Which Android smartwatch is best? There are several options but it's hard to beat the Galaxy Active 2. See why this is still the best Samsung Smartwatch.
Are you looking for the best Samsung smartwatch on the market? Do you want to find the top model among the line of Samsung smartwatches already available?
Some studies show that smartwatches can add up to 2 extra years of longevity. The tech doesn’t only push you to exercise. It also encourages you to change your lifestyle for the better.
Below, we’ll talk a little more about the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and why it’s still the best Samsung smartwatch. Keep reading to learn more about it and why you should invest in it.
Galaxy Watch Active 2 in a Nutshell
Before we get to the reason behind its renown as a top smartwatch choice, let’s talk about it in detail. Since its release, it remains a crowd favourite among the others in the Galaxy Watch Active line.
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 came out in October 2019 in Australia. It doesn’t only have great features for both work and play. It also boasts top performance thanks to its outstanding design.
Specifications
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 has the following specs:
- Weight: 26g or 30g
- Screen: 1.2 inches or 1.4 inches AMOLED
- Case size: 40mm or 44mm
- Band size: 20mm (standard)
- Operating system: Tizen 4.0 (One UI 1.5)
- Storage: 4GB
- RAM: 0.75GB
- Processor: Samsung Exynos 9110 dual-core 1.15GHz
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5, Wi-Fi
Below, we’ll look at these specs and its other features in greater detail.
Design and Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 came out in two sizes. The lighter and smaller of the two is the 40mm version, which weighs 26g. The larger one weight 30g and is 44mm in size.
The Active 2 model adopted a huge part of its predecessor’s design. Its basic model uses an aluminium body. The available colours are aqua black, cloud silver, pink gold.
If you want an Active 2 in a stainless steel body, the available colours for it are black, silver, and gold. The stainless steel body is also the body that the LTE version uses. This model comes with a standard leather band, while the aluminium model uses a Fluoroelastomer band to keep it light.
Buttons
Active 2 has two side buttons. The button on top is the “back” button while the button below is the “home” button. You can double-tap the home button to bring up Bixby, Samsung’s smart assistant.
Screen
With a 360 x 360 resolution Super AMOLED screen, you have enough screen space to see all the info you need on your wrist. The 40mm and 44mm version both use the same resolution, with the latter having more bezel space. The former has about 1.2 inches of screen space, while the latter offers a 1.4-inch screen.
Processor, Internal Memory, and Storage
Galaxy Watch Active 2 uses an Exynos 9110 dual-core chipset. It’s the same chipset as its predecessor, but faster. At 1.15Ghz, its performance is sure to be fast. Coupled with a RAM of 768MB, you’ve got enough resources to switch in and out of apps.
If you want even faster performance, upgrade to the LTE model. It has a RAM of 1.5GB to give you a smooth and satisfying performance.
There’s only one storage option for the Active 2. You have up to 4GB of storage for your apps and songs. Once you’ve got the baseline apps and OS loaded up, you’d still have enough space (around 1.5GB) for other third-party apps.
Operating System and Performance
Instead of Google’s Wear OS or Android OS, Samsung uses the Tizen OS for its smartwatches. This model, in particular, uses a Tizen OS 4.0. It’s not as updated as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, which uses a Tizen OS 5.5, but it’s worth the sacrifice.
Tizen varies from Wear OS because it uses a rotary interface. You can also swipe the screen to get around the rotary interface if you prefer it. Still, using a round interface to echo the smartwatch’s general shape is a genius move.
With the Tizen OS, you’ll see your notifications appear in tiles on the left side of the watch face. On the right side, you’ve got your widgets and music controls. If you swipe down from the top, you get to open some quick settings.
To open your apps, you press the apps button on the side. From there, you can tap or scroll around using the bezel. When you receive a notification, you can tap on it to expand and scroll through it.
If you want to dismiss it, all you need to do is to swipe up on the screen. You can also send back quick replies with canned responses. If you need to reply on your Active 2 watch, you can draw letters or dictate what you want to send back.
Features and Apps
Are you looking for the best fitness tool to help you reach your fitness goals? While they may cost a pretty penny, smartwatches are great trackers for fitness tasks. Among the adults who use activity trackers, seven in ten say the technology has a positive impact on their fitness.
There’s no doubt that one of the best Samsung smartwatch picks is the Galaxy Watch Active 2. It boasts 39 workout-tracking modes. It’s got tracking for cycling, jogging, and even jumping jacks. Active 2 also has an ECG, which keeps track of your heart rate and electrical activity in your heart.
Durability and Sustainability
In Canberra, the annual average days of rain totals to 69 days. The average number of rainy days in other parts of the country varies. Even though you aren’t likely to see rain most of the time, you always need to be ready for it.
It’s a good thing that the Galaxy Active 2 has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. This means you can bring it under 5 meters of water for a time without destroying it. It also has a water lock mode to prevent accidental activation and vibration to shake out the water.
