Customer reviews from Samsung US
Samsung - Gear S3 Frontier Smartwatch 46mm - Dark Gray
Average customer rating
4.4
(1,020 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 1,020 reviews
5 Stars
704
4 Stars
172
3 Stars
55
2 Stars
32
1 Star
57
89%of customers recommend this product.
(
879 out of
985)
Customer Reviews for Samsung - Gear S3 Frontier Smartwatch 46mm - Dark Gray
Customer Rating
3
sensors need major improvement and more partner apps
on March 2, 2017
Posted by: billyg64
Expertise:Intermediate
This is my first smartwatch. Not terrible but considering going back to Fitbit. Hopefully, Fitbit will include more smartwatch features (email, texts, and calls not just notifications). The sleep function of the Gear S3 is terrible at best. It recorded 1.5 hrs of sleep last night which was realistically more like 6-7. I don't think it has recorded correctly yet. And the auto detection of workouts isn't spotty. Fitbit definitely has the edge in my experience with motion/sensor related things. Also, Fitbit connects to other apps. Samsung Health doesn't connected to any major health apps.
Pros: Durable, Lightweight
Cons: can't track sleep accurately
Features
4
Performance
4
Design
4
Value
3
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
4
Gear S3 vs. Gear Live
on March 2, 2017
Posted by: spirographed
from Chicagoland
Expertise:Intermediate
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The Gear S3 Frontier has a fantastically functional navigation system, awesome apps and is built to last. My first smartwatch was Android Wear based Samsung Gear Live and the Gear S3 runs Samsung's very own Tizen. Although I missed built in Google features like Maps, I found apps and features that matched them.
Pros: Bright display, Realistic color, Durable, Built-in speakers
Cons: not android wear
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
4
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Great features
on March 2, 2017
Posted by: tzivonas84
from Chicago, IL, USA
This smartwatch is way better than my old one.I used to have the gear S but the S3 is mind blowing.
Thank you Samsung.
Thank you Samsung.
Pros: Bright display, Realistic color, Lightweight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
4
S3 is a winner!
on March 3, 2017
Posted by: Woldhuisrj
from Grand Rapids, mi
Expertise:Expert
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have been testing SmartWatches for about the last year. This all started with me wanting to track my fitness and ended up evolving from a simple Fitbit to now this Samsung Gear S3. The other smart watches that I have tried are a Polar and also an earlier version of the Samsung Gear Watch s model. I was not impressed at all with the earlier s model but when I received this S3 in the mail I could tell that Samsung had taken their time and made some quality improvements on this watch. From the moment you take this watch out of the box you can tell it is a finely crafted piece of art. It's not big or clumpy and doesn't demand attention. It is clean and classy but yet rugged enough to withstand a day at work. It was easy to set up and I did so in minutes by connecting the gear app on my Galaxy S7 phone to the watch. I really love the dial that you can scroll through different options. The S3 is very intuitive and without even asking it to it begins to record you working out so no more standing at the starting line and fumbling with your watch while you're trying to get ready to race. Watch automatically detects when workout starts and does a fairly good job detecting when the workouts end. It's not 100% accurate as that goes but I guess it is measuring activity still. I like the fact that there are multiple watch faces that I can use and depending on my mood or the style that I am into for that day I can change my watch to reflect that. There are minimal buttons on this wash which is nice. I have been complimented many times when people see the watch and the different functions that it is able to do. I have also tested the watch regarding call Quality while I am driving. I had my hands on the wheel and was able to have a normal conversation with a friend of mine on multiple occasions and he was able to hear me just fine and I was able to hear him just fine all while not fumbling with a phone and risking an accident while driving on the highway or in town. That was one of the biggest noticeable improvements to me because on the other Galaxy Gear watch that I had the call Quality was terrible. You had to put the watch up to your ear in order to hear anything. The heart rate monitor and the other functions seem to work well. I am still figuring out some functions regarding that to be able to see stats during a workout. Overall I give this 4 stars because they have made some really good improvements but I believe there is room to grow yet. Nicely done!
Pros: Bright display, Realistic color, Durable, Lightweight, Built-in speakers
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
A Beautiful Smartwatch!
on March 3, 2017
Posted by: nding123
from New York, NY
Expertise:Intermediate
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] After about 10 days of using the Gear S3 Frontier, I can say with complete confidence that the watch is nearly everything I hoped it would be. With a gorgeous display and nifty rotating bezel, it’s easy to navigate from one application to another. My favorite feature so far has to be Samsung Pay, and the fact that the Gear S3 comes with NFC and MST, which makes it usable at basically any cash register. The convenience of never needing to reach into a pocket to grab a wallet or phone to pay is remarkably convenient, and is always a way to get people to ask you about your smartwatch.
