@@gudamzanaja The intro/exit song is No Cry/Fasion, from Epidemic: www.epidemicsound.com/track/I6ricSl713 - The song during the running timelapse is '9-5/Blaeker', also on Epidemic.
Best review that I've ever witnessed on RUclips. Nobody goes in this much details using maps and different gadgets. I can imagine the hard work putin in making such an elaborate video.Hats off to you. Keep up the good work. I am subscribing to your channel.
Hey Folks - Thanks for watching! Oh, in case you're wondering about ECG - it's not enabled yet (hence why I didn't test it). As soon as it is, I'll circle back with more! And don't forget you can check out the data set (raw files) up top in the description. Enjoy!
Seems like they're going to have a difficult time with EKG certification with such poor HR performance. Mine just came in the mail today, so I was looking forward to seeing some reviews. I'm a bit disappointed in the results, have to say. Hopefully I have better luck!
Really disappointed with the HR monitoring. Thought Samsung would have improved it enough to challenge others. Guess I'm on the Garmin Venu boat now. Looking forward to your review of that one
@@MC-eh2ot Agree. I got rid of my Galaxy Watch (and the Gear S3 for that matter) because of the poor tracking. This HAS to be software related. The hardware is there.
@@MC-eh2ot I've had almost as many as DC. The watch I got after that was a Garmin Fenix 5, and the activity tracking was amazing, but I missed the smartwatch features. Made the platform switch to Apple and the Apple Watch, and really loved it, my favorite single piece of tech, but don't like iOS. So I'm back to the Active 2 to give it a whirl.
I returned the Galaxy watch last year... Because it missed a lot of my steps... I just got this one today the active 2 and I'm noticing it's struggling with capturing all my steps also... Other than that I love the watch!!! You are probably the only review our I've seen on RUclips that has dinged it for the inaccuracy of the step count...
Your review was great. You gave everyone a actually review of the watch while in motion instead of talking about the specs like everyone else. This is important to me since I am coming from the Fitbit series. Once again, Thank You!
Really interesting, thanks! It's a bit niche (5% of your audience?), but it would be great if you can do running watch videos in which you do an automatic and/or manual structured workout with your favorite 3rd party app for each smartwatch and to take us through the UX- workout building, in-workout experience, and post workout review. It's the little things- ease of pressing buttons, getting the right data screens, constructing the workout, etc.- that make all the difference for those of us doing structured training. I think lots of "serious" runners would like to know if/when using a Apple, Android Wear or Tizen smartwatch will be good enough to replace the dedicated running watches.
Pulled the trigger on this on Pre-order main draw for me is smart watch function (miss my Sony SW3 which I only gave up on as it didn't do HR etc and was only good for Smartwatch function) a Big pull for me is the ability to answer a phone call when stuck up a ladder at work without having to try to get my phone out of my pocket. Used the HR on 'exercise bike' mode when doing an indoor ride and (without using the analyser) found it tracked pretty much beat for beat with my Tickr X after a slow start, don't think they were ever more than 2 beats apart. It was a toss up between this and Garmin active 4 but smart won out over fitness for my needs.
I'm impressed with the bloke cycling through the park with his umbrella over his head, It could catch on, added resistance when you have no hills locally :)
Over the past few years, I've had several GPS watches - Apple, Garmin, Polar.. and HRM's (chest and arm). None are as accurate as advertised. Personally I think we expect too much of GPS in small devices - just think of all the various radio waves and stuff floating about today. My most accurate combo is my trusty, but old, Garmin XT735 paired with a OH1.
Excellent review and particularly well illustration on user interface, HR and GPS accuracy. Very good reference for anyone interested in the latest wearable from Samsung.
Around November there were a bunch of updates pushed including GPS fix, crash detection, and ekg. Since then there has been a huge improvement in the GPS. When I would ride with Garmin tracker, phone and active 2, the active 2 was always the worst, but since the update its almost dead on with my Garmin 810.
Great thoroughness and you're my go to for fitness reviews. However, "When I went to bed it still said 22 hours of battery life left. When I woke up some, you know, 4 hours later it was dead. So that's kind of a bit of a bummer." I'd say it that happens, it really invalidates the product.
Hi DC Rainmaker. Awesome video. Good to see someone is testing the accuracy properly. I'm a swimmer, so interested to see how it performs in a pool. Can you please do a pool test for the active 2 showing accuracy of lap counting.
It's being reported that Samsung just pushed out an update for the GWA2 this morning which lists improvements of Bug Fix for GPS and Improved GPS Performance. I wonder if that will help with some of the GPS issues you reported? The new build ends in BSI9
It didn’t unfortunately even now . I am planning to change to Apple Series 5 just because of The DAMN INACCURATE HR Sensor. While resting it showed I had 179 BPM While Watching this video. GPS Is good tho
I'm sticking with my Active 2,,,and Active 1 watches. They may not be the latest and greatest on the market right now, but they're still giving me all the features and functions I want and need compared to the Apples watch. And its a really good upgrade from my fitbit Ionic.
Thank you for the indepth review. I'm glad I bought my Garmin 245 and didn't wait for this. Samsung isn't quite there yet. Between you and DesFit, I'm well informed on products prior to purchase. Thank you again.
I've had a number of the Samsung watches and my favorite part was the "smartwatch" but I have never been a huge fan of the fitness part. They just don't seem to get it right which is a shame. I've been trying to pick a new watch - tired of my Versa - and I would really like something fairly accurate on the treadmill; weights (or intervals); bootcamp and that I can pair a HR strap with if to choose to do do. That has been another pet peeve with Samsung. I don't know whether I'm better suited for the Suunto Fitness 3 or the Garmin Vivoactive 4? I used to run, am no longer able but I do teach fitness and still do workouts that aren't super high intensity cardio. I had also been interested in the Polar ignite but I haven't had the best luck with their watches. I appreciate your thorough reviews!!!
