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Samsung Galaxy Watch Active
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active Review Facts
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active will monitor the six included activities and exercises that are installed along with a choice of 39 others that you can program into the device yourself with the company’s user-friendly app. Built of military-grade materials and a protective coating of Gorilla Glass on the touchscreen, scratches, and damages are almost non-existent. The lightweight, durable, and thin design is swim-ready and water-resistant to 10 meters. You get two different sizes of flexible, soft plastic bands that will not irritate skin and form a perfect fit.
This Samsung device does not have the usual appearance of an activity tracker since it is fashioned much like a regular watch instead. It has GPS navigation, sleep pattern and health management, health tracking, Spotify, and Galaxy Ecosystem included. There is a light sensor, HR sensor, gyro sensor, accelerometer, and barometer. Choose just the smartphone notifications you want, as it is compatible with most iOS< Android, and Samsung devices. Not only can you change the band on this incredible watch, but also the face and an assortment of possible apps. The online reviews from buyers are good but not great for this Samsung activity tracker.
Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
The band is flexible, soft, and non-irritating
Lightweight, durable, swim-ready, and thin
Does not look like an activity watch
Monitors as many as six exercises
Can track as many as 39 additional activities
Analyzes your patterns of sleep
Compatible with iOS, Android, and Samsung devices
Connect with a smartphone for notifications and playlists
Choose only the notifications you want
Cons
The screen is easily damaged with simple scratches
Battery life is not long on a charge says many users
Comfort
The Galaxy Active Watch includes two differently sized straps for a perfect fit, as one is shorter than the other. Having a good wrist fit is important for a watch item because nothing else will really matter if this is not ideal. The band is a flexible soft plastic that will not irritate the skin at all. Many people commented on the wonderful feel and fit of the band that comes with the device. Several various colors are offered for you to choose your favorite. Another comfort feature of this timepiece is that it has a night mode. When it goes into this mode, you will not be bothered by notifications from your smartphone when you are sleeping. You will also have the luxury of being able to add plenty of activities that you may do with the wonderful apps. This flexibility adds to the comfort level of using and owning this incredible device.
Durability
Made tough with protection that is military-grade and a protective coating of Gorilla Glass to prevent scratching of the face, you will enjoy this long-lasting and sturdy active watch. We did notice a few comments from buyers that said their touchscreen was easily damaged with simple scratches from everyday use. There were not many comments like this but enough to bring the issue to light for potential future customers. This superb product is water-resistant to 10 meters, so it can be worn in the shower or in a downpour of rain without being damaged. You may want to leave it on for bathing and swimming, but the manufacturer does not say that the device will stand to be submerged in water for those activities. What they do say is that it is “swim-ready.”
Flexibility
The most flexible aspects of this marvelous watch are the ability to change out the bands and faces and to choose your activities from the provided assortment. The company offers a variety of interchangeable bands and a mixture of bold colors to delight all users. Various faces can also be selected and swapped out as frequently as you like also. The many apps that are possible to add to the already six or seven that comes already loaded onto the device give the wearer many choices for customizing this ideal mechanism. It is lightweight, durable, and swim-ready with a thin design to fit in with most outfits and wardrobe styles. Because it is so thin, it easily fits under dress shirt cuffs if you do not want it to be seen at work. Samsung gives the user great flexibility with this activity watch to make it uniquely your own.
Responsiveness
When it comes to activity trackers, there is always one feature that bothers people. It is the accuracy of the step counter. As you already know, if you have studied many models of these monitoring devices, most trackers do not count steps correctly if you are pushing something, such as a baby stroller or a shopping basket. Because the arms are not in motion when doing these activities, the tracker on the wrist does not recognize the rest of your body making the steps. The step counter for this Samsung mechanism is very accurate and does not fall into the same category as those other devices when the step counter is analyzed. Since it works directly off a smartphone, if you keep the smartphone in a pocket, the watch accurately tracks steps when pushing something, unlike other competing devices. We did see comments from buyers that found the attachment to a smartphone to be a problem, but in this case, it makes the Galaxy Active Watch more efficient than most other similar products. We do want to mention that the tracking for sleep and steps was off for some people who were not pleased with this watch model.
Size
The overall dimensions of this amazing device are 1/6 x 1/6 x 0.4 inches, and the weight is just .96 ounces. It has 4GB of storage internally and 0.75GB of RAM. The available memory is 1.5. the touchscreen for this item is somewhat smaller than other models, which a few users found to be problematic for their large fingers and hands. One aspect of the overall design of this terrific watch that excited many people is the fact that it does not look like an activity watch at all. It has the appearance of a regular time-keeping watch, so it blends in well with work clothes and even business attire. This model does not scream to others that it is an activity device with a huge interface and bright neon colors with large buttons. It has low-profile features and a regular watch form.