On the flip side, the watch's lack of application support is somewhat disappointing. While it does have applications for things like Spotify, ESPN and Flipboard, the app lacks a decent map program, and including offline downloads for Spotify Premium would be a huge plus. However, there are a billion watch faces to choose from, so customization is definitely not an issue.
Battery life for this watch is great. I have only charged it twice since I got it 10 days ago. I have yet to try out the always-on display, which I have heard can really drain a battery quickly.
Overall, I love the functionality that this watch provides me on a daily basis. It’s become an indispensable part of my daily routine. While I wish that there was more app support right now, and that the fitness tracker was a bit more accurate, the things that the Gear S3 does well has sold me on its usefulness.
On the flip side, the watch's lack of application support is somewhat disappointing. While it does have applications for things like Spotify, ESPN and Flipboard, the app lacks a decent map program, and including offline downloads for Spotify Premium would be a huge plus. However, there are a billion watch faces to choose from, so customization is definitely not an issue.
Battery life for this watch is great. I have only charged it twice since I got it 10 days ago. I have yet to try out the always-on display, which I have heard can really drain a battery quickly.
Overall, I love the functionality that this watch provides me on a daily basis. It’s become an indispensable part of my daily routine. While I wish that there was more app support right now, and that the fitness tracker was a bit more accurate, the things that the Gear S3 does well has sold me on its usefulness.
Pros: Bright display, Realistic color, Durable, Lightweight, Built-in speakers, battery life
Cons: lack of apps
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
4
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
This smart watch blows me away!
on March 6, 2017
Posted by: KGing
from Sandy, UT
Expertise:Intermediate
Okay, I’ve had the Gear S3 (Frontier Bluetooth version) for about a month now and feel like I need to share my opinion on the latest generation wearable from Samsung. Let me start by saying I have had three other smart watches. One android wearable, a Samsung Gear 2 and Samsung Gear S. I guess you could say that I’m a bit of a watch fanatic since I have many other non-smart watches I enjoy wearing too, but I digress.
My first impression is that Samsung spent some time to make a quality timepiece. It looks elegant, as an expensive watch should, and feels solid. I’m sure this will take a beating and keep going however beating a watch is not in my nature, so this is just an assumption based on the impression it get from handling this watch. The Frontier has a nice outdoor rugged look which is why I chose it but that is personal taste. I really went back and forth since I wear a suit most days of the week and I think the Classic would have worked well too.
I’ve owned 2 square/rectangular faced watches and 2 round face watches and I normally would say that you should buy for your own taste, but with the addition of the outside bezel that assists in navigating through options, widgets and menus I’m forced to say the round face on the S3 is the only way to go. It’s amazing how one simple design change could make such a great difference in your experience with a smart watch but Samsung hit it out of the park with the addition of the bezel control. I still use the touch screen quite a bit but it’s nice when you have potato chip fingers, to be able to navigate your way around without messing up the display. Again you can see I’m a fanatic about caring for my watches!
The display on this watch is phenomenal! It’s actually a pleasure to stare at this watch which makes it a lot of fun to try and find a watch face you like. By the way, there may not be a ton of apps available but there are plenty of watch faces to choose from. The colors are vibrant and the display is bright, making photos look really nice, although as I get older, I would rather look at much larger pictures, but for those with younger eyes, I promise you’ll be impressed.
The Gear S3 has worked well for my fitness needs! It’s a little heavier than a fitness tracker but for me it provides all the same stats. I’ve never had a problem with it registering my heart rate and the number’s provided for BPM, steps, miles and floors seem quite accurate but I’m not a professional runner and if it were off a few yards over 5 miles I wouldn’t know it nor would I care. To me, all this information provides incentive to work out and motivation to push myself from the last workout. I should mention here that I do have the watch remind me to move if I’ve been sitting at work too long! Now if you want the most accuracy and you’re running outside rather than on a treadmill you’ll be pleased to know it comes with GPS. The only downside is that it takes a few minutes to acquire the satellite signal but that gives you a chance to stretch first.
