Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 LTE review: Stylish and rugged fitness companion

A few weeks ago, Samsung launched the much-awaited Galaxy Watch Active2 4G in India.

On paper, it comes with a boatload of features that are on par with the popular Apple Watch series, but does it really pack a punch? Let's check it out.

Design, display and build quality:

Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active2 flaunts visually appealing circular dial design and comes enclosed in a premium metal case. It has two physical buttons-- one to switch on the device and the other will get back to the previous option on the screen and also pause the timer, if you happen to be using it.

On top, it sports a 1.4-inch curved super AMOLED screen (360x360p). Though it doesn't come with a physical rotating bezel like we see standard Galaxy Watch series, the Active 2 version has a touch-sensitive bezel, which accurately mimics it with haptic feedback. With this, you can go back and forth between screen widgets and other options with ease.

The Galaxy Watch Active 2comes in two sizes 40mm and 44mm with 247mAh and 340mAh batteries, respectively. You can also choose between alumnium and stainless steel case versions.

Our review unit is the top-end 44mm stainless steel. It has premium hand-feel and a bit heavy, but over time, the wrist gets used to the weight.

Samsung Galaxy Active2 comes with top-notch build quality (DH Photo/Rohit KVN)

As far as the durability is concerned, the Galaxy Watch Active2 comes with MIL-STD-810G certification, IP68 rating and 5 ATM water-resistant, meaning the smart wearable capable of sustaining a wide range of environmental conditions including acidic atmosphere, humidity, fungus, salt fog for rust testing; sand and dust exposure and water pressure up to 50 meters (around 165 feet) for close to 30 minutes.

User-interface and performance
The new Galaxy Watch Active2 (stainless steel) houses the company's proprietary 1.15Ghz Exynos 9110 dual-core processor with Tizen OS, 1.5GB RAM and 4GB storage. (Note: Aluminium models will have 0.75GB RAM)

It comes with Tizen 4.0 OS with easy to understand user-interface. Any user even a rookie can easily find favourite apps, settings and navigate through the watch to find any features easily.

Consumers can pair the Galaxy Active2 with any phone be it Apple iPhone (with iOS 9 or later) or an Android mobile (with v5.0 or later). They just have to install the Galaxy Watch app and follow the instructions as said on the screen. Once done, you can make custom changes such as adding new Watch faces, notification settings and other stuff.

Samsung Galaxy Active2 comes with a host of sensors including heart rate monitor and ECG (DH Photo/Rohit KVN)

The Galaxy Watch Active2 houses many vital sensors including Heart Rate Monitor (with 8 Photodiodes), Electrocardiogram (ECG), Accelerometer (measure up to 32g of force), Gyroscope, Barometer and Ambient Light.

It can track step counts and is also intuitive enough to if the person is doing outdoor walking. Once it senses the user is in motion for 10 minutes, it automatically opens the activity tracker and adds points in the Samsung Health monitor index.

Not just walking, it automatically gets activated while running, cycling, swimming, rowing machine, elliptical machine, and dynamic workouts. In total, it can track 39 fitness workouts.

Like the Galaxy Watch, consumers can view all the biometric details recorded on Galaxy Active2 on the companion phone via Samsung Health app.

Samsung Health app (DH Photo/Rohit KVN)

With Samsung Health, you can track your food intake, walking distance, sleep pattern and most importantly set fitness goals. Every time the target for the day is reached, you will notification on both the Watch and the phone screen with a badge, which I believe motivates the user to maintain the routine every day and over time, set a higher goal.

Another interesting thing about Samsung Health is that it can calculate calories of Indian food items such as Idli, rice, and other common eateries. This helps the user develop healthy food habits and consciously try burning an equal amount of energy by doing physical workouts.

Must read | Apple Watch Series 5 review: Top-notch health companion

Besides body fitness, the Galaxy Active2 also boasts mental wellness feature. It offers guided meditation programs through an integration with the leading sleep and meditation app, Calm, which is available in English, German and Spanish languages.

There is a native Stress meter on the Watch too, which helps measure stress level in colours (see below). It has aqua blue (relaxed), green (normal) to red (stressed). If the needle settles in the red zone, you will be asked to open the breathe app, which will guide you to perform slow breathing exercises and calm your mind.

The Galaxy Active2 also has another intelligent feature that tracks the user's idleness. If you sit in a place and don't move for close to an hour, it will alert to stand up and take a walk and also move your hands around and flex the body.

Samsung Galaxy Active2 activity tracker and stress meter features (DH Photo/Rohit KVN)

The Galaxy Active2 comes with LTE capability. It supports e-SIM and in India, Airtel and Reliance offer cellular service for the smartwatches. However, Airtel requires the user to have a postpaid connection, whereas the Reliance Jio supports both pre-paid and post-paid connection.

With LTE support, you can leave the phone at home and go for a jog with just Watch Active2. You can make or answer calls and even get to read messages or any important notification on the wrist.

As far as the battery life is concerned, it consistently delivered two days of battery life but don't expect the same if you use a standalone calling feature directly from the Watch.

Final thoughts:
Samsung's new Galaxy Watch Active2 really lives up to the hype. It has a gorgeous circular dial design and is made of a premium steel case. Also, the display is of top-notch quality.

Most importantly, the fitness and health trackers are on par with any premium smartwatches in the industry. Also, Galaxy Watch Active2 supports ECG but will get activated later via software once the company gets the nod from the local medical regulatory authority.

Must read | Galaxy Watch 4G review: The do-everything smartwatch

Pros:
Premium build quality
Compatible with both iOS-based iPhones and Android mobiles
Long battery life
Can calculate calories for Indian food items (via Samsung Health app)

Cons:
The display wake up sensitivity is a bit slow to react to the hand touch gesture, but this is negligible

Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active2 4G cost Rs 35,990. Whereas the non-cellular (stainless steel) model is available for Rs 31,990. There is also aluminium model for Rs 25,990.

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