Me too.. But why don't we ask samsung to launch a product when it is ready instead of bugfixing on the fly? We can't expect to be reviewed after each major update...
You're a good guy. Going and doing a review in that weather. Thanks for this. The Active 2 was on my possible list but that HR monitor issue and all of the permissions. I think I will stick with my Garmin family!
I think it's "good enough" as a casual fitness tracker. Ignoring the "Active" in its name it's a companion device for your smartphone first and a fitness tracker second, at least that is what I'm experiencing with mine. And I think if you look at it like that it's a pretty nice watch. I'm a casual runner, I run my 5k in slightly over 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. I don't really care if it doesn't grab my heart rate perfectly. I don't care if it tracks my run as 0.1km longer or shorter than it really was. I just want a general indication about my health. And as a tech enthusiast I also wanted a good smartwatch. Before this one I had a Huawei Watch 2, I bought the Samsung Active 2 because Wear OS started to piss me off. From that standpoint alone I am very happy with my purchase. It is a good smartwatch that works way better than the one I used to have with more features that I can't wait to try. Battery life is pretty impressive as well. Mine is set to the most accurate GPS tracking and continuous HR tracking. I charged it this morning, left the house at 7 am, it is now 5 pm and I'm at 81%. That is pretty cool. So yeah, I like mine.
I'm looking at getting the 1st gen model but I'm tempted on the 2nd gen now, after reading your comments you sound similar to me from the active side of things which is good to read! How are you finding it so far and do you use Strava at all, that's what I use currently on my S20 Ultra and I'm hoping to continue using that.
@@JonSpittle Apparently the 1st gen model has issues with GPS tracking and the HR monitor, the 2nd generation improved that a lot. So far I'm loving it. It's way more responsive than my Wear OS watch and the display is way better (and larger). The digital bezel is also really handy and works well. I'm still impressed with battery life. It is still constantly tracking my heart rate and it looks like I can easily get three days out of it. I took it off the charger yesterday before I left the house at 7am again, now it's 5pm and I'm at 58%. I don't use Strava though, I use Samsung Health. I like using Samsung Health because the way I set it up it tracks everything for me, including my calories from my food tracker Lifesum and my weight from my Withings smart scale. It's all in one app which I find very handy.
@@MattisProbably Hey I am also looking into the galaxy active 2 or garmin venu although I do not run marathons I do my daily 3 miles every day. I really would like a decent heart rate tracker and run tracker. So far how has the galaxy active 2 done in those runs you do?
When was this? Because i have the most current update and it is about 30 seconds off per mile during my runs, not to mention the heartrate sensor thinks my hr is always 105 at rest.
Nice to see you running in the rain with samsung watch. Samsung gave me a hard time to get the watch repaired for free that is only 5months old. Not like garmin who replaced it without any question.
Hi Dc, First of all, thank you so much for your effort and time, your videos are the guides for my purchase decision. Allow me to share one disagreed point with you related to the heart rate results. I tested the active watch two against the Polar H10 into two different exercises as the following : 1- Running for 6 KM: the result was very identical between both devices, I didn't notice any drop from the active watch 2. 2- Football match from 130 minutes: as you know in football match there are a lot of sprints and Physical friction, still the watch performed very well, I witnessed about 5 seconds of inaccurate data, as the watch was showing my heart rate at point of 200 while the polar H10 was giving me 194 , but for the rest of reading it was in the range of 1 - 2 beats up or done. I will try to compare it with the new apple watch once I purchase it. Again thank you so much for your effort, my intention is only to give my opinion and personal experience. Thank & Regards, Alaa
Steps: 1. Look at competitors/ leaders to see what they execute well. 2. Find what the competition is missing. 3. Get feedback from sporty focus groups 4. Build, test, refine then launch. Why do Samsung miss on this? They dont need to reinvent the wheel. Use my 14 year old garmin forerunner 301 as a base - it was great! (Replaced now with a 235)
Great breakdown but as a Gear S3 Frontier owner, I think you may have not had the Active 2 in "high accuracy" mode. Once I switched the location to high accuracy mode, the tracking was WAY better. It does take a huge hit on the battery life but if you are a serious runner who values accuracy, it's worth it.
Thank you for another great fitness oriented review! Not many others out there really reviewing these watches for what people want to use them for. Also, you’ve got to wonder whether the latest Peanut is waiting until you get all your reviews out 🤔🤣
I have the venu, I like the venu, but it's overpriced-even at 300$ it's too much and not worth it. The question is what do you really need? How accurate does your data and GPS need to be? Do you just want to see where you ran or do you need that precise distance. 180bpm or 160-is that really important. If yes, then garmin, or maybe Polaris, if not, samsung. Also the venu, while it has an amazing screen, the os and apps are just not there. So what do you REALLY need?
The battery life is amazing though, easily it'll last a week (without GPS) but that's also because you cant do much with it but track workouts. No calorie counter, no real weightlifting app, not even a built in battery life monitor.
@@nugetta sorry, I actually returned the venu. I found what I really needed the Samsung galaxy provided. The venu was and is the perfect size, weight, and shape-with a great screen and battery life, but didn't fulfill my other needs. I don't remember how the weight training apps were but I find keeping a handwritten log works fine for me.
