The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is barely an update on its own predecessor, which came out earlier this year but lacked the rotating bezel which made its beefier sibling, the Samsung Galaxy Watch, such a hit. However, the refined version of Samsung's sporty smartwatch includes an electronic bezel and some other tricks to become the very best wearable in the company's lineup. The similarities to its predecessor are probably for the best - that the Lively 2 retains its predecessor's slimmer, minimal, modern look. It's almost definitely a more broadly-appealing setup compared to the Galaxy Watch's girthy type, akin to the 'masculine' style of conventional watches.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Lively 2 (Black) at Amazon for US$179.99 It is manageable and rigorous enough to undertake runs, yet packing sufficient features and capabilities to rival the Apple Watch 5. Nevertheless, the Active 2's extra features come at a literal cost - it's nominally pricier than its predecessor, shrinking the watch's affordability advantage over Apple's watches. Nonetheless, Active 2 is a good choice for consumers on the search for a smartwatch to carry on runs and into the office, particularly for Android users beyond the iOS ecosystem. Yes, it can be employed with an iPhone, but with limited performance - and for exactly the same price you could pick up an old Apple Watch. Related Videos video playing AirPods Max 24/12/20 PS5 14/12/20 Xbox Series X | Everything you Want to... 14/12/20 (Image credit: Potential ) PRICE ANALYSIS
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is available now, beginning at $279.99 / #269 for the 40mm variant or $299 / #289 / / / AU$549 for your own 44mm version. The 40mm model is not available in Australia. In the united kingdom and Australia, you can buy this version outright, at #399 / AU$749 for your 40mm version and #419 / AU$799 for the 44mm one. That launching cost puts it between the Apple Watch 5 and the now-discounted Apple Watch 3 - which, while not reaching the top cost of their hottest Apple smartwatch, nevertheless offers company competition. But if you wanted all the functionality of the Active 2 and to conserve a bit of money, you can opt for. . While the additional features - digital haptic dial, LTE accessibility, and extra workout features - are nice extras, they probably are not worth the price jump. (Picture credit: Potential ) DESIGN AND DISPLAY The Galaxy Watch Lively 2 is a dead ringer for its predecessor - the 40mm version, anyway, because the new smartwatch can also be available in 44mm, which can be much more manageable than the Galaxy Watch's hefty 46mm bigger version. As it stands, both options are pretty mild, beginning at 26g for the more compact aluminum (without a strap) and 30g for the bigger - current although not weighty when worn over the course of a run. Ad Like the original Active, the fundamental Watch Active two has an aluminum body.
It comes in cloud silver, aqua pink, and black gold colors. You can also get it in stainless steel (which is exactly what the LTE model comes in) for a higher price, which comes in silver, gold, and black. The more affordable model comes with a rubberized Fluoroelastomer group, which you'll recognize if you have ever worn an Apple Watch - substance that felt natural through sweaty and casual activity, and could be nice worn sunup to sundown (and beyond). If you'd like a classier look and feel, you can opt for the heavier (by about 11g) stainless steel frame with a leather strap - but you can also swap any Samsung-sold or aftermarket 20mm band in the event that you so desire. In either instance, the watch's rear includes a heart rate monitor with eight photodiodes - double the amount of its predecessor. In our tests, it gave fairly accurate readings. (Picture credit: Potential ) The two side buttons are also exactly the same as before - a back' button on top, which is currently outlined in some case colors, and also a home' button below, which attracts up your apps.
While double-tapping the latter brings up Samsung's smart helper Bixby by default, you can (and should) put it to something more useful, like a shortcut to a frequent favorite. The Lively 2's 360 x 360 resolution Super AMOLED screen is slightly (as in, 0.1 inches) enlarged to 1.2-inches over its affinity for its smaller 40mm model - meaningless bezel now around - while the larger 44mm option has a 1.4-inch screen of the exact same resolution. Most of Samsung's first-party programs are optimized for this tiny display, but some third party choices are as daring as they are spectacularly unsuccessful. Thankfully, the new digital dial makes browsing around menus a good deal more precise. Yes, it's not as accurate or as pleasing as the tactile bezel wheel on your first Galaxy Watch, but it's the next best thing, using a vibrating tic every time you change to the next program or placing. Ad It is a whole lot less loose than swiping the display, which you may still do should you prefer. Actually, swiping is the only control method when you boot up the watch, as Samsung bafflingly didn't turn on the digital dial.
