After a ton of research about Fitbit products, I purchased the Fitbit Charge 2 as an upgrade to my Fitbit One. I had to return/exchange the Charge 2 as the step count was wildly inaccurate. Fitbit advised that this was a defect and provided a new device promptly. However, the new device had the exact same issue. Both Charge 2’s have been returned.
I then broadened my research beyond Fitbit products and was stunned to learn at how much more I could get for my money if I opened my mind beyond the popular Fitbit product line. I ended up purchasing a Samsung Gear Fit 2 and am very happy I did.

I’ve used the Charge 2 and Gear Fit 2 each for at least a month, and here’s my take on how they compare -

*Accuracy:
This is the main deciding factor for me. The Charge 2 was wildly inaccurate (keep in mind, I received 2 devices from Fitbit as noted above – both with the same issue). It consistently missed over 1,500 steps a day and counted steps while I slept somehow. My Fitbit One didn’t have this issue. Fitbit customer support suggested I place the Charge 2 in my pocket for improved accuracy, which completely negated the purpose of upgrading from the One to the Charge 2.
The Gear Fit 2 is pretty spot on. I say ‘pretty’ because the only time it’s slightly off is when I walk in place, and that’s OK with me because I’m cheating anyway… It also accurately counts repetitions when using the different Exercise features (lunges, crunches, squats), which is really cool and helpful.

*Features/Functionality:
The Gear Fit 2 is the clear winner here. The biggest reason is that if you’re looking to keep track of how you’re doing with your fitness goals, even if you’re just casually trying to improve your fitness level, it really makes it easy by improving awareness. For example, when viewing any item such as floors or steps, not only do you see today’s activity, but you also see how you did for the rest of the week at a glance. Tapping on those screens displays the detail by day. You can get more detail on the exercise done (map, etc) if you want to from these screens as well. There's really not much of a need to use the app with the Gear Fit 2.
The Charge 2 will display this detail within the app only, as far as I know.
I tried the guided breathing feature on the Charge 2 a few times and didn’t really find any value in it. To each their own.
The Gear Fit 2 has built in GPS (no phone required!), so once you’re done with your run/walk/hike, you can view your route, distance, average MPH and much more, right on your wrist.
MyFitnessPal works really well with the Gear Fit 2 so you can quick add foods directly from your wrist and log water intake with a couple of taps.
With the Gear Fit 2, I can play music from my phone or store music directly on the device. I can view/dismiss Alarms directly from the screen. I love the ability to set a button to quick launch a feature. I use it to quick launch an Exercise, so all I have to do is press the button, and I’m off! On the Charge 2, you’d have to tap thru the screens, then press/hold to launch the Exercise - this was kind of a PITA for me and I usually forgot to do it before I set off on my adventure.
One thing that I really love, which may not be a big deal to many other folks, is the ability to quickly set the Gear Fit 2 to ‘do not disturb’ mode. This means that the all alerts are muted and device won’t wake when you move your wrist. It’s great to use when sleeping so you don’t light up the room at night!

*Comfort:
The Gear Fit 2 blows the Charge 2 away here. You can tell by the photo that the Charge 2 doesn’t sit flush to the wrist area, largely due to the lumpy bottom and straight face. This made me abundantly aware that I had something on my wrist every second of every day that I wore it. It was downright painful to wear while sleeping if I put any pressure on that wrist (if I slept on that side). When I took the Charge 2 off to charge it or shower, I had a visible indentation mark on my wrist from it (and I wasn’t wearing it too tight).
The Gear Fit 2 has a curved display with a flush bottom that I forgot I was wearing once the novelty of playing with it wore off. It’s comfortable to wear while sleeping and while active.

*Customization: It’s kind of a split here, but I’d have to say that overall, the Gear Fit 2 wins.
The Charge 2 has the advantage over the Gear Fit 2 in the band category since there are so many different bands to choose from. I’m really not sure why there aren’t more available for the Gear Fit 2, but I will say that I’m happy with the options that I’ve found. There’s a great magnetic Milanese one out there that I love. And, for anyone else who’s lost some thumbnails – it’s easier to remove the original Gear Fit 2 band if you bend it backwards a little bit:)
The Gear Fit 2 wins over the Charge 2 with respect to the customization features available directly within the device. For example, with the Gear Fit 2, the biggest difference is that you have a color screen. So, you have a whole world of options open to you for different clock screens. I can easily change mine each day to match my outfit. Then, there are all the different apps you can download and use right on your wrist (such as MyFitnessPal and Workout Trainer).