Thanks for a great review. I am new to the smartwatch arena and was very excited about the Active 2 and was looking to purchase the LTE / cellular version since I would like to leave my phone (Samsung Note 8) at home or at the office during short trips and exercises outside...that was until I had learned that there is no Google Map nor Google Assistant integration. I heard that there are workarounds to these 2 issues but seems that you will need to have your phone with you for it to work. I would love you hear your thoughts on this since these are currently deal breakers for me. Thank you.
Thanks for great review. One of the only reasons that I would get this watch for running is the ability to look at a map on my wrist, and be able to navigate without having to pull my phone out. Has that been something you've seen of any of use?
I am very interested in whether you enabled the "high accuracy" setting on the watch? It's supposedley designed to calculate your location more precisely.
I compared my running activities with 'high accuracy' switched ON and OFF, and the result with 'HA' enabled is more precise and nicely overlays the route on gmap
Man youre awesome, great and very detailed review, doesnt have seen sth on yt 👍👍👍🙂 If you can get your hand on GWA2, maybe u could test the hr accuracy again, because Samsung brought an update with more freq hr measuring 😉
Hi there! Great video and great channel! Could you do a video with ideas about what to do with all that data that we're collecting with our smart watches and how to use the data to improve our health, workouts, food intake, sleep and etc? Because we're generating a lot of data everyday, and if we don't take any advantage over them, they are useless.
Amazing review!! I tend to notice with my Samsung watches that their GPS accuracy improves over time running the same area (Polar M430 vs GWA1 for example).
In general it's not too shabby. Most GPS units tend to download GPS EPO data, which basically pre-caches the location. In my case, it's why i actually did some GPS tests/rides the day before - to ensure that data was n there.
Finally i found someone who makes comparison and details. I'm tired of switching watches. I used to use Fitbit but then realized it's way off sometimes so I choose active2 and now thinking to get the new garmin venu. I'm a gym guy so i found the samsung to have more workout. What do u think? And your right, first couple minutes in running heart rate in samsung very missy.
@@YellonCactus tell me more please...what was the problem from a fitness perspective...I'm not into smart watch and I'm looking to connect my Polar H10 to the ignite so I will get proper heart rate monitoring. What made you hate it ?
@@Alacod19 my hr seems ok and on point the resting hr is questionable my only choice of preference would be the Galaxy watch or versa and it seems the versa does a better job
I really like the in-dept testing of these watches. Really informative and good review. I guess for general gym goer and casual runner Samsung/Apple/Fitbit watches are good enough? But if you really want more accurate metrics have to go with Polar/Garmin etc. I found weight/HIIT training to throw off these watches completely. I have the OH1 and tested with the Fitbit Ionic for a Strength training class. The OH1 came back with ~300cal while the Fitbit was a whooping ~600cal burned. I think if you are keeping track of calories/eating this can be really bad thinking you burned ~600 when in reality it was around 300.
Exactly what I needed, thanks for the video! I'm looking for a smartwatch that can both track my sport (eMTB and hiking mostly, skiing and openwater swimming would be a great plus), be a cool smart device (useful enough to not get my phone out every time and nice enough to wear it every day) without breaking the bank (I'n looking at you, Apple Watch!) but everything seems to be lacking *something*: this one and the Garmin Vivoactive 3 are the ones I like the most, but this one clearly has loads of limitations in the fitness tracking while the other has only very basic notification integration... so close, yet so far!
@DC Rainmaker . I am new to your Channel, I was wondering if you had 2 things turn on when you did your run for the Samsung Active 2? 1. "High location accuracy" 2. "Measure continually" HR If this 2 are on would you see much of a difference? When you might be doing a second run? Thanks for your work. Last, part of a good fitness routine is sleep. Have you done a test in sleep tracking? If yes could you share the link? I "Liked" the video Thanks for the great video!
I chatted this evening with a rep from Samsung because I was considering buying the Active 2. I brought up the negative reviews about the tracking and the HR monitor. I asked if there was an update in the pipeline. He acknowledged that there was one. I asked if there was a timeline and he said no. I then asked about the promised ECG not being activated. He said they were still tweaking it. I asked if there was a timeline for this considering that we are close to month six and it was promised in early 2020. The reply was once again, no there none. When I told him that because of this, I would be purchasing a Garmin device, he replied, I am sorry about this". End of conversation.
Great video as always mate I had a Fenix 5X and a Galaxy gear watch previously but looking for a new alternative now. In your opinion whats the best Smartwatch, Fitness watch, Fitness+smartwatch and fitness band out there that you woul recommended?
Best overall smartwatch and fitness plus smartwatch is the Apple Watch 5. I have tried The Samsung Active2 , Polar Ignite, The Garmin 945(Best for fitness) , Mi Band 4, Amazfit Bip, HONOR Band 5(Best fitness band)
I just bought the Galaxy active 2 as my first smartwatch and I've got to say I am disappointed in Samsung. I also have a Galaxy s10 and thought it was weird that on the watch there is no Google maps or Google play store. Most of the decent apps on The Galaxy store have to be purchased. I like the fact that you can connect to Spotify or add your own music to the internal memory of the watch, but unfortunately not able to make playlists. It does have internet and RUclips but that doesn't justify the price point for a watch that can't or won't run any Google apps even though the Samsung phones can. Also no word on the ECG sensor. Imagine if the next galaxy phone that came out had no Google app store or Google maps support? I am going to be returning both watches that I bought and waiting for one that has Google features as well. I am not hating on Samsung at all I'm just disappointed because the watch had so much potential.
