On November 18, 2016, the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier was released to the smartwatch market for the first time. It is still the best-selling smartwatch on Amazon to this day.
There are many good reasons why this is so. The Samsung Gear S3’s circular face looks more like a regular watch than most square, bulky smartwatches.
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier is a popular choice because of its unique rotating bezel that interfaces with the OS, the fantastic watch faces you can download and other features that will make you feel like James Bond.
This Samsung Gear S3 Frontier review will tell you everything you need to know about it and why it’s a great choice.
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Design and Specs
The Gear S3’s Super-AMOLED display of 1.3 inches has more space for apps than square smartwatches.
You can quickly scroll through messages and navigate to apps using the circular bezel. You can quickly switch between multiple widgets by twisting one left.
It’s made from stainless steel and features a bezel, buttons, and body. This makes it a durable watch that will last for many years.
A single charge of the Li-Ion battery of 380 mAH will usually last for a few days. You can also purchase a Qi wireless charger to charge your device at home, work, or road.
Important Features
- IP68 is rated to resist dust, dirt and submersion in up to 1.5m of water for 30 seconds.
- Gorilla Glass 1.3-inch touchscreen face with 16 million colours
- Tizen-based OS runs on a dual-core Cortex-A53 processor at 1.0 GHz.
- 768MB Flash RAM with 4GB internal storage
- 802.11 b/g/n WiFi adapter
- Bluetooth compatible
- GLONASS GPS receiver embedded
- Sensors include an accelerometer, gyro and heart rate sensors.
The watch is 64g (2.22 oz), making it slightly heavier than a more oversized men’s Casio watch.
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Watch Faces
There are many watch faces available for the Samsung Gear S3 watches. You can find the most beautiful and stylish ones for as low as $1 to $5. They are well worth the money.
There are also many great free watch faces.
Many watches are available, from stylish and classy to health-focused or elegant and fashionable to military or comic book and animated. For almost anyone, there’s a Samsung Gear S3 watch face.
The bad thing about this selection is that it will be challenging to choose which one to use. You can change your watch face each day!
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier GPS Apps
This hardware has some of the most innovative features to support your adventures.
You will need to download the Galaxy Wearable app from Google Play and your iPhone (yes, the watch can be used with both).
The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier’s embedded GPS receiver is one of its most valuable features.
MapMyRun
You can, for example, install the MapMyRun App on your Android and the iPhone. This will allow you to track your run or walk even if your phone is not in your car.
Navigation Pro
You can use Navigation Pro Google Maps Navi on either your Android device or iPhone to display navigational directions on your wrist.
This allows you to put your phone down while driving and glance at your wrist for directions.
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Health Apps
The Samsung Gear S3 isn’t like other stylish and sleek sports smartwatches for your health. It does provide all the functionality you could need.
Samsung Health
The Samsung Gear Health app tracks your heart rate, movements, and health via the accelerometer, heart rate monitor, and gyro.
All of these are logged and synced to the Samsung Health app. The Samsung Health app provides all the tracking options on your phone.
- Step tracking
- Heart rate
- Get enough water and caffeine
- Sleep quality
Many watches will also display your heart rate, calories burned, and current steps.
Download Samsung Health to Android and for your iOS
GymRun
You can use the GymRun Workout App on your Samsung Gear S3 without carrying your phone around to the gym to track your workouts.
To track your workouts while in the gym, you can use the custom workouts that you have created from your smartphone app.
To use the Samsung Gear S3 companion application, you need to have the Premium version GymRun.
Download GymRun for Android. This app is not compatible with iPhones.
G’night Sleep Tracker
A key aspect of your health is how well sleep quality is. There’s even an app to help you do this. G’Night is the best sleep tracking app. This standalone app runs in the background and detects any movement during the night.
The details about your movements and how long you were in REM sleep are more detailed than in the Samsung Health App.
Other Useful Samsung Gear S3 Frontier Apps
You can impress everyone around you by simply holding your Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch up to the reader when you pay for groceries.
Samsung Pay
The Samsung Pay app makes this technology possible. Your Gear can transmit NFC signals to the Samsung Pay app. This signal is recognized by the Pay terminal in the same way as if you swiped your bank card.
You will need to install the Samsung Pay app both on your smartwatch and on your Android smartphone to set it up. This feature is not yet available for iPhone. Next, follow the instructions to configure your bank cards.
Do you forget your purse or wallet at home? It’s no problem!
Make and receive phone calls.
The Samsung Gear S3 has one of the most innovative features: you can make and receive calls from your watch.
- This is because the watch hardware has both a speaker AND a microphone.
- This feature gives you full access to your phone contacts, allows you to dial out from your watch and can also be used to decline calls.
- When you receive an incoming call from someone, tap the green button to initiate a conversation.
- You might get some curious looks from others around you, but that shouldn’t stop you.
- You can also pair your Bluetooth earphones with the Samsung Gear S3 to hear your conversations.
Barometer and altitude
You have two valuable readings from your environment, thanks to the barometer sensor on your Samsung Gear S3.
The average sea-level pressure is 14.7 pounds per sq inch. Because the watch’s GPS tracks your location, it can calibrate it to determine your altitude above sea level.
You can also monitor the barometer readings to check if they are rising or falling and forecast future storms.
Is it a good idea to buy a Samsung Gear S3 Frontier?
This smartwatch is perfect for those who want a rugged and durable watch. It’s heavier than a Fitbit, so it might not be suitable for people who are runners or have smaller bodies.
This smartwatch is for you if you love hiking and exploring and you are looking for an “adventure smartwatch” that will track your health, monitor your location, and allow you to make and receive calls while keeping your phone close by.
