Samsung Galaxy Watch Active Now Available For $199

Samsung’s newest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch Active, is now available for purchase with a price of $199.

Announced alongside the Galaxy S10 series at Unpacked last month, the Galaxy Watch Active is also now available for purchase. This is a slightly lower-end smartwatch compared to the Galaxy Watch. It’s more focused on fitness and such, which is why it’s the “Galaxy Watch Active”. It does drop the rotating bezel though, for this lower price tag, which could be a downgrade for a number of people.

Samsung is keeping Tizen on the Galaxy Watch Active, so you’re getting the same experience as on Samsung’s other smartwatches. There are plenty of apps available for the Galaxy Watch Active already, including Samsung Health, Twitter, Uber and many more. Though, Samsung’s smartwatch ecosystem isn’t focused on apps as much as it is functionality.

The battery life does take a hit on the Galaxy Watch Active, compared to the Galaxy Watch, looking at less than two days. But, this is a very lightweight watch. Many are surprised by just how lightweight it actually is.

The Galaxy Watch Active is made more for working out than just being a smartwatch. So the main features that Samsung is touting with this one is the fitness tracking. It can automatically track six different exercises, and track about 34 others. So no matter what kind of workout you are doing, the Galaxy Watch Active will be able to track what you are doing. It is also water-proof once again, so it can go in the pool with you and track your swimming too.

Despite the battery only lasting a little more than a day, Samsung is still touting the fact that the Galaxy Watch Active is able to track your sleep as well. This will help you find out how well you are, or aren’t sleeping at night. Since everyone needs a good nights’ rest. Samsung also has some breathing exercises built-in, which will help to reduce stress. The Galaxy Watch Active is all-around a pretty good smartwatch/fitness tracker hybrid wearable. It might be a good replacement for those that own a Fitbit, and also for those that own a Wear OS smartwatch.

Samsung Pay is available on the Galaxy Watch Active, but only with NFC. There is no MST support, so it will only work with terminals that do support NFC. This is different from Samsung smartphones, which sport both.

Samsung has made sure that the Galaxy Watch Active works with all Android smartphones and iOS devices  as well. Running Android 5.0 or later with 1.5GB of RAM, iOS 9 or later, respectively.

At $199, this is one of the more inexpensive smartwatches out there. Comparing it to Wear OS, the cheapest model on that platform is the Fossil Sport at $255. It’s a great option for those that are looking to save some cash on a smartwatch, and also want to track their fitness. The Galaxy Watch Active can be purchased from Samsung’s website using the link down below. It’s available in black, green, rose gold and silver colors.