The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is one of the finest smartwatches you can buy today, it has a sophisticated design and loaded with many modern features that can help you reach more fitness goals and improve your productive life. The same can be said for the Galaxy Watch – one of the best-rated smartwatches on the market. The Galaxy Active 2 is available in two sizes; 44mm and 40mm, so also is the Galaxy Watch; 46mm and 42mm, and each of this sizes is available in LTE and Bluetooth only models, but featured in this comparison is the Bluetooth models of the Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) vs Galaxy Watch (46mm). Compare the specs and features to find out the differences.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Galaxy Watch: Specs Comparison
| Product Info |
 Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) Full Specifications, Features and Prices |
 Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) Full Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|
| Price | - | $74.95 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) | Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) |
| Device type | Fitness/Classic smartwatch | Fitness/Classic smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Men |
| Predecessor | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active | Samsung Gear S3 |
| Successor | — | — |
| Models | Bluetooth only, LTE | Bluetooth, LTE |
| Date released | September, 2019 | August, 2018 |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.4 inches | 1.3 inches |
| Display type | Super AMOLED, Full color | Super AMOLED, Full color |
| Resolution | 360 x 360 pixel | 360 x 360 pixel |
| Pixel density | — | — |
| Customizable watchface | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 2 Physical buttons, Digital rotating bezel, Touchscreen | 2 Physical buttons, Physical rotating bezel, Touchscreen |
| Always-On | Yes | Yes |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Aluminum | Stainless steel |
| Strap material | Fluoroelastomer (Aluminum) | Leather, Silicone |
| Bezel material | Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ | Stainless steel |
| Strap size | 20 mm | 22 mm |
| Color | Aqua-black, Cloud-silver, Pink-gold | Silver |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ |
| Dimension | 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm | 46 x 49 x 13 mm |
| Weight | 30 grams (aluminum) | 63 grams (excluding straps) |
| Waterproof rating | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Durability test | MIL-STD-810G | MIL-STD-810G |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.0 | Yes, Bluetooth v4.2 LE |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | 0.75GB | 0.75GB |
| ROM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Network technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | None |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Reply messages | - | - |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| GPS | Yes, GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU | Galileo, Yes, GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| HRM | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse Ox. | No | No |
| Altimeter | No | No |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | — | — |
| ECG | Yes | No |
| Thermometer | No | No |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
| HEALTH & FITNESS TRACKING | HEALTH & FITNESS TRACKING | HEALTH & FITNESS TRACKING |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Blood oxygen | No | No |
| Blood Pressure | Yes | No |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | Yes | No |
| Fall detection | No | No |
| Menstrual cycle | No | No |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Onscreen workout | No | No |
| Preloaded sport modes | 39 | 39 |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | 340mAh | 472mAh |
| Battery life | Regular usage: 3 days+, Standby :5 days+ | Regular usage: 3 days+, Standby:10 days+ |
| Charging type | WPC based wireless charging | WPC based wireless charging |
| Charging duration | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar power | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Operating system | Tizen OS 4.0 | Tizen OS 4.0 |
| Chipset | Exynos 9110 | Exynos 9110 |
| CPU | Dual core 1.15GHz | Dual core 1.15GHz |
| GPU | — | — |
| MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS |
| Companion app | Samsung Wearable app | Samsung Health App, Samsung Wearable app |
| Compatibility | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+, iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+, iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ |
| Payment system | Samsung Pay | Samsung Pay |
| Customizable strap | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Assistant | Yes, Bixby | Yes, Bixby |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Manual, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm), Straps | Charger, Manual, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Straps |
| Price | $74.95 |
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Galaxy Watch: The Difference
Galaxy Active 2 | Galaxy Watch | |
Display Size | 1.4 inches (44mm) | 1.3 inches (46mm) |
Dimension | 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm (44mm) | 46 x 49 x 13 mm (46mm) 42 x 42 x 13 mm (42mm) |
Weight | 26 grams (40mm) | 63 grams (46mm) |
Bezel | Digital rotating bezel | Physical rotating bezel |
Blood Pressure | Yes | No |
ECG Tracking | Yes | No |
Heart Rate Sensor | 8-LED | 4-LED |
Battery Capacity | 240mAh (40mm) | 270mAh (42mm) 472mAh (46mm) |
Battery Life with Always-on | 2 Days+ | 3 Days+ |
- Starting with the morphological differences, the Galaxy Watch is bigger, bolder, thicker, and heavier than the Active 2. But the Active 2 is more compact, yet has a slightly bigger display and it’s sleeker.
- Furthermore, although each of these two is fitness-focused and some of the best choices you can find on the market for tracking your active life, the Active 2 has more fitness tracking features such as blood pressure monitoring and blood oxygen tracking which the Galaxy Watch lacks. The Active 2 also has 8-LED lights compared to 4-LED of the Galaxy Watch, thus enabling more accurate heart rate tracking.
- The Galaxy Watch has a bigger battery capacity than the Active 2, and from actual testing, the Galaxy Watch has a slightly longer battery lie of about 3 days compared to 2 days of the Active 2 with mixed usage.
Similarly, instead of physical rotating bezel on the Galaxy Watch, Samsung opted for a digital one for Active 2. Both designs add a lot of ease as far as navigating the interface is concerned. I still prefer a physical rotating bezel. Moreover, the Galaxy Watch now has many of the UX features that comes with Active 2.
Still, each one of these two features over 39 preloaded sport modes, and will track your sleep, floors, steps, heart rate, calories, and stress with inbuilt GPS that allow you to track your outdoor activities like routes and locations. You’ll need to sync the watch with the Samsung Health app to manage your fitness goals effortlessly.
Which Should You Buy?
This is a very tricky decision, and as I said before, these two are some of the best smartwatches you can buy right now. However, it’s totally up to you to choose which design intrigues you more, because as far as features are concerned, both watches have about the same features. Personally, I really like the Galaxy Watch.
