An excellent fitness smartwatch with great performance and battery life but limited by small niggles.
Will it make a worthy Apple rival?
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2? Let’s find out in this detailed review.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
The Good
- Amazing Looks
- Superb Build Quality
- Lightweight and Comfortable Fit
- Digital Rotating Bezel
- LTE Option (Voice Calling)
- Decent Battery Life
The Bad
- Initial Setup is Quite Cumbersome
- Needs More 3rd Party Apps
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 Review India
Nipping at Apple’s heels is the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2, a sleek and stylish smartwatch with advanced fitness tracking, pre-built sleep tracker and 4G connectivity.
It takes everything great from its predecessor (Galaxy Watch) such as excellent display, reliable performance and extended battery life, and combines them into a simple design that is perfect for everyone.
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 LTE was launched in India in December 2019 and is priced at INR 35,990. However, the non-cellular version has a starting price of INR 26,990.
The smartwatch sports an uber-cool look with a 44m dial and is currently available in three finishes – Black, Gold and Steel. Interested buyers can grab it at Samsung e-store or other retailers.
So is the Galaxy Watch Active2 worth your investment? What are its key features you should keep in mind before buying?
Make a smart decision with this Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 review.
Also See: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 LTE Review
Design & Usability
The first thing that will instantly catch your attention about Galaxy Watch Active2 is its simple yet stylish design.
Samsung has been smart this time, not to focus on offering an out-of-the-box design.
Rather, it brings excellent features into a sleek body and an enlarged display.
The 44m dial with ultra-black screen showcases a minimalist border to allow more space for notifications and content.
An interesting aspect of Galaxy Active2 smartwatch is you can seamlessly customize its look.
Take your pick from the lightweight aluminum body or more robust stainless steel.
And you can also personalize it in your own way with a variety of straps to choose from.
Though a 44mm case is bigger for most wrists, the watch matches most attire without appearing like an outdoorsy timepiece.
So if you aren’t looking for a smartwatch with a sporty look or which appears like a toy, then Galaxy Watch Active 2 deserves a consideration.
Coming to usability, the Smartwatch is IP68 water-resistant up to 5 ATM.
It features a touch bezel that allows you to seamlessly navigate through the interface by simply gliding the fingers against the edge.
Overall, we simply liked the look…something that we would love to wear.
Display
When it comes to smartwatch display, factors that matter most to us are colour vibrancy and sunlight legibility.
Delightfully, the Galaxy Watch Active2 keeps up to the standards.
It features a 1.4-inch AMOLED display with 360 x 360 pixels.
The display screen is quite big in comparison to its competitors and has a curved bezel that seamlessly blends with the black interface.
Samsung has a pedigree in delivering outstanding display and the smartwatch once again stands up to it, providing a crisp and bright display.
Ambient brightness sensor allows you to auto-adjust the brightness, offering decent viewing under direct sunlight.
The watch has two meaty buttons on the right and the speaker on the left.
There is a microphone at the top that allows you to take calls right on the smartwatch (of course, if you are using the cellular variant).
The User Interface features a black background that ensures eye care during the night as well as battery conservation.
Software Experience
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is powered by Tizen OS 4.0.
The watch delivers stable performance but when it comes to 3rd party development support, there isn’t much except watch face selection and a few other apps.
So it may be a little depressing for power users. Thankfully, first-party apps will cover most of your requirements.
Another aspect where the Galaxy Active2 smartwatch lags is its complex and time-consuming initial setup process.
It doesn’t start instantly and requires you to install three service packages and apps.
And that isn’t quite a good impression to start with, right?
However, once it takes off from the setup process, things are more improved.
Swiping downwards the home screen will display the quick toggles.
On the right, you have functions and app; on the left, there are notifications. It has a sensible iconography too.
Smart Tracking Features
Without any doubt, the Galaxy Watch Active2 is built for fitness freaks.
If you love to work out, this smartwatch will help you automatically track your performance against 7 exercises – Walking, Running (Treadmill/Outdoor), Cycling, Rowing, Elliptical Trainer, Dynamic Workout, and Swimming.
Swimming has been added to automatic tracking in this Galaxy “Active” variant.
Additionally, you can “manually” track all your activities.
The Running Coach functionality provides real-time actionable insights.
The smartwatch also allows tracking your stress levels when you feel worried and recommends guided breathing exercises.
Sleep tracking is equally good and uses a mattress-based tracker to provide data on light sleep, awake time, REM sleep, and deep sleep.
The heart-rate tracking also provides accurate results, bringing the best of Samsung Health into a smartwatch.
But this isn’t all – the smartwatch also allows you to track caffeine, hydration, weight, and even your menstrual cycle.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is a clear winner over any other fully-integrated smartwatch when it comes to battery back-up.
The 340mAh battery can keep you going for about two-and-a-half days.
And during always-on-display mode, it can provide a back up for up to 24 hours.
This is little more than Apple Watch Series 5 which has a battery back-up of 18 hours in always-on-display mode.
With workouts, the battery can run for about 48 hours.
When it comes to charging, the smartwatch takes around 2 hours to get fully charged.
The device comes with a magnetic wireless charging dock but also supports Qi wireless charging.
So in case, you miss the wireless charging dock, power banks and compatible phones can also aid in quick battery top-up.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 Worth Buying?
To be honest, Samsung has done a great job creating a good smartwatch that combines sophisticated looks and improved functionality.
Its initial setup is quite cumbersome and so does using third-party apps.
But when you get comfortable with it, there are several exciting options to explore.
It isn’t a full-fledged fitness band but certainly brings the best of Samsung Health onto your wrist.
A good thing is the look of your device can be easily customized to match your attire.
And not to forget its superior battery backup! The price is also not extravagant.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is definitely worth considering if you are looking for a smartwatch that combines both good looks and performance.