Support
To be supportive of your desire to gain better health through a tracking device, this product will monitor as many as six or seven activities and exercises. These are already programmed into the device when you receive it, so nothing has to be done to put them in. there are as many as 39 additional activities that you can add to the original ones if you desire them. using the available apps and exercise choices, you can really make this a highly individualized watch for all your monitoring needs. Even sleep patterns and health can be tracked to ensure that you are getting enough sleep and that it is the right kind of sleep. if you do not get enough deep sleep each night, your overall health and performance for the next day will suffer greatly. This Samsung item encourages the user to relax after a hard day by prompting to take breaks and let you know how you are doing with your set goals.
Version
Since there are so many of these tracking devices on the market today, we like to eliminate some of the confusion on how they stack up against each other with their included features. The Samsung Galaxy Active Watch 40mm is very similar to four other watch models but differs slightly is a few qualities. The Galaxy Watch 42mm, the Gear S3 Frontier, the Gear Sport, and the Galaxy Watch 46mm all have rotating bezels, a larger face, silicone bands, and built-in speakers and a microphone (except the Gear Sport). It is the Gear Sport that the Galaxy 40mm Watch is most similar, except for the above-noted qualities. The Galaxy Active 40mm has a band of Fluor Elastomer of 20mm, instead of silicone. Hopefully, this sorts these models out for you a bit when trying to decide on one of them.
Accuracy
A health tracking device is only as good as it is accurate with your personal data. This fabulous product includes a light sensor, HR sensor, gyro sensor, barometer, and accelerometer to monitor all of your health and activity progress. If the tracker determines an irregular heartbeat, it will give you an alert to help improve the health of your heart. While the majority of users say that this model for monitoring is very accurate, there are others that state otherwise. One person even noted that the blood pressure aspect may only work with an Android phone connection and not the other compatible devices for this item. We did not see in our research of this product anywhere that the manufacturer stated that only certain features would be available with the use of some phones.
Connectivity
Compatible with most iOS, Android, and Samsung devices, the Galaxy Active connects with a smartphone to receive notifications and hear playlists. It also is used to add or take away the apps and progress tracking for your sports and activities. Included are GPS navigation, Bixby, sleep and stress management, proactive health tracking, and the Galaxy Ecosystem. One app, Spotify, is already installed on the watch when you receive it. one customer stated in their review of this item that it will not support the enterprise grades of Wi-Fi that workplaces usually have. we are not sure about this, as there was just this one comment, but we want to supply you with all the information we find to help you decide if this product is right for you.
Ease of Use
You can choose the notifications you want to receive from a phone with this watch, unlike several other tracking watches on the market today. With some monitors, you have to take all the notifications from calls, email, text, Facebook, etc., whether you want them or not. This wonderful product lets you choose the ones you get on your watch. It pairs easily with the compatible phones and syncs with the app well. there are many apps and face options to pick from when customizing your device. One of the best qualities of this watch is that installed notifications from a smartphone stop if you are sleeping, so you are not disturbed. This is one of the easiest tracking devices to wear on your wrist that we have seen. Almost everyone that has bought them says that they are simple to set up and navigate.
Power Source
Probably the most commented issue of this product online is the battery life from a single full charge. We all know that if you have more apps and activities on the tracker to be monitored that it will burn up the battery life much faster. This should not be a surprise. However, many users claimed their batteries lasted less than a day after a full charge or that they had to power up every other day. The manufacturer states that the typical battery usage is 45 hours with the wireless charging. It should charge fully within 15 to 20 minutes. The tracker comes with one lithium battery for operation. You can charge it on regular chargers that you already have or use the one that is included. It is flexible in fitting most other chargers.
Bottom Line
We could only find the negative comments of “the face scratches easily” and “the battery life is not very long” that was repeated by customers. There is a protective glass coating on the touchscreen to prevent scratches and the battery life is largely affected by how many apps and activities you load onto this device. If you use it more, then the battery will be used quickly. Samsung and many other companies are actively creating many activity trackers to help you achieve your fitness goals and monitor your progress with your sports and activities. As these devices go, the Galaxy Watch Active 40mm is an excellent product to have. its best features are the night mode, the ability to track steps when pushing something as you walk, the many changeable features, the accuracy, small size, and the fact that it does not look like a tracking watch. We think it is a great product that is certainly worth serious consideration when shopping for an activity watch.
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