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VPNs for ad-blocking We’ll give you the lowdown in our Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 review below. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 was launched in September 2019, superseding the Galaxy Watch Active released in March last year. You can find out how the Watch Active 2 lives up to its predecessor with our Samsung Galaxy Watch Active Review. The most obvious differences are with the Active 2’s appearance (as mentioned, the larger watch size and colourways) and navigation. Instead of having to scroll through every widget face via touchscreen only, as was the case with the Watch Active, the digital haptic dial imitates the popular rotating bezel feature of the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Gear S3 — only this time, rather than turning a physical dial, you can control this directly from the touch-sensitive bezel around the screen display. The Watch Active 2 also comes with a new in-built speaker so you can take calls directly from your watch, as well as play your favourite tunes, listen to the radio or even, god forbid, watch a YouTube video on your smartwatch. I don’t know why you’d want to listen to music from your watch’s speaker though, unless you’re a desperate who’s forgotten your earphones and without a phone. I can say that these battery life estimates weren’t far off from my own experience with the watch under light usage conditions (tracking workouts, checking health metrics, viewing several messages and playing downloaded music for an hour or so). The Active 2 was able to get me through two entire days of moderate use without needing a charge, whereas the Watch Active definitely couldn’t make it to the end of the second day. If you’re using cellular or on your watch for a good portion of the day though, the battery definitely won’t last longer than a day and a bit tops. For those who have long battery life as their number one concern, consider the Fitbit Versa 2, which can get you through a solid 5 days without charging. A caveat: battery charging time does take awhile. If you sap your watch completely dry, it’ll take around 2 hours to get back to full charge. This can be quite annoying if you don’t want to miss out on tracking your steps and heart rate throughout the day or sleep patterns overnight, but then again, the Apple Watch will take as long while lasting about only half the time anyway so this isn’t a big deal. So, is LTE connectivity really worth the price premium? For iPhone users, the short answer is a firm NO. While Optus, Telstra and Vodafone all offer 4G e-SIM connectivity, it’s only compatible with Android phones. For Android users, before opting for the cellular version, you should still ask yourselves whether you will actually make use of e-SIM connectivity. That is, how important is it for you to go phone-free while still being able to make/receive calls, text and access data when WiFi is unavailable? If you’re realistically not that fussed about bringing along your phone on a hike or jog, or you can live without 24/7 WiFi or cellular data connection, then you probably don’t need LTE connectivity on your Watch Active 2. So, unless you already own a compatible Samsung phone or just bought your new phone and Active 2 smartwatch from one of Samsung’s 10th anniversary bundle deals, this feature isn’t going to be a dealbreaker for you. In other words, it’s unlikely you’ll see ECG features coming to Aus for the foreseeable future. While in the US, Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 come with ECG functionality, Australia’s tighter regulations (specifically, inclusion on the ARTG) means even Apple has had to hit pause on releasing its ECG monitoring tech here. So, good luck to Samsung too. Fall detection, meanwhile, is set for a much wider international release together with an Active 2 software update early this year. Hopefully, we’ll see fall detection and ECG features in Aus one day, but for now, there’s no guarantee. The obvious deal breaker for some is that Apple Watches are only compatible with iPhones, so if you’re an Android user looking for the best smartwatch option, it’s likely the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is on your radar. Androiders won’t have any problems utilising all but the super exclusive Samsung-only features with the Watch Active 2. For iPhone users, the decision is not as clear cut. Samsung Galaxy Watches are compatible with iPhones, although there are a range of functions that won’t work. So why on earth would an Apple user opt for a Samsung smartwatch that only gives you limited functionality? Put simply, the answer comes down to whether you: a) prefer a longer battery life (Apple’s 18-hour battery life can barely get through one day and is less than a third of the Watch Active 2’s 60 hour capacity), b) are sick of Apple’s square face design (or just don’t want to buy yet another Apple product), c) want offline Spotify streaming. If you can’t make up your mind yet, here’s a quick snapshot of how the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 compares to the Apple Watch Series 5 and the Fitbit Versa 2: This is not the case for iPhone users. Unless you’re a diehard Samsung Galaxy Watch fan who can’t resist flaunting the latest Watch Active 2 on your wrist (we don’t see this being the case if you use an iPhone anyway), Apple users should either go with the Watch Active or stick with a more iOS-friendly smartwatch all together. iPhone users wanting cellular capability on your smartwatch would be best off simply opting for the Apple Watch Series 5. While it’s a similar price to the Watch Active 2 (you can snag a 40mm GPS Apple Watch Series 5 for $649 or the 44mm cellular version for $799), iPhoners will be able to make use of LTE plus all the other functions the Watch Active 2 had that weren’t compatible with iPhones.
All Samsung smartphones Non-Samsung Android smartphones running Android OS 5.0 and above with at least RAM 1.5GB iPhones running at least iOS 9.0 and iPhone 5 or above
You won’t be able to access the exclusive features mentioned above unless you have one of the following, Samsung-only compatible models:
Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e and S10 5G Samsung Note 10, Note10+, Note10 5G and Note10+ 5G Samsung Fold and Fold 5G
