Smartwatches are in a strange place right now. Android Wear is on more wrists than ever, but the software isn't the best; the Apple Watch is basically useless if you don't carry an iPhone; and old stalwarts like Pebble have been swallowed up by bigger fish to produce … well, whatever the Fitbit Ionic is. So when Samsung launched its newest smartwatch in September, I was excited for another contender from the company that brought us the excellent Gear S3 – and it turns out you don't even need to be a fitness fanatic to appreciate it.
The Gear Sport is a smaller, sleeker, and (yes) sportier revision of Samsung's previous-generation smartwatches, with heightened durability and a boatload of new fitness features that help counter its slimmer spec sheet. My favorite feature so far: pairing Samsung's new IconX earbuds directly to the watch so I can stream music from the Spotify app with nary a network connection in sight. Join me for a look at both products in my Gear Sport / IconX review, and then check out Android Central's take on Samsung's latest wearables. Spoiler alert: at least half of this gadget cocktail is worth checking out.
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