*Battery Life:
It’s a draw. Some complain that the Gear Fit 2 has too short of a battery life, but that’s not been a problem for me. I set the screen brightness to 3, which is still plenty bright, and use a clock face with a mostly black background. Maybe I get more life out of it since I put it on 'do not disturb' mode at night too… I was getting about 3 days of use out of the Charge 2 which is about the same as I’m getting for the Gear Fit 2.

*Fitness Goals:
I didn’t really find many features within the Charge 2 that would encourage me to push to meet my fitness goals. Although I did like how the Charge 2 had automatic reminders to move 10 minutes before each hour.
The Gear Fit 2 does one better by having reminders every 50 minutes, which is a bit more personalized. I’ve set an exercise as a quick launch, which has been super helpful. I have also found myself using the other exercise tracking features often, just because the device has the ability to do them (for example, crunches, squats, etc). Maybe it’s just me, but knowing I have the ability to track it with a tap on my wrist is encouragement enough.

*TL;DR - Summary:
For me, the clear winner is the Gear Fit 2. I absolutely love it.
I can’t for the life of me figure out why so many folks love the Fitbit Charge 2, after having had 2 that were totally inaccurate. One conclusion I’ve arrived at is that many may prefer the Fitbit to other devices just like some prefer iPhone to Android. Just a matter of preference. Fitbit is basic, simple and stripped down versus the Gear Fit 2, which is feature loaded and very customizable. It can be overwhelming to some that just want a device that comes out of the box with no other options.
Personally, I love the mere fact that the Gear Fit 2 is accurate in addition to the additional features, having the ability to customize and the ease of use that the Gear Fit 2 has versus the Charge 2.

So I finally broke down and bought a fitness tracker. I did not want to spend $$$$ on a smart watch, as I always have my phone near me and do not need 4G, etc. I did a lot of research or a friend who wanted a fitness tracker as well. She decided on the Fitbit Charge HR. I was able to find her an excellent price and it fit her needs (steps, sleep, heart rate). I own a Galaxy S6 and the Fitbit would sync with the phone, as well as my Mac. However, I wanted a tracker that would also track my runs (pace, time, HR, distance, etc.) I compared many brands and read a ton of reviews. I decided that the Gear Fit 2 was the best option, as it does what other "advanced" trackers do not - have the capability to store music directly on your tracker, so there is no need to have your phone with you. However, you also have the option of listening to music from your phone - but that really isnt the point, is it?

I finally started using the tracker for a solid week, actually wearing it at night as well to track my sleep. It works very well overall. Coupled with S-Health, there is a lot you can do, and the tracker also syncs with a number of partner apps (e.g. I have the Nike+ running app). You can also connect to social media and share your success (and failures) of staying fit with your friends directly from the tracker.

There are a lot of detailed reviews, so here are some tips I learned over the last week:

1. You do not need to have the tracker "on" constantly. If you are inactive for most of the day, and simply want to keep track of steps and calories, use power saving mode. Too see where you are at during the day, you simply press the bottom button on the side of the phone. Otherwise, the screen stays dark.

2. If you prefer to not use power save mode and have the phone remind you by a "bump" (vibrations) to get moving around (great when you spend a lot of time working at the computer and times goes by faster than you realize, or you have been a couch potato for too long), see the screen frequently, etc. do the following:

a. Turn off the wifi. Unless you are transferring data such as music from your phone to your smartwatch (or computer), then you do not need it on.
b. You only need Bluetooth on to connect with your phone. However, it does not seem to be much of a battery drain, so it can be left on (I did in my most recent test - results below).
c. Turn off Location services. Only use them when you want to track how far and where you walked/ran/etc. It is a huge battery drain otherwise.

Results:

The tracker will last approximately 2 1/2 to 3 days on a charge with wireless and location services off. It will depend on how often you look at/use the features of the watch that make the difference. The tracker seem to use 20-30% batter power every 24 hours. I got a 3 day stretch. Not too shabby considering the quality of the screen, etc. Otherwise, you should be able to get 5-6 days strictly on power save mode.

I used it the last couple of nights in normal mode while I slept. It really sensed when I went to "bed" (ready to actually fall asleep) and when I "got up." When data synced with my phone, I could see how much I move, etc. The first night I know I slept well - and it showed in the tracker. The second night I was awoken twice (once by my dog to go outside and the second time because my significant other was called into work). Then I was awoken a bit early when he got home by our dogs (who wouldn't let me go back to sleep of course). The tracker did pick up on all this and had a lower percentage for sleep quality as well as time slept.

I am not sure I will wear it every night, but it is good to use especially if you are stressed, etc. I most likely will put the watch in power save mode when I am asleep and on the dresser. ADVANTAGE: This would certainly extend the battery life. Instead of indicating sleep time, the tracker indicates "not on writs" (or something like that). DISADVANTAGE: the calorie tracker does not seem as accurate. It will estimate the amount of calories burned during the time off your wrist. I found it to be far more accurate when I wore the tracker to bed - there was a much lower calorie count when I started the day (difference of easily 300-400 calories -which is quite large). So it is a personal decision for you whether you wear it to sleep or not.

