet search mode - the display will light up and the tracker will vibrate. The devices do not have a built-in speaker. Here you can also configure access for notifications from different applications.

In the application, you can select a watch face and a set of widgets. Here are the options for the Galaxy Fit tracker.

And here is a set of watch faces and widgets for the Galaxy Fit E.

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On our website you can: "alaxy Fit" you can:

• find out about the club, find our address, see the schedule of classes and photos of the fitness center;
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An individual approach is the principle that we follow in working with each client, who is aware of what it means to be healthy, strong and beautiful today. You will become not just a member of our club, you will join a community of positive and self-confident people - those who take an active position in life and believe in achieving success.

The Galaxy Fit gym is equipped with the most modern strength equipment. We tried to make you feel not just comfortable, but also draw energy from your surroundings after a hard day, thanks to the stylish interior of the premises. Multifunctional cardio equipment - treadmills, steppers, bicycle ergometers, exercise bikes, ellipses, etc. - are presented in all their variety.

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Welcome to our club! Systematically attending classes at Galaxy Fit is the key to health, beauty and harmony. We will show you the path to success!