There’s also room to store music on this watch if you don’t want to carry your phone when you run. It will sync with Bluetooth headset so you can carry your favorite tunes, listen to them without wires while you run and leave your phone at home. The speaker on this thing is remarkable too. Every sound is crystal clear and can be loud if you want. I played some music though the speaker on the watch and it blew me away for such a tiny speaker, however I would recommend a headset for your runs.
The sleep tracking feature worried me a little when I read reviews. What scared me was that people would say the watch would run out of battery by 3 or 4 in the morning. My experience has been completely different, of course I do make some adjustments that may be helping. First I’ve found a watch face that sucks very little battery and in the always on display mode it’s just two red hands (Mickey Face Red). Then I turn on Do Not Disturb, turn the display all the way down and shut off sound and vibrate. I’ve used the sleep tracking app that comes with the watch and I’ve used the Sleep as Andriod app. In fact, I’ve used them both at the same time and never used more than 15% battery on my most wrestles night. I prefer using the Sleep as Android app because it allows the alarm to wake me up with vibration to the watch. Yes, even though I’ve turned off the sound including vibration on the watch when I go to bed, it still allows the alarm from the Sleep as Android to vibrate and wake me up. The vibration of the watch doesn’t wake up my wife on those early mornings!
The battery could last me easy two days with as much as I use it. I know Samsung says 4 days but if you’ve got such a beautiful display and tool on your wrist you’ll want to show it off, so use it. The really cool thing about this watch is the fantastic charging unit that comes with it. There’s no need to plug it in or clamp on a battery. You just set it in the charging stand and it charges up for you fast. I generally take it off for 30–60 minutes in the morning when I’m getting ready for work and 30-60 minutes as I’m getting ready for bed and the thing rarely goes below 75% charge.
Another review I read said that their banking institution wasn’t setup to allow the use of Samsung Pay, so I had to try that first thing. I’m sure this will vary based on everyone’s individual institution however I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was I able to use the credit card from my bank but also from my credit union. It took just minutes to set up and was really slick when I checked out at the register. Just two pushes on the back button, tap on which card you want to use, put your watch next to the terminal and you’re done! I’m sure I will be using this feature a lot!
Lastly let me say that I don’t miss having the LTE capability I have with my Gear S. I rarely took advantage of the standalone phone capabilities and defiantly not enough to justify the extra cost including the monthly fee the service provider charged for the phone number.
In summary, I’m head over hills with the quality, looks and function of the Gear S3. It was easy to set it up, but I’ve had other smart watches so I’ve had a little practice and for the month I’ve owned had it, it has performed well in every aspect. So if you’ve got some dollars burning a hole in your pocket this might be an enjoyable place to spend them! I highly recommend checking this out!
Pros: Bright display, Realistic color, Durable, Built-in speakers, nice looking
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Most excellent watch--
on March 4, 2017
Posted by: AlloyBoy
I've been wearing a watch since elementary school, and I'm in my mid 50's. I figured, if there are any benefits besides having a mechanical watch, I'll like it. Well, I actually love it! The number of watch faces you can use are outstanding. I find myself switching almost daily. I like the S Health app as well. Other features like the weather and top news stories are excellent. It's a real beautiful watch and looks stunning. Others have reported the large size of the watch and the weight. I don't think it looks too big at all, and it's NOT heavy. I have a Citizens Titanium watch the S3 Frontier replaced, and it's actually a little lighter (with the stainless steel band on it) than the Citizen. Overall, great value, nice looking watch-though I would say it's more of a mans watch-with only a few small gripes. Some of the apps (mostly weather) don't update all the time, and I wish the watch could be used as a bedside clock while charging (it goes black). This is why I gave it a 4 star on performance. However, I am using iOS with this watch and it still works well....I plan on going with the Note 8 when it comes out. I'm sure the performance will improve a little bit.
Pros: Bright display, Realistic color, Inexpensive, Lightweight
Cons: can't be used as a bedside clock while charging
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
4
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Big step in the right direction.
on March 4, 2017
Posted by: CrimsonOcard
from Phoenix, AZ, USA
Expertise:Expert
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have owned all 3 Samsung Gear S's. The Gear S3 is by far the best built out of them all. The design of the watch face is clean and bold. The new clicking feature of the dial is crisp and adds a much better feeling during operation. With normal use for about 3 weeks now I am able to use the Gear S3 with only charging every 2 to 3 days. The workout tracking seams to be more accurate and tracks more activities then the past Gears. I like that the watch band is now interchangeable with a standard watch band.
Pros: Bright display, Realistic color, Durable
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
4
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
4
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US