Samsung Galaxy S5 and Gear Fit: First impressions

Samsung is banking on people shaping up this spring.

The company on Monday unveiled its new Galaxy S5 smartphone, which is set to go on sale in April, along with a pair of fitness-themed watches. And many of the features included on the devices focus on fitness.

Considering America's continued fascination with fitness and fitness products, this is probably a good idea. What Samsung has attempted to do is combine the best attributes of the top-of-the-line fitness trackers currently on the market with those of its own phones and smartwatches.

The S5 and the watches were unveiled at an event at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona, Spain. I had a chance to briefly test out all three products in New York on Monday.

The Galaxy S5 (Pictures) includes a built-in heart rate monitor, pedometer and fitness tracker, though I'm not sure how useful they actually are. For instance, to check your heart rate, you hold your finger over a sensor on the back of the phone - something I can't imagine doing in the middle of a jog.

True fitness buffs will probably head straight for Samsung's Gear Fit smartwatch, which also does all of those things, but in a much more user-friendly way. Want to check your heart rate? Just open up the app for that and it gives you a reading within seconds.

Samsung's new Gear 2 watch also comes with basic fitness features including the heart rate monitor and pedometer. While it's still too chunky for me, it is significantly lighter and thinner than the original version. Unlike the Fit, you can still place calls from it and shoot pictures and video from its camera.

And unlike Samsung's first smartwatch, the new ones pair with a host of Samsung phones, giving consumers more options for their primary device.

Samsung also plans to introduce a slightly cheaper version called the Gear 2 Neo, which won't have a camera or come in as many colors. The company has yet to announce pricing for any of the new products.