If the watch needs repairs, authorized service centres can diagnose and repairs. You’ll have to pay an extra fee if you bring it in outside of the one-year warranty. Out of all the repair types, screen repairs for Active 2 watches can cost over $200.
Don’t need your Active 2 watch anymore? Check out Samsung’s recycling schemes for old devices. You can also trade-in your old Active 2 watch if you already have your eyes set on a newer model.
Battery Life
A full charge can last two-and-a-half days of passive use. If you use it to track your workout progress and times, the battery life will drop to 48 hours. If you turn on the always-on display, its battery life will last for only 24 hours at most.
Many other factors affect the Active 2’s battery life. If you turn on the high-precision location accuracy, you’re likely to drain the battery fast. A 40-minute run with the high-precision location feature turned on can bring your battery down from 30% to 5%.
The good news is that it takes only an hour and a half to get the battery back to full charge. This long battery life is a selling point of Active 2. If you want specific details, the 40mm watch has 247mAh of power, while the 44mm watch has 340mAh.
Accessories
If you’re the type of person who loves personalizing their tech, you’re in for a treat. You can find a ton of great Samsung Galaxy bands and straps for the Active 2 model. Feel free to check out the various replacement Galaxy Active 2 straps on our shop.
Price
When it first came out, the 40mm model wasn’t available to the country. Today, if you visit the Australian Samsung store online, you can find its cellular model on sale for $649. If you want a bigger screen, you can get the 44mm cellular Active 2 model from Samsung for $699.
You can find a Bluetooth edition of the 44mm model, which costs $449.
Active 2 also has a variety of special editions. You can find Golf and Under Armour versions of the Active 2 on the online Samsung store.
Is It Still the Best Samsung Smartwatch?
The answer is yes. Since everyone has different preferences, you better check out its pros and cons.
Pros of Galaxy Watch Active 2
While the Active 2 models have large and bright screens, the watch is sleek and slim. It’s also lightweight, which suits its description as a fitness watch. It’s the perfect watch for those who want a tried-and-true choice among the Galaxy Watch line.
Active 2 also boasts a long battery life, reaching up to 2 and a half days at most. Its IP68 rating won’t keep you from water, rain, or dusty activities. Other selling points of this smartwatch are its software and cross-platform supports.
Cons of Galaxy Watch Active 2
No piece of tech is perfect, and that includes this Samsung wearable.
One of its several drawbacks is that it has poor contactless payment support. You may also see some issues with Bixby. Some smart camera notifications from some manufacturers have problems popping up.
If you compare the Active 2 with other smartwatches (like the Apple Watch), you’ll see that it’s lacking a few features. It doesn’t have a built-in sleep tracker. The Active 2 watch also doesn’t have a “goodnight” mode, which turns off the always-on screen.
Finally, if you’re an iPhone user, it’ll be better to consider an Apple Watch instead. You’ll see limited functionality if you connect it to an iPhone.
Common Questions on the Galaxy Watch Active 2
Of course, you'll have questions when you're about to get yourself a Galaxy Watch Active 2. Here are some of the most common questions people have when shopping for one.
As an Apple User, Should I Get It?
The answer depends on whether you’re locked into the iOS ecosystem. If you’re not that dependent or keen on using Apple products, then you may enjoy the Galaxy Watch Active 2 more. It’s compatible with the iOS 9.0 and later versions (iPhone 5 and above), so it’ll work okay with your iPhone.
Yet, if every piece of tech you have is of the Apple brand, then you’ll likely be better off with an Apple Watch. As we mentioned, there are limits to Active 2’s cross-platform use. Despite its many features, you won’t get the most out of the Galaxy Watch Active 2. While you’ll miss the haptic dial, you’ll likely enjoy the Apple Watch’s much larger app library.
Why Buy It Now?
If it came out over a year ago, why are we only talking about the Galaxy Watch Active 2 now? Well, there’s no better time for it. After all, investing in the latest tech models can present more risks than benefits.
When you buy the latest upgrades, you’re running blind into the piece of tech and paying higher prices. In the case of iPhones, for example, you’ll find that the S models have more features and are cheaper.
When you wait a year or so for the hype for a new gadget to die down, you dodge all the bullets that come with it. The gadget’s prices will most likely be lower than when it first came out. You may even get a good deal if you buy the tech piece in time for the arrival of new stocks.
In case the models need to get recalled by the manufacturers, you can skip all that trouble. Also, by the time you’re ready to buy the not-so-latest models, you’ll have enough data on their pros and cons.
Find the Best Samsung Smartwatch for You
Technology has come a long way and is now wearable. However, there are times when the newest developments aren't the best ones in the line. The Samsung Galaxy Active 2 is an example and is still the best Samsung smartwatch in the market, so get yourself one today!
Do you have a problem with your smartwatch, or with any of your Samsung gadgets? Contact us here and we'll get in touch with you as soon as we can!