The dial is well worth looking out for ease of use - plus, it keeps your finger on the outer edge of the display, and out of the way. It's obviously something which crowns do (like on either side of Apple Watches), but it's nice to see a touch-based alternative means of navigation done nicely. (Image credit: Potential ) PERFORMANCE AND SOFTWARE The Active 2 has an Exynos 9110 dual-core chipset, exactly the same as its predecessor - and the original Galaxy Watch, for that matter - but at 1.15Ghz, it's fast enough. The smartwatch's 768MB of RAM is good for shifting in and outside of programs, though that's updated to 1.5GB for the LTE model. That's enough power to zoom around the port, though we still wish Samsung had managed to fit more than 4GB of storage there - especially since, once the operating system and baseline apps have been loaded up, you're left with 1.5GB to fiddle with. Enough for plenty of tunes and programs (most of which take up barely a megabyte apiece), but not leaving much space for bigger, bolder software.
Like its predecessor, the Lively 2 runs on Samsung's One UI overlay over Samsung's trusty Tizen operating platform, and much has changed because of the original Active. The rotating dial makes it noticeably easier to sift through apps on your home page or alarms on the main watch confront' display, even though it will take a little getting used for precision navigation (i.e. not leaning beyond the ideal stop). There are other new integrations Samsung is championing - like shooting a photo on a phone using the Samsung Wearables app and producing an algorithmically-chosen color-and-pattern watch face design. Ostensibly, this would be to sync your Active 2 with anything you're wearing, but you might also snap photos of a particular color or natural color if you fancy.
Regrettably, Tizen has not gotten much in the manner of third-party app support in the meantime because of the first Active. Besides flashlights, calorie counters, and run-mapping, you are probably relying on first-party programs to take most of your interactivity. Tizen remains supporting Apple watchOS and also Wear OS in this regard. Ad The included programs are still useful, however iOS users still won't be able to get all of the best benefits, like replying to messages or interacting with email beyond notifications. Some things have improved - Find My Phone today buzzes your iPhone even if don't Disturb is on - but you won't receive the complete performance of the watch with no Android cellphone. (Image credit: Future) FITNESS The Watch Active two's fitness apps and features haven't changed much: there are still 39 workout-tracking modes, such as jogging, walking, biking, and swimming. The exercise modes generally work well for the cardio-related routines but struggle with those defined by movement. The'Crunches' mode, for instance, only counted reps once the hand (and thus the Active 2) was stretched far over the knees. . .meaning anyone performing a crunch with arms crossed over their chest is out of luck. It's an odd specificity that extends to other workouts, such as Arm Extensions and Jumping Jacks, which were likewise finicky. But we didn't have any problems when taking the Active 2 for a jog, where it monitored our conducts and lightly vibrated when it sensed we'd stopped moving and may be accomplished with the work (or was just telling us to wrap up our break). The smartwatch also connected seamlessly with Bluetooth headphones, which made it a lot easier to hear the Lively 2's occasional vocal upgrades on our workout progress.
Listening to music was more of a chore, particularly when attached to an iPhone, for which adding music is a multi-step process. Syncing up a Spotify accounts is easy enough, though the frequent alarms and notifications momentarily muted sound, with several disruptions each tune. It is odd, especially when a non-interruption feature appears like such a logical addition to get a workout mode. The Galaxy Watch Lively 2 is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance and may survive being submerged up to five meters in liquid and getting just a little grimy. There is a water lock' mode that disables touchscreen performance and vibrates to shake out excess water.
Ad The watch also has an ECG (electrocardiogram), which may be employed to detect the electrical activity and rhythm of your heart. It is a feature we've already seen about the Apple Watch 4 and 5 and maybe employed to detect the likes of atrial fibrillation. But although the hardware is present here, the attribute is not available at launch, as Samsung needs approval for its use in each country. Therefore we have not managed to examine this. (Image credit: Potential ) BATTERY LIFE If anything lives up to Samsung's claims about the Galaxy Watch Active 2, it's battery life. With average use, our Lively 2 lasted two full days. While that's not quite the four times that our first Galaxy Watch endured for, it's more than could be said of this Apple Watch line. That battery life diminishes with lots of action: playing audio or running the GPS (through these workouts, say) can drain capacity at a faster pace. It all depends on how much you use it, and there's a battery-saving setting (switching on grayscale, switching off Wi-Fi) to eke out more life between charges. The actual ability of the 40mm model is 247mAh, marginally larger than the 230mAh of its predecessor. The 44mm's 340mAh capacity could give it the edge over its smaller sibling (the only one we analyzed ), though that's also powering a bigger screen.