The band is comfortable and I have an extremely small wrist (~ size 6) thus I purchased the small size. There is plenty of expansion room and I have 3-4 notches remaining depending on how tight I want the tracker and placement on my wrist (a little higher, 4 notches, lower, 3 notches). It will be interesting to see how long the band last, not to mention the beautiful screen. I have been quite careful and have not really whacked the screen (knock on wood). I did buy a protector for the screen but have yet to decide it I want to use it.

The screen, as just mentioned, is gorgeous, and you have face options. You can add a number of widgets too and view them individually. The downside is that if you are outside and wearing polarized sunglasses, it is very difficult to see the screen. Also, because it is only so big, and the text/touch options are small, it isnt very easy to use while running. I make sure I have it set up to do what I want it to do while on a run, and my preloaded music is all the type of music I prefer to listen to while running. So it eliminates the need to skip songs, etc.

The tracker synced without issues to my phone. I already had the Gear Circle wireless headphones (which I also recommend). No issues with syncing the headset either.

I love the charging cradle. However, It is only USB, so it must be plugged into a computer or with your Samsung wall adapter. It charges fine on a Mac as well. Fast charge too - seems to take an hour or so via my Mac.

I hope this review helps. I am stuck between 4 and 4.5 stars (although Amazon does not give us the half star option) due to the vulnerability of the screen and the potential durability of the band. I purchased the Gear Fit 2 from Amazon when it went on sale for $149 and I also had Chase points to use so I saved even more. Otherwise, I am happy with my purchase and definitely recommend this tracker for those Samsung fans.

Oh - NOTE - the watch does not sync with Mac's! Luckily this isnt a deal breaker, since I have a Galaxy phone.

I am happy to try to answer any questions that are not on ask on Amazon yet.

UPDATE 9/30/16: Since my initial review, I began using the GF2 regularly. Three more items to note:

1. The band DOES stretch. As previously mentioned, I have a very small wrist. I was using the band on the 4th notch. it stretched to the point I need to slide it further up my arm to stay put when I am not engaged in activity and when sleeping. When I work out (anything with arm movement) I now need to put it on the 3rd notch so it is tighter and stay in place - otherwise it drives me crazy and cannot get an accurate reading of my activity.

2. Personally, I found the auto screen on when you move your wrist annoying. I move a lot (even typing at the computer) that the screen would come in frequently. I turned off this option so that the screen only comes on when I push a button. I found this SAVES the BATTERY and adds another one to two days of use if you do not use the GPS function (it is the most draining feature). I am getting 4-5 days before charging with the screen off. It still senses movement well and tracks properly and notifies me when I need to "move".

3. I read a lot of professional reviews of the GF2 before I purchased it. I wasnt overly concerned with hard core accuracy of the GPS. After testing it against the Galaxy S6 GPS (using both at the same time) I found the GF2 is about .10 mile off on average. For me this is no big deal, but wanted to confirm what I read in professional reviews and pass on in case anyone is concerned with pinpoint accuracy of the distance recorded by the GPS.

UPDATE 10/26/16: I accidentally dropped the watch this morning coming down the stairs-I had several items in my hands and it slipped off my iPad. I have hardwood floors and stairs. The Gear Fit 2 took the fall well and there was no damage to the watch or the screen. So thus far, I can vouch for light/small drops and bumps (I am clumsy and tend to walk into walls and other things) and the watch face has held up. No scratches or dings or cracks. I do try to be mindful of the watch as I never put a screen protector on the watch face.

I am not one to review items. However, after reading through all the reviews especially the negative ones I felt compelled to share my experience. The negative reviews almost discouraged me from buying this item, but I am so glad I took a chance and bought it. I was initially concerned about it falling off as some posters claimed happened. If you simply put the band through the loop, like a belt, then it stays on. I went on two 5 mile runs and had no problem with it falling off. I was also concerned about the accuracy of GPS, as I am an avid runner. To test its accuracy I wore the Gear fit 2 on one arm, and my Garmin watch on the other, and the data matched exactly every time I tested it. I really love the features of this device, and was surprised at how comfortable it was.

The only negatives I could find were that it does not accurately count flights of stairs, nor does it accurately count crunches either. In addition at times the heart rate is somewhat inaccurate.

However, I think it is a great buy for the price and I like it a lot. I am not sure why some people were giving it such bad reviews. I am glad I ignored negative reviews and gave it a chance. Well done, Samsung.