Samsung has gone on to reveal its new Galaxy Watch Active 2, a successor to last year’s Galaxy Watch Active. Unlike its predecessor, this new one has a practical design, mainly due to Samsung opting for a touch-sensitive strip that acts as a rotating bezel which was missing from the Galaxy Watch Active.
The digital touch strip brings in a sleek look and more screen real-estate for your convenience. For instance, the 44mm Watch Active 2 has a larger screen than the 46mm Watch Active. Talking about sizes, the smartwatch is available in two dimensions: a 40mm and 44mm one and also two new styles. There’s a normal variant with an aluminum body and an FKM strap or a premium stainless steel body with a leather strap.
Samsung claims that they have improved the heart rate monitor and accelerometer over its predecessors, while at the same time they have also added support for real-time pace coaching via its Bixby AI assistant. The watch also brings ECG function, much like on Apple Watch 4, but it will be available later this year. The Active 2 connects to your smartphone through Bluetooth 5.0, whilst there’s also support for mobile payments by NFC. On top of that, the phone also has GPS for keeping track of your workouts without a need for smartphones.
On the software side of thing, alike every Samsung smartwatches, the Watch Active 2 also runs on Tizen OS and is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. The Tizen based platform is customized to Samsung’s liking, thus new features now and then. The watch comes with a new feature called “My Style” which allows you to create your own watchfaces based on your outfit by taking a photo. Moreover, there’s also support for Spotify playlists’ offline syncing and also an ability to watch YouTube videos, if in case you want to do it.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 will be available starting from September 6 for a price of $279 for the 40mm aluminum version and $299 for the 44mm size. There’s no word about the stainless steel one though. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is possibly the best option if in case you are looking for a companion to your Android smartphone, mainly due to Google’s WearOS struggle. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 improves upon its predecessor’s many shortcomings, and despite it carrying a bit higher price tag, it is a perfect fit for your wrist.
