My trusty Jaybird Bluebuds X died on me during a jog in a light drizzle last week. To be fair, it wasn't the first time I've used it in similar, wetter conditions. It served its purpose more than well enough, for long enough.
So it's time for a new pair of buds.
This is where the Samsung Gear IconX comes in. I was able to loan a unit for a short while, and thought I'll share some of my thoughts on the device.
This is a really tiny pair of earphones. The design is simple and clean, and comes with a case that is used to charge and transfer music onto the IconX. It fits nicely in the ear too, I just had make sure to find the correct earbuds size for my ears.
The touch pad is the only way to control the IconX.
The controls take a minute to learn and are easy to remember. The responsiveness could be a bit better though. There is a slight delay between tapping the touch panel, and something actually happening.
The touch panel can be a bit frustrating to use while jogging too, especially when sweat is added into the mix. It is easy to accidentally loosen the earbuds while adjusting volume. When I tried to push it back in again, I ended up pausing the music because of the touch panel. I would recommend just finding a right volume, and just sticking with it throughout the activity to avoid the hassle.
It sounds decent, but I still prefer the sound on the Jaybird. Not that the IconX sounds bad, but I think it's just down to the EQ. Sadly there is no way to tweak the EQ on the IconX when using it as a standalone music player. I wished that the max volume could be just a tiny bit louder as well.
I tried a quick Hangouts voice call with a friend, and sound only came from one side. Audio was clear on my side, but he mentioned I sounded a little muffled on his end. Considering I was waiting for a bus and there was traffic nearby, I think it did well enough. This is not something I often use anyway.
(The left side has less battery because I when I made a Hangouts call, sound only came from that side)
Battery life is definitely the weakest point on the IconX. The rated 1.5hrs of playback when streaming from a smartphone seems about right in my time with it. Which means that I can't even watch a full movie on my phone using the IconX. Using the IconX as a standalone music player yields better battery life, and as per other bluetooth earbuds, volume plays a part too.
The earbuds have a 47mAh battery, and the case adds another 315mAh. Even then, based on my usage I would probably have to charge it every day if I were to use it for both my commute to and from work, as well as for a jog afterwards.
As a gauge, I only charge the Jaybird Bluebuds X every other day with similar use.
Pairing is done using Gear Manager, and officially it only works for Android devices with at least 1.5GB of RAM, and Android 4.4 KitKat and up (it works with the Gear Fit2 and Gear S2 though). Settings are tweaked using the app too.
There is an option to transfer music from phone to IconX using the included OTG connector with Gear Manager, but this option only shows up for Samsung phones it seems. I saw the option on the Note5 and S7 Edge, but not the LG G3 that I tried.
I prefer using my PC to transfer music. Once I inserted the device into my PC, it appeared as a removable drive. The software required to transfer music was already preloaded on the internal memory of the IconX.
I am using an iMac at home, and thankfully, there is a Mac OS X software too! The Gear IconX manager does basically 2 things. Transfer music, and update software. It doesn’t support drag and drop unfortunately, so I had to use the file picker.
(Left: Endomondo tracking using GPS, Right: Gear IconX)
I brought the IconX out for a jog, but forgot that I needed to activate activity tracking manually. I activated it at around 0.28km, so meaning the distance measured (using accelerometer) by the IconX differs from the one using GPS on my phone by only around 0.04km. Note the heart rate tracking too. The activity can be seen on S Health after it synchronises with the phone.
The IconX can also provide audio feedback at intervals, with information like distance, heart rate, duration, etc. These are customisable using Gear Manager.
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The IconX was actually much better than I expected it would be. The relatively accurate distance tracking was really impressive, and the heart rate monitor was a nice bonus. Sound quality is decent too, and the design is excellent. The device is also splash resistant
(P2i Nano Coating), and should withstand sweat well
(heavy rain is probably no go though). I could see the IconX as being a great match for someone who wants to bring as little with them as possible when going out for a run. This is pretty much the only device needed for music playback, and basic activity tracking.
For myself though, the RRP of S$298 is just a little bit too steep for a pair of wireless earbuds that I will only ever use it for playing music. I still prefer to have my phone with me when I jog for safety reasons, more accurate GPS tracking, as well as mobile payment for when I want to get a drink after my jog. So the fitness tracking part is not really useful for me other than heart rate monitoring, something which I can do without. The notifications aspect of it is a feature I won't use as well considering the lacklustre battery life.
For a first generation, truly wireless earbuds, this is a pretty good try from Samsung.
