Samsung Galaxy Watch Active Review

If you are looking for a small and lightweight smartwatch that will look better on your wrist than a sporty fitness band, Samsung has got something for you: the brand new Galaxy Watch Active.

Priced at the quite affordable $200, the Galaxy Watch Active works with both Android phones and iPhones, it is half the price of an Apple Watch and also much less expensive than Samsung’s other Gear watches, while still offering a beautiful display, a metal body, as well as a heart-rate monitor, GPS, workout and sleep tracking.

Samsung has even promised that this watch will be its first one that you will be able to use to measure your blood pressure (but that feature is coming later on and is not available at launch).

So… should you buy the new Galaxy Watch Active? And are there any hidden pitfalls? I have spent the last week with this timepiece and it’s time to sum this experience all up in our review.

Specs:

• 1.1-inch 360 x 360px AMOLED screen (40mm watch size), Gorilla Glass 3
• Dual-core Exynos 9110 processor
• 768MB RAM, 4GB storage
• 230mAh battery
• Tizen OS 4
• IP68, MIL-STD-810G certified, 5ATM water resistance
• Wireless charging support
• Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi b/g/n, NFC (but no MST) and A-GPS
• 4 colors: Silver, Black, Rose Gold and Sea Green
• Price $200 / 250 euro

In the box:

• 40mm Watch
• 20mm strap (standard size) + extra strap (large size)
• Magnetic charging dock
• Manuals

Size and Fit

The first thing that you should know about the Galaxy Watch Active is that it is tiny!

We have had so many great big smartwatches and so very few good small smartwatches, so this size will definitely be something that many people who have felt neglected by the industry will appreciate.

Specs-wise, this has an 1.1-inch screen, while the watch face size is 40mm. Again, it looks perfect on smaller wrists and will also be a great fit for many women, but chances are that it will not look great on a bigger wrist.

Bands

The Galaxy Watch Active comes with a sporty silicone band in the box and this band comes in a small and a large size versions. If you have seen the sports band on the Apple Watch, you will recognize the similarity instantly: the looping design, the soft silicone feel, it is indeed similar and also feels just as comfortable to use. The buckle here is a traditional one, though, and we actually find it more convenient, plus it is made of metal and feels very solid.

Good news is that you don’t have a proprietary system for swapping bands here and instead you get a classic quick release system that we love and that allows you to easily swap bands in seconds. The band size is 20mm.

In fact, swapping the sporty silicone band with my beautifully aged and worn-in leather band was the first thing I did, and this alone can instantly make this watch much more elegant and better fitting your business attire. Sure, this is not a watch that you wear with a tux or to show off as jewellery, but with a proper band, it can look good both at the gym and in the office.