This is the best review I've seen. I'm soooo pissed though. I've had the garmin 645 and I love it, I only use it for bike swim and run. And thought that this would be able to do just as good of a job but this was depressing. Now I live in Norman Oklahoma USA and it's nowhere near as big or cluttered with buildings. Do you think that location can be an factor? Plus I usually turn the watch under hand so it's directly on my pulse. Wonder if that could be a factor?
Samsung has never made great gps watches. Had one in the past, brought it back. Was taking ages to get a gps fix and was hundreds of meters of track. Also, touch screens are not what you want on a sport watch. If you want a good workout/sport/running watch, buy Garmin!
Venu for sure. for running alone,. the GWA2 is pretty far off in regards to distances, both with and without GPS (not acceptable IMO). I might actually give my GWA2 to my brother and buy the Venu.
Fantastic review. Really bummed with the Active 2 results. Hopefully, it's a simple software fix and not a hardware issue. With all the smart watches you've reviewed, which one do you recommend the most at this point. Given that they all fail, which one is accurate most of the time? Seems like it may end up being the Apple Watch Series 4, but I could be wrong. Would love to know your opinion.
I'm glad I sent mine back today. For a watch with 'active' in the title, it seemed more like a secondary feature with Samsung going hard on the smartwatch features and less so on the sports. confirmed after watching this, thanks to DC. Samsung pay doesn't work with my bank! Stick with my trusty Suunto.
Iam gonna do the same with my SWA2. Really dissapointed with HR, calories burned (running/cycling) measurements. On cycling even worse it shows me than i burned 35 % less calories than on my wahoo and in running it shoots HR to 200 where i have normally 160
Thank you for making an honest review the run and the view was very nice . I mostly look at distance ran and GPS track . And from the looks of the Galaxy active 2 it wasn't accurate for the most part. On one mark it was way off. And this is a big deal for me .
Hi bro, really good review 👍 i suggest that when recording outdoor you should use a separate mic instead of the phone's mic so the sound quality could be better and the traffic and wind noise cannot go in 👍
@DC Rainmaker Ive got new Samsung Watch Active 2 on this saturday and already tested it with cycling and running and iam very dissapointed with quality of its HR and calories burned measurements. I have used Wahoo Element Bolt with Wahoo Run strap together against Samsung Watch Active 2. So, i have runned 9 kms. And on SWA2 ive got maximum HR of 204 and average HR of 180, but on Wahoo Element Bolt ive got maximum HR of 162 and average HR of 148. In cycling i went for 24 km ride on my road bike. Average speed on SWA2 was 33,8 km/h and on Wahoo 35,8km/h. On SWA2 ive got maximum HR of 188 and average HR of 151, but on Wahoo Element Bolt ive got maximum HR of 191 and average HR of 170. Calories burned on SWA2 was 445 at the end of the ride and on Element Bolt was 685 which is a huge difference. Iam about to send SWA2 back to Samsung.
That intro tho! So good!
Thanks!!!
Will you be reviewing the Active2?
@@Dcrainmaker Songname pls
@@gudamzanaja The intro/exit song is No Cry/Fasion, from Epidemic: www.epidemicsound.com/track/I6ricSl713 - The song during the running timelapse is '9-5/Blaeker', also on Epidemic.
Best review that I've ever witnessed on RUclips. Nobody goes in this much details using maps and different gadgets. I can imagine the hard work putin in making such an elaborate video.Hats off to you. Keep up the good work. I am subscribing to your channel.
Thanks!!!
Hey Folks - Thanks for watching! Oh, in case you're wondering about ECG - it's not enabled yet (hence why I didn't test it). As soon as it is, I'll circle back with more! And don't forget you can check out the data set (raw files) up top in the description. Enjoy!
Seems like they're going to have a difficult time with EKG certification with such poor HR performance. Mine just came in the mail today, so I was looking forward to seeing some reviews. I'm a bit disappointed in the results, have to say. Hopefully I have better luck!
Really disappointed with the HR monitoring. Thought Samsung would have improved it enough to challenge others. Guess I'm on the Garmin Venu boat now. Looking forward to your review of that one
@@MC-eh2ot Agree. I got rid of my Galaxy Watch (and the Gear S3 for that matter) because of the poor tracking. This HAS to be software related. The hardware is there.
@@ZachGrabill what watch did you go with?
@@MC-eh2ot I've had almost as many as DC. The watch I got after that was a Garmin Fenix 5, and the activity tracking was amazing, but I missed the smartwatch features. Made the platform switch to Apple and the Apple Watch, and really loved it, my favorite single piece of tech, but don't like iOS. So I'm back to the Active 2 to give it a whirl.
You and Dez Fit are the only Wearable reviews I trust. Thank you for work man.
Thanks, Des rocks!
and also TechyAgent
TechyAgent too
Nam Hoai he hasn’t been reviewing as much lately.
So do I
I returned the Galaxy watch last year... Because it missed a lot of my steps... I just got this one today the active 2 and I'm noticing it's struggling with capturing all my steps also... Other than that I love the watch!!! You are probably the only review our I've seen on RUclips that has dinged it for the inaccuracy of the step count...
Your review was great. You gave everyone a actually review of the watch while in motion instead of talking about the specs like everyone else. This is important to me since I am coming from the Fitbit series. Once again, Thank You!
just FYI Active 2 did a gps rework and it should be much more accurate.
The review I've been waiting for
Thanks!
Really interesting, thanks! It's a bit niche (5% of your audience?), but it would be great if you can do running watch videos in which you do an automatic and/or manual structured workout with your favorite 3rd party app for each smartwatch and to take us through the UX- workout building, in-workout experience, and post workout review. It's the little things- ease of pressing buttons, getting the right data screens, constructing the workout, etc.- that make all the difference for those of us doing structured training. I think lots of "serious" runners would like to know if/when using a Apple, Android Wear or Tizen smartwatch will be good enough to replace the dedicated running watches.
