Anyone buying the Galaxy Active 2?

[happycat9]

I watched the information about the new Samsung Galaxy Active 2 that revealed this morning. I am shopping for a Smartwatch and plan to go with a Samsung. I was attracted to the Galaxy Watch Active and thought I would see what the Active 2 offered before making my decision.

I thought that I would definitely want to wait for the Active 2, but now I am wondering if the added features are worth the higher price. I really like the size of the Active/Active 2, so I am debating between these two. Following are my thoughts and I hope to hear from other users.

The Active 2 has a virtual bezel and according to reviews lack of a rotating bezel was a big drawback to the Active. It is the most up to date of the watches. It will have ECG functions eventually. It has Bluetooth 5. It has a match your watch face to your outfit feature that sounds cute.

The Active does not have a rotating bezel....but would I miss what I never had? The Active is less expensive and I am thinking that the release of the Active2 will lead to some sales on the original. While the ECG functionality would be good to have, it won’t be available until 2020. Also, the original is available right now...no waiting.

I would like to hear what others are thinking about this. I currently have a Fitbit Versa and find that I miss more text and call notifications than I receive, so I want to replace it.

 

[tony bag o donuts]

The Active is a bit on the smaller side and I love it. Display is clear for me.

Coming from a Pebble I am getting more notifications that sometimes my pebble wouldn't send, even before rebble took over.

I don't have much on the Active other then a few watch faces and an app when I referee soccer so the lack of a rotating bezel is something I don't mind since I never had it to begin with.

Battery life is OK on the Active. I get about 1 1/2 days on a charge but that is with constant use.

It uses a different charger then other samsung devices so you can't use a galaxy charger for the active.

Very lightweight so I wear it all the time. For me I don't see performance issues and it just received a major update.

Bluetooth disconnects once in a while even when my phone is 3 feet from the watch but it quickly reconnects. I think the software upgrade fixed it as I don't notice it as much, but it probably is my phone, the Nokia 7.1.

I wish the vibration motor was a bit stronger. It works, but it seems nothing comes close to the Pebble's.

Price point was a big deal and when I got it on sale for $179.99 I couldn't pass it up when comparing it to the Fit Bit Versa.

I don't think you can go wrong with either one to be honest.

 

[happycat9]

Thanks for the reply and your review. I am still on the fence as to which way to go Active or Active 2. A good sale would sway me toward the Active, but I don’t see one at this time.

 

[tony bag o donuts]

Thanks for the reply and your review. I am still on the fence as to which way to go Active or Active 2. A good sale would sway me toward the Active, but I don’t see one at this time.

Hold out for the active 2 to be released and maybe there will be a price drop. The original active isn't being discontinued.

 

[happycat9]

Tony, do you use Samsung Pay with your watch? I use it with my phone all the time...super handy..and hope to use it with my watch when I purchase it.

Still haven’t purchased. The longer I wait to buy the more likely I am to get the Active 2

 

[msm0511]

I just preordered the Note 10+. With the $200 credit I got from Samsung I ordered the Watch Active (original). I'm going to see how I like it before getting the Watch Active 2. The display seems small to me coming from the larger Apple Watch LTE, but I can get an idea of what I think overall with the Active. I didn't want to drop the money on the Active 2 LTE without at least trying Tizen on the more affordable original.

 

[tony bag o donuts]

Tony, do you use Samsung Pay with your watch? I use it with my phone all the time...super handy..and hope to use it with my watch when I purchase it.

Still haven’t purchased. The longer I wait to buy the more likely I am to get the Active 2

I haven't yet but did set it up. I will give it a shot and let you know.

BTW welcome to AC!

 

[tony bag o donuts]

It is smaller then the apple watch but I think you will get used to it. AC makes it seem as if the original watch is a mistake given the improvements with the 2, but never using Tizen before I got used to it quickly. I am still amazed on how light the watch is. Only time it is off is when it's charging, showering or I am umpiring baseball (no watches allowed).

 

[tony bag o donuts]

Samsung Pay worked flawlessly. Very quick.
Long press a side button.
Enter pin number
Tap to Pay
Done

Tried it at Subway.

 

[happycat9]

MSM, I think going from the larger Apple Watch with Lte to the original Active is going to be quite a change. I will be interested in how you feel about it. I would think that the larger Active 2 with Lte would be more comparable, but of course much expensive.
Tony, thanks for the report on Samsung Pay. I use Pay all the time with my S9.

 

[tony bag o donuts]

MSM, I think going from the larger Apple Watch with Lte to the original Active is going to be quite a change. I will be interested in how you feel about it. I would think that the larger Active 2 with Lte would be more comparable, but of course much expensive.
Tony, thanks for the report on Samsung Pay. I use Pay all the time with my S9.

Anytime!

 

[Xxtoxicskittlexx]

I did. Can't wait. Love the look of it better than the Galaxy Watch. Plus now it comes with the larger size.

 

[msm0511]

MSM, I think going from the larger Apple Watch with Lte to the original Active is going to be quite a change. I will be interested in how you feel about it. I would think that the larger Active 2 with Lte would be more comparable, but of course much expensive.
Tony, thanks for the report on Samsung Pay. I use Pay all the time with my S9.

Yeah, I saw the 40mm at Sam's Club yesterday. It's tiny. I didn't really have much time to scroll around, but we'll see.

 

[happycat9]

The more that I look at the Active 2, the more that I think it is the one that I want. Now, the problem is...patience since it doesn’t come out for a month and a half. I have considered the 42mm Galaxy Watch, but I have a small wrist and even the 42mm looks like a brick on my arm.

 

[kj11]

I wasn't really considering the active 2 at all until yesterday when my gear sport spontaneously died and now won't charge or turn on. I've got a $150 Samsung credit coming from my note 10+ pre-order and applying that to an active 2 pre-order is looking like a pretty good option right about now...

 

[Darwm]

Does it have a speaker to answer calls and talk through the watch?

 

[dm3ready]

The OG Active has a microphone but no speaker, so you can initiate a call, but the conversation has to continue on your phone.

 

[NIZMOZ44]

I wasn't really considering the active 2 at all until yesterday when my gear sport spontaneously died and now won't charge or turn on. I've got a $150 Samsung credit coming from my note 10+ pre-order and applying that to an active 2 pre-order is looking like a pretty good option right about now...

That's what I'm going to do.

 

[Casey Cheung]

You definitively want a bezel for navigation, whether mechanical or virtual. Makes a big difference! My 42mm Galaxy with a rotating bezel is most cool.

As for the Fitbit Versa, it's a stretch to call it a "smart" watch, especially compared to a Galaxy watch in terms of functions. My significant other has a Fitbit Versa and she is extremely jealous of my Galaxy watch, lol.

 

[Serkle K]

I am debating on the Active Watch 2 or the Older Galaxy Watch with the rotating bezel. Can anyone offer their thoughts on the differences between the 2, pros/cons? I am hoping to be able to use my Samsung Credit for the watch, otherwise, I'll just stock up on more wireless chargers.