First of all, this will not replace a smart phone* even with LTE (vs bluetooth) as it doesn't have full compatibility/apps to support it as your phone can do everything this can do and more (minus maybe the SOS function). But it does make a great accessory to your smartphone making for a more convenient lifestyle (luxury over necessity).* This can make for a great replacement flip phone (with LTE) with basic apps included. Just note that the screen size may be smaller for elderly/those far sighted, but the contact icons are really large. If you plan just to receive and send phone calls; this is a good option to consider as this is on your person most of the time. You do need a smart device (phone/tablet) to setup.Let's go through some notable features:1. App notificationsCan get app notifications for ANY app, not just selected/popular ones. You can also hand select which app you want to notifications for.Watch will vibrate signaling an app notification. Vibration is not really strong (even at highest setting) as if you're doing intense physical activity and/or heavily focused on a task you may not notice it. This can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. But there is a light orange dot indicator on your clock face giving you a visual indicator that you do have notificationsNotification displayed is the same as one your home screen on your phone.You can interact with some such as e-mail or text. There's no full keyboard, but you can text via speech, old fashion number texting (like on flip phones), hand write/swipe in individual letters, or use suggested text response.For other notifications that doesn't require text like my security cam motion detection for example; you can double tap the notification on the watch and when you open your smart phone, the app will automatically open up.For some apps; if you have multiple notifications, you may or may not be able to see all of them at once. Some allow you to only see the most recent one. But again, there's a option to double tap on the screen to open the app on your phone.2. SOS functionHave to set this up on your phone app to activate on the watchBasically sends a SOS message with GPS loctation to a person on your emergency contact or 911 if you chooseGood if you're ever in a hostage situation or stuck in a natural disaster for exampleTo activate you have to do a quick triple tap on the home button, which then the screen promps a 5second countdown timer just in case you activate it by accident. It then dials the emergency contact where it automatically puts you on speaker phone on the lowest possible volume (have to hold up watch to your ear to hear them) just in case you're in a hostage situation and don't want anyone is close proximity to hear. The feature also can send a generic text message and GPS location to your emergency contact if you wish3. AlarmsCan have a sound and/or vibration alarm.The latter is very convenient if you have someone in the same bed and/or room with you and have to wake up before them, but don't want to wake them up.Again the rumble on the watch is not very strong, but with alarm it's continuous for maybe 30secs. If you're a heavy sleeper or your skin a not very sensitive to touch then you may want to set sound based alarm also. I recommend you test out the alarm on a day you have off (from school and/or work) or have a sound based alarm go off 5-10mins after the vibration alarm to test it.Alarm is not linked to your phone's alarm unfortunately. So they won't both go off the same time as they're considered separate apps4. Health Fitness AppHave a fully featured fitness/health application similar to Fitbit and other fitness trackers.Tracks your sleep and physical activity.Like other fitness watches, the heart rate monitor is not as accurate as the chest strap on, but does give you a rough estimate. May not accurately (down to the exact numbers) tell you your heart rate in real time, but will give you a nice trending graph to track overtime.If you have friends who also use the watch/app you can compare stats, which is a great fitness motivatorApp also gives you notifications if it notices you've been sedentary for a few hours and will prompt you to do simple stretching exercises. You can turn this off also if this bothers you.5. Phone callsGives you large contact icons to tap on once you set them up as favorites/frequently used on your watch.Very convenient as you don't have to pull out your phone.Goes directly to speaker phone on your watch. Good if you're driving, busy doing a project where you are not hands free or have place to put your phone down for speaker phone**.**Don't have to worry about misplacing your phone or carrying it around if you have to walk from place-to-place.Depending on where you pick up the call is where the phone signal will go: example phone directly, watch or bluetooth headset.6. Phone Watch FinderYou can find your phone via the watch and vice vera.Assuming both have some battery life left, bluetooth is on both devices.If phone set to vibrate will still make a sound.7. AppsApps are very limited compared to the Google Play Store and Smart Phone/Tablet apps.Most are just watch faces.There are some decent apps such as a Basic Calculator, Discount Calculator, Weather app, youtube app, music player, flash light, calendar, to-do list, yelp, news headlines, etcFor video apps it crops the videos, and drains tons of battery.You can store up to 4gb music into the watchThere's very limited support at the moment and there's no killer app except maybe the pre-installed health app at the moment. Wish there was a GPS turn-by-turn navigation appYou make purchases via Samsung Store, and not the Google Play store. So if you don't have one, you have to make an account to download even the free apps. If you have Google Play credit you can't use them to make watch app purchases. The store is also not user friendly when trying to find apps, and will take some searching to find the hidden gem or app that fits your needs8. Samsung PayVery easy to setup. Have to download multiple apps on your phone which syncs together.Have to go through this e-mail verification process with your bankSetup takes no longer than 10mins for multiple cardsIn practice makes shopping a breeze as you don't have to take anything out from your pockets. Just hold on the back button to quick access Samsung pay, select the card you wish to use, press 'pay', then tap on the console at the register.Supports MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission). It'll simulate a card swipe. Not to be confused with NFC. If the cashier says Samsung pay/Apple Pay doesn't work, it will still work. Only exception is if the card reader is insert (card) only instead of swipe.---Misc info-Build QualityVery good. Has a heft to it, but won't weigh your hand down. You will get used to it, as it is comfortable to wear throughout the dayThe watch is very large, at around 2 inches diameter.Has a rugged design. Looks better one males than females in my opinion due to the size. For those who are smaller/thinner profile, may want to look into the Gear S2. Just note that it's a previous gen model and has less RAMIf you wear long sleeve shirts, sweater, jacket, etc; it will snag at the cuffAs thick as standard smart phone nowadays with thin case on. So will protrude a bit off your wrist.It's dust, water, rain and shock resistant. The manual states it's not recommended to take showers or swim with it though. But is sturdy enough for some extreme situations if there would be any, just don't abuse it on a daily basisLove the twist navigation feature. Has a round circular basil around the watch face, Way better than using a small twist knob on the side or touch screen only.--DisplayVery vibrant. Similar quality to most high end smart phones.Very easy to view compared to other smart watches, again due to it's size.--Battery lifeVery good. Can last a couple of days depending on usages, and if you use the always on watch face display.My average with watch face not always on is about 2-2.5 daysCharges wirelessly via stand. No need to align any pins, just plop it in and it'll automatically charges. Can get full charge from 10% battery life within 2.5 hours--Less time taking things out of your pocketsDon't have to pull out my phone/wallet as much. Great for work when you want to be discrete about cell phone usage. Also good for gym use/ outdoor jogging. For commuting in a busy bus/train, don't have to worry about elbowing someone to get to your phone.Overall opinion, nice phone companion. Very good if you have a busy lifestyle and/or if shaving off seconds throughout the day is a big deal for you.