Good idea! And a good rainy day kinda video. Well, I mean, not this kind of rain though.
DC Rainmaker That would be fantastic! You’re the best!
+1
probably more than 5% :D
Pulled the trigger on this on Pre-order main draw for me is smart watch function (miss my Sony SW3 which I only gave up on as it didn't do HR etc and was only good for Smartwatch function) a Big pull for me is the ability to answer a phone call when stuck up a ladder at work without having to try to get my phone out of my pocket. Used the HR on 'exercise bike' mode when doing an indoor ride and (without using the analyser) found it tracked pretty much beat for beat with my Tickr X after a slow start, don't think they were ever more than 2 beats apart.
It was a toss up between this and Garmin active 4 but smart won out over fitness for my needs.
I'm impressed with the bloke cycling through the park with his umbrella over his head, It could catch on, added resistance when you have no hills locally :)
Over the past few years, I've had several GPS watches - Apple, Garmin, Polar.. and HRM's (chest and arm). None are as accurate as advertised.
Personally I think we expect too much of GPS in small devices - just think of all the various radio waves and stuff floating about today.
My most accurate combo is my trusty, but old, Garmin XT735 paired with a OH1.
The Stryd is the way to go for accuracy
Galaxy watch 3
Thank you!!! This is exactly what I'm looking for, an athletic review on its workout capabilities.
thank you for running in the rain for us!!!! do you think the heart rate issue can be fixed in an update or are we pretty much stuck with it?
Excellent review and particularly well illustration on user interface, HR and GPS accuracy. Very good reference for anyone interested in the latest wearable from Samsung.
Thanks!
Around November there were a bunch of updates pushed including GPS fix, crash detection, and ekg. Since then there has been a huge improvement in the GPS. When I would ride with Garmin tracker, phone and active 2, the active 2 was always the worst, but since the update its almost dead on with my Garmin 810.
i dont know why people watch stuff like The Verge... thanks for your reviews... so as Desfit's
Thanks - Des is awesome!
Thank you for running in the rain for us😃
Just want to thank you. I miss Amsterdam, so good to see it! Great video 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks! Yeah, I'm trying to feature this amazing city more and more within my videos...though, yesterday's weather is making me think otherwise!
Nice sound effect @ 2:34s :)
And then another one, though not so good, here @ 14:00s :)
And then finally, a muted one here @ 14:11s ;)
Enjoy :)
Best review I've seen so far, by far. Thanks!! Great work!
Great thoroughness and you're my go to for fitness reviews. However, "When I went to bed it still said 22 hours of battery life left. When I woke up some, you know, 4 hours later it was dead. So that's kind of a bit of a bummer." I'd say it that happens, it really invalidates the product.
That cant be true. Unless hes got gps high accuracy, wifi and hes streaming spotify all night while hes asleep
Hi DC Rainmaker. Awesome video. Good to see someone is testing the accuracy properly. I'm a swimmer, so interested to see how it performs in a pool. Can you please do a pool test for the active 2 showing accuracy of lap counting.
Would like to know this too! Ive been researching fitness trackers trying to find the best one for swimming accuracy
It's being reported that Samsung just pushed out an update for the GWA2 this morning which lists improvements of Bug Fix for GPS and Improved GPS Performance. I wonder if that will help with some of the GPS issues you reported? The new build ends in BSI9
Would love to see an updated review and if he could explore the high accuracy setting too...
It didn’t unfortunately even now .
I am planning to change to Apple Series 5 just because of The DAMN INACCURATE HR Sensor. While resting it showed I had 179 BPM While Watching this video. GPS Is good tho
@@redmeg78 hi just corious, why is it so important to know your heart rate?
I'm sticking with my Active 2,,,and Active 1 watches. They may not be the latest and greatest on the market right now, but they're still giving me all the features and functions I want and need compared to the Apples watch. And its a really good upgrade from my fitbit Ionic.
Thank you for the indepth review. I'm glad I bought my Garmin 245 and didn't wait for this. Samsung isn't quite there yet. Between you and DesFit, I'm well informed on products prior to purchase. Thank you again.
I've had a number of the Samsung watches and my favorite part was the "smartwatch" but I have never been a huge fan of the fitness part. They just don't seem to get it right which is a shame. I've been trying to pick a new watch - tired of my Versa - and I would really like something fairly accurate on the treadmill; weights (or intervals); bootcamp and that I can pair a HR strap with if to choose to do do. That has been another pet peeve with Samsung. I don't know whether I'm better suited for the Suunto Fitness 3 or the Garmin Vivoactive 4? I used to run, am no longer able but I do teach fitness and still do workouts that aren't super high intensity cardio. I had also been interested in the Polar ignite but I haven't had the best luck with their watches. I appreciate your thorough reviews!!!
the Hr belt does not work in glaxy active 2
@dcrainmaker I would love to see an accuracy test of the active 2 now that it's been updated!
Me too.
me too!
Me too.. But why don't we ask samsung to launch a product when it is ready instead of bugfixing on the fly? We can't expect to be reviewed after each major update...
Can confirm. Not accurate 🙄
@@istvantiborborgos7546 they might be doing that this year because it's been almost a year and a half since the watch active 2
Wind? Cold? Raining? Perfekt!
You're a good guy. Going and doing a review in that weather. Thanks for this. The Active 2 was on my possible list but that HR monitor issue and all of the permissions. I think I will stick with my Garmin family!
