The Galaxy Watch 4 has the potential to be Samsung's best smartwatch yet, but for people who already own the Galaxy Watch Active 2, is it worth spending $250 to upgrade? That upgrade question is one of the most pressing whenever the next generation of a gadget is released. A new smartphone or smartwatch can look amazing in a bubble. However, if someone already owns the previous generation of that device, it's not always immediately clear if an upgrade is the right move.
Such is the case between the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch Active 2. The Watch Active 2 launched in September 2019 with open arms. It was praised for its sleek design, ample health features, and intuitive touch controls. Samsung launched the Galaxy Watch 3 a year later in 2020, but the Watch Active 2 stuck around as Samsung's more affordable/sportier model. With the Galaxy Watch 4 series, the Watch Active 2 finally has a legitimate successor. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is replacing the Galaxy Watch 3, while the Galaxy Watch 4 is taking over for the Galaxy Watch Active 2. The wearables might look similar at first glance, but the Watch 4 has more than a few upgrades over its older sibling.
Starting first with the design of the two watches, this is where the similarities are on full display. Both are available in 40mm and 44mm aluminum cases, have two physical buttons on the right side, and a 'digital bezel' around the display where users can swipe to navigate the UI. Both sizes of the Watch 4 are ever-so-slightly narrower and thinner than the Watch Active 2, but it's not enough that anyone would notice a substantial difference. Samsung confirms that the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch Active 2 also share the same IP68 water resistance rating and MIL-STD-810G durability rating — ensuring they stay safe throughout daily use.
Why The Galaxy Watch 4 Is Better Than The Watch Active 2
Taking a look at the specifications for each watch, this is where the benefits of the Galaxy Watch 4 begin to appear. Both are equipped with AMOLED displays, but the Watch Active 2 has a resolution of just 360 x 360 for either model. On the Galaxy Watch 4, users are treated to 396 x 396 on the 40mm size and 450 x 450 for the 44mm one. A sharper display certainly is nice, but what's even more impressive is the new processor. The Galaxy Watch 4 is powered by Samsung's Exynos W920 chip, which is reported as having 1.25x faster CPU performance and 8.8x better graphics. It also has 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, compared to just 768MB of RAM and 4GB of storage on the Galaxy Watch Active 2. In addition to being substantially faster, that means the Galaxy Watch 4 also has quadruple the internal storage for downloading apps, music, photos, etc.
For folks interested in health capabilities, this is another area where the Galaxy Watch 4 takes a clear lead. The Watch Active 2 uses a standard HR sensor to record health data, but on the Watch 4, users get the 'Samsung BioActive Sensor.' That means it has more advanced activity, sleep, and blood oxygen tracking. It also allows for a brand new body composition feature that analyzes someone's body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, and more.
Last but certainly not least, there's the difference in operating systems. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 is powered by Samsung's Tizen platform, while the Galaxy Watch 4 uses the new version of Wear OS. Both platforms function mostly the same and have access to all the major Samsung services, but Wear OS on the Galaxy Watch 4 is a more feature-rich experience. It handles notifications better, has access to Google applications (like Google Maps), and uses the Google Play Store for much greater app availability. It even has deeper integration with Samsung phones, such as syncing certain app settings and themes with a paired Galaxy device. So long as someone isn't using an iPhone, the Galaxy Watch 4 is well worth the $250 asking price to upgrade from the aging Watch Active 2.
Source: Samsung