Samsung launches Galaxy Watch Active 2 mere months after the original

Samsung is on a roll. In the build-up to this week’s Galaxy Unpacked event in Brooklyn, the South Korean firm is drip-feeding us new hardware; the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 launched on 31 July, and today, we’ve been treated to our first good look at the Galaxy Watch Active 2. 

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As with the Tab S6, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch Active 2 with a short introductory video featuring entrepreneur and businessman Roy Choi. The video picks up on a few key features, including the ECG monitor and digital rotating bezel.

Lovely as that might be, we’re all here for the facts. Fortunately enough, Samsung tends to pair these artsy announcements with a good old fashioned press release. Here are the headline specs.

There are two watch face sizes to choose from: 40mm and 44mm. The 44mm model weighs in at 30g, and has a 1.4in Super AMOLED always-on display with a resolution of 360 x 360. Inside you’ll find a 340mAh battery, and a dual-core Exynos 9110 chipset. The 44mm model will connect to your phone via Bluetooth, and will also offer LTE connectivity for when you don’t want to carry your phone around. If you ever feel that way.

The 40mm model differs only in the ways you’d expect: the display is only 1.2in, and the battery 247mAh. It also weighs a little less at 26g. As the cheaper option, the smaller model will only connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Both models run the same Exynos chip, and Samsung’s Tizen smartwatch OS; they also both have 4GB of onboard storage. 

Both watches are bristling with sensors. Chief among these is an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor, but there’s also a heart rate monitor, accelerometer, gyroscope and barometer. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 charges wirelessly via WPC and is IP68 water-resistance rated.

The rotating bezel found on the Galaxy Gear watches of yore is back, with a twist: it’s all-digital, meaning there’s no mechanical movement to fiddle with. Navigating menus is now done by sliding the virtual bezel clockwise or anti-clockwise. 

You’ll be able to pick up the Watch Active 2 in aluminium or stainless steel: the aluminium variant comes in silver, “Aqua Black” or “Pink Gold” with a plastic strap, while the stainless steel model comes in silver, black or gold with a leather strap. 

The 40mm model will reportedly cost roughly £230, while the 44mm model will set you back around £250. These prices have not been confirmed by Samsung, so take them with a pinch of salt. 

You can get your hands (or wrists) on the Galaxy Watch Active 2 on 27 September in the US. We’ll update this page with UK pricing and availability as soon as it becomes available.