I think it's "good enough" as a casual fitness tracker.
Ignoring the "Active" in its name it's a companion device for your smartphone first and a fitness tracker second, at least that is what I'm experiencing with mine. And I think if you look at it like that it's a pretty nice watch.
I'm a casual runner, I run my 5k in slightly over 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. I don't really care if it doesn't grab my heart rate perfectly. I don't care if it tracks my run as 0.1km longer or shorter than it really was. I just want a general indication about my health.
And as a tech enthusiast I also wanted a good smartwatch. Before this one I had a Huawei Watch 2, I bought the Samsung Active 2 because Wear OS started to piss me off.
From that standpoint alone I am very happy with my purchase. It is a good smartwatch that works way better than the one I used to have with more features that I can't wait to try.
Battery life is pretty impressive as well. Mine is set to the most accurate GPS tracking and continuous HR tracking. I charged it this morning, left the house at 7 am, it is now 5 pm and I'm at 81%. That is pretty cool.
So yeah, I like mine.
I'm looking at getting the 1st gen model but I'm tempted on the 2nd gen now, after reading your comments you sound similar to me from the active side of things which is good to read! How are you finding it so far and do you use Strava at all, that's what I use currently on my S20 Ultra and I'm hoping to continue using that.
@@JonSpittle Apparently the 1st gen model has issues with GPS tracking and the HR monitor, the 2nd generation improved that a lot.
So far I'm loving it. It's way more responsive than my Wear OS watch and the display is way better (and larger). The digital bezel is also really handy and works well.
I'm still impressed with battery life. It is still constantly tracking my heart rate and it looks like I can easily get three days out of it. I took it off the charger yesterday before I left the house at 7am again, now it's 5pm and I'm at 58%.
I don't use Strava though, I use Samsung Health. I like using Samsung Health because the way I set it up it tracks everything for me, including my calories from my food tracker Lifesum and my weight from my Withings smart scale. It's all in one app which I find very handy.
@@MattisProbably Hey I am also looking into the galaxy active 2 or garmin venu although I do not run marathons I do my daily 3 miles every day. I really would like a decent heart rate tracker and run tracker. So far how has the galaxy active 2 done in those runs you do?
Samsung released update for watch active 2 to fix GPS issues.
They’ve been saying that for 3 years.
When was this? Because i have the most current update and it is about 30 seconds off per mile during my runs, not to mention the heartrate sensor thinks my hr is always 105 at rest.
Rainmaker makes it rain :) Thank you, would like to see more Samsungs, as much as I dont like them, although using daily..
Great information, really appreciate all your reviews. Really saves from making a poor purchase.
Much appreciated!
Finally👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Love You DcRainmaker💜
The best thing about the Active 2 is that it's NOT Apple!
Totally agree, although the worst thing is that is IS Samsung
but that's were the good things end
Apple is more accurate
tbh its better than apple
Wish it was more accurate.
Nice to see you running in the rain with samsung watch. Samsung gave me a hard time to get the watch repaired for free that is only 5months old. Not like garmin who replaced it without any question.
I wonder if there's a way he can do kind of an update. Since there have been updates and improvements to the battery and tracking as well as GPS
Hi Dc,
First of all, thank you so much for your effort and time, your videos are the guides for my purchase decision.
Allow me to share one disagreed point with you related to the heart rate results.
I tested the active watch two against the Polar H10 into two different exercises as the following :
1- Running for 6 KM: the result was very identical between both devices, I didn't notice any drop from the active watch 2.
2- Football match from 130 minutes: as you know in football match there are a lot of sprints and Physical friction, still the watch performed very well, I witnessed about 5 seconds of inaccurate data, as the watch was showing my heart rate at point of 200 while the polar H10 was giving me 194 , but for the rest of reading it was in the range of 1 - 2 beats up or done.
I will try to compare it with the new apple watch once I purchase it.
Again thank you so much for your effort, my intention is only to give my opinion and personal experience.
Thank & Regards,
Alaa
Hi! Do you know if you got these results before or after the software update Samsung released yesterday?
@@bjrnaresterlie4049 Hi , that was before 3 days , and for the time being I didn't receive any update for the active 2 ...
@@Alaa-ff7zi Ok, would appreciate if you can update me upon further testing. Especially if you get the update.. 👍🙂
@@bjrnaresterlie4049 sure thing , will have a football match next Monday, hopefully I will receive the update ...
Great review. Never the less, keep in mind the updates to the watch!
Steps:
1. Look at competitors/ leaders to see what they execute well.
2. Find what the competition is missing.
3. Get feedback from sporty focus groups
4. Build, test, refine then launch.
Why do Samsung miss on this? They dont need to reinvent the wheel. Use my 14 year old garmin forerunner 301 as a base - it was great! (Replaced now with a 235)
Great breakdown but as a Gear S3 Frontier owner, I think you may have not had the Active 2 in "high accuracy" mode. Once I switched the location to high accuracy mode, the tracking was WAY better. It does take a huge hit on the battery life but if you are a serious runner who values accuracy, it's worth it.
You started right in front of my house, that's cool. Thanks for the video!
See ya around the neighborhood!
Thank you for another great fitness oriented review! Not many others out there really reviewing these watches for what people want to use them for. Also, you’ve got to wonder whether the latest Peanut is waiting until you get all your reviews out 🤔🤣
Apparently P3 has decided the outside world is sketchy. She's staying put I guess!
very nice review, i have a simple question : would you prefer Garmin Venu or that samsung galaxy active 2 ?
