In comparison to the Galaxy Gear, the most significant change made to the Gear 2 line was the replacement of Android with the Samsung-developed Tizen operating system, promising improved functionality (such as Samsung's S Health software and an integrated music player) and battery life.

The design of the device itself was also refreshed with the move of its camera from the watchband to the watch itself (allowing users to replace their own bands), along with the addition of an infrared blaster and optical heart rate sensor.

The Gear 2 retains a similar hardware design to the original Galaxy Gear, although a Home button has been added below the screen, and the device's 2-megapixel camera was moved from the strap to the top of the watch itself, alongside a newly added infrared blaster.

The Gear 2 uses a similar user interface to the Galaxy Gear, allowing users to synchronize notifications from a host device and display them the Gear's screen when received, use Smart Relay to automatically open the relevant app for the notification on their smartphone or tablet, use S Voice for dictation and voice commands, place and answer phone calls, and locate the host phone or tablet, or vice versa with the "Find My Device" tool.

TechRadar considered the device to be a "much, much better attempt at making the smartwatch more relevant", with particular praise towards the streamlined design and ability to use custom watch straps, and its improved battery life, but panned the high cost of the device and its "convoluted" user interface.