Garmin is better for sports
I have the venu, I like the venu, but it's overpriced-even at 300$ it's too much and not worth it. The question is what do you really need? How accurate does your data and GPS need to be? Do you just want to see where you ran or do you need that precise distance. 180bpm or 160-is that really important. If yes, then garmin, or maybe Polaris, if not, samsung. Also the venu, while it has an amazing screen, the os and apps are just not there. So what do you REALLY need?
The battery life is amazing though, easily it'll last a week (without GPS) but that's also because you cant do much with it but track workouts. No calorie counter, no real weightlifting app, not even a built in battery life monitor.
@@nugetta sorry, I actually returned the venu. I found what I really needed the Samsung galaxy provided. The venu was and is the perfect size, weight, and shape-with a great screen and battery life, but didn't fulfill my other needs. I don't remember how the weight training apps were but I find keeping a handwritten log works fine for me.
Thanks for a great review. I am new to the smartwatch arena and was very excited about the Active 2 and was looking to purchase the LTE / cellular version since I would like to leave my phone (Samsung Note 8) at home or at the office during short trips and exercises outside...that was until I had learned that there is no Google Map nor Google Assistant integration. I heard that there are workarounds to these 2 issues but seems that you will need to have your phone with you for it to work. I would love you hear your thoughts on this since these are currently deal breakers for me. Thank you.
Thanks for great review. One of the only reasons that I would get this watch for running is the ability to look at a map on my wrist, and be able to navigate without having to pull my phone out. Has that been something you've seen of any of use?
Only if you use HERE (we go) maps. There are Google Maps workarounds, but frankly, they all suck.
Great video! Thank you. Might there be a chance to get a video about the desktop applications from the most relevant sports watches? All the best!
Great review as always. Thank you so much.
Thanks, much appreciated!
“Dumpster Fire Status” ... ouch ...
Not wrong though. I have the galaxy watch and the heart rate monitor is shit house.
What's more ironic than Ironman ironing?
DCRainmaker "making" a video in the "rain". 😎
I am very interested in whether you enabled the "high accuracy" setting on the watch? It's supposedley designed to calculate your location more precisely.
Hi DC Rainmaker, can you, please, give an answer to this question?
@@IvanMurat I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think he will. Meaning anyone watching this will have to take his data with a grain of salt.
Yeah I'm keen to know too. Turning on the high accuracy setting could make all the difference.
@@stevehollard9612 Someone did a video after the recent GPS update, and with high accuracy on. ruclips.net/video/CNwwwOkdlAM/видео.html
I compared my running activities with 'high accuracy' switched ON and OFF, and the result with 'HA' enabled is more precise and nicely overlays the route on gmap
Another awesome review. Different than anything on RUclips. 👍
Welcome to Holland during fall and winter. You should see the sun again in 6 months. :-)))
Man youre awesome, great and very detailed review, doesnt have seen sth on yt 👍👍👍🙂
If you can get your hand on GWA2, maybe u could test the hr accuracy again, because Samsung brought an update with more freq hr measuring 😉
Thank you for the complete review. I just saw after I bought active2. Shame on me! Keep up the good work.
Just saved me some money buying the wrong watch mate. Keep it up. Cheers
Hi there! Great video and great channel!
Could you do a video with ideas about what to do with all that data that we're collecting with our smart watches and how to use the data to improve our health, workouts, food intake, sleep and etc?
Because we're generating a lot of data everyday, and if we don't take any advantage over them, they are useless.
Amazing review!! I tend to notice with my Samsung watches that their GPS accuracy improves over time running the same area (Polar M430 vs GWA1 for example).
In general it's not too shabby. Most GPS units tend to download GPS EPO data, which basically pre-caches the location. In my case, it's why i actually did some GPS tests/rides the day before - to ensure that data was n there.
@@Dcrainmaker incredible work!! Yeah I agree, that's why I have the Polar. Still run with the smartwatch along side it for music :)
Finally i found someone who makes comparison and details. I'm tired of switching watches. I used to use Fitbit but then realized it's way off sometimes so I choose active2 and now thinking to get the new garmin venu. I'm a gym guy so i found the samsung to have more workout. What do u think? And your right, first couple minutes in running heart rate in samsung very missy.
Why polar so expensive? What makes it special?
Dutch? Liked&Subscribed instantly, goed bezig in dit heerlijke weer ;-)
Thank you... you just saved me from buying it...I'm gonna buy Polar Ignite instead 👍
@@YellonCactus tell me more please...what was the problem from a fitness perspective...I'm not into smart watch and I'm looking to connect my Polar H10 to the ignite so I will get proper heart rate monitoring. What made you hate it ?
@@Joeknowsit-ALL the Hr belt does not work in glaxy active 2
Oh how I've been waiting for this to see if it's better than the versa 2
Does the versa 2 have gps now or do you still need to use your phone?
@@Henry.mp4 still need to use your phone but I'll take that over inaccurate HR and calories any day
@@TamimTech22 just returned my versa 2 HR was way off or really lagging
@@Alacod19 my hr seems ok and on point the resting hr is questionable my only choice of preference would be the Galaxy watch or versa and it seems the versa does a better job
Great review! For working out, do you prefer Strava or Samsung Health?
I really like the in-dept testing of these watches. Really informative and good review.
I guess for general gym goer and casual runner Samsung/Apple/Fitbit watches are good enough? But if you really want more accurate metrics have to go with Polar/Garmin etc. I found weight/HIIT training to throw off these watches completely. I have the OH1 and tested with the Fitbit Ionic for a Strength training class. The OH1 came back with ~300cal while the Fitbit was a whooping ~600cal burned. I think if you are keeping track of calories/eating this can be really bad thinking you burned ~600 when in reality it was around 300.
My OH1 came with 291 calories at the end of a 20 minute HIIT, while my Apple watch came with 288 so ....
Exactly what I needed, thanks for the video!
I'm looking for a smartwatch that can both track my sport (eMTB and hiking mostly, skiing and openwater swimming would be a great plus), be a cool smart device (useful enough to not get my phone out every time and nice enough to wear it every day) without breaking the bank (I'n looking at you, Apple Watch!) but everything seems to be lacking *something*: this one and the Garmin Vivoactive 3 are the ones I like the most, but this one clearly has loads of limitations in the fitness tracking while the other has only very basic notification integration... so close, yet so far!
@DC Rainmaker .
I am new to your Channel, I was wondering if you had 2 things turn on when you did your run for the Samsung Active 2?
1. "High location accuracy"
2. "Measure continually" HR
If this 2 are on would you see much of a difference?
When you might be doing a second run? Thanks for your work.
Last, part of a good fitness routine is sleep. Have you done a test in sleep tracking? If yes could you share the link?
I "Liked" the video
Thanks for the great video!
The Mapmyrun app is actually pretty accurate. I compared it to my 4runner Garmin and it was almost identical.
I chatted this evening with a rep from Samsung because I was considering
buying the Active 2. I brought up the negative reviews about the
tracking and the HR monitor. I asked if there was an update in the
pipeline. He acknowledged that there was one. I asked if there was a
timeline and he said no. I then asked about the promised ECG not being
activated. He said they were still tweaking it. I asked if there was a
timeline for this considering that we are close to month six and it was
promised in early 2020. The reply was once again, no there none. When I
told him that because of this, I would be purchasing a Garmin device, he
replied, I am sorry about this". End of conversation.
Good details, can you test it's HRM accuracy while swimming ?
Yeah DC, a pool test would be appreciated. Thanks
Samsung as swimming tracker is laughable.
The real rainmaker
Great video as always mate I had a Fenix 5X and a Galaxy gear watch previously but looking for a new alternative now. In your opinion whats the best Smartwatch, Fitness watch, Fitness+smartwatch and fitness band out there that you woul recommended?
Best overall smartwatch and fitness plus smartwatch is the Apple Watch 5. I have tried The Samsung Active2 , Polar Ignite, The Garmin 945(Best for fitness) , Mi Band 4, Amazfit Bip, HONOR Band 5(Best fitness band)
This watch years later keeps canceling my workout.
I just bought the Galaxy active 2 as my first smartwatch and I've got to say I am disappointed in Samsung. I also have a Galaxy s10 and thought it was weird that on the watch there is no Google maps or Google play store. Most of the decent apps on The Galaxy store have to be purchased. I like the fact that you can connect to Spotify or add your own music to the internal memory of the watch, but unfortunately not able to make playlists. It does have internet and RUclips but that doesn't justify the price point for a watch that can't or won't run any Google apps even though the Samsung phones can. Also no word on the ECG sensor. Imagine if the next galaxy phone that came out had no Google app store or Google maps support? I am going to be returning both watches that I bought and waiting for one that has Google features as well. I am not hating on Samsung at all I'm just disappointed because the watch had so much potential.
Nice review, subbed, I feel you could do a really good Kermit impression :-)
Can you please do a pool test, accuracy of counting laps. By the way, I have subscribed 😊
I thought it was only "drip proof" IP68. So it's not made for water. Or at elast i thought so.
@@juliakercsmar6587 The Active 2 can handle 5 ATM (40-50 meters depth). Don't know about the others
For Gym based activities which one would you recommend.
Active 2 , Polar ignite,or.....
Garmin
Polar Ignite will be good for that, using it for one month and happy i bought it. 👍
@@MaartensStory which Garmin?
@@eyesusmekonnen4046 forerunner or the fenix
@@MaartensStory how about Venu? Fenix 6 and forerunner are much expensive than Venu and GWA2
Great video! I have a question. Do I need my phone with me when running with Endomondo on the Active 2?
Can you please do another test after the GPS software update?
Great review. I love how comprehensive you are. Have you had a chance to test out the GPS again? I hear there was a recent update that improved it.
Hello! Epic videos... Can you amswer whether it is possible to connect an external Hrm? If so which one? Thanks
This is the best review I've seen. I'm soooo pissed though. I've had the garmin 645 and I love it, I only use it for bike swim and run. And thought that this would be able to do just as good of a job but this was depressing. Now I live in Norman Oklahoma USA and it's nowhere near as big or cluttered with buildings. Do you think that location can be an factor? Plus I usually turn the watch under hand so it's directly on my pulse. Wonder if that could be a factor?
How is the screen's sensitivity when you're using it with wet/sweaty hands? thanks for this review
Samsung has never made great gps watches. Had one in the past, brought it back. Was taking ages to get a gps fix and was hundreds of meters of track. Also, touch screens are not what you want on a sport watch. If you want a good workout/sport/running watch, buy Garmin!
The Apple watch is also pretty good.
Do you know a way to share my Samsung watch activity information with my friends who have Apple watch??
Which smartwatch should I buy to activities like running, gym, swimming etc.?
Garmin Venu or Active 2?
Venu for sure. for running alone,. the GWA2 is pretty far off in regards to distances, both with and without GPS (not acceptable IMO). I might actually give my GWA2 to my brother and buy the Venu.
@@DylanTK Do u think watch gt2 by huawei can beat Avtive 2 or it's similar gps? Im also thinking about Fossil 5gen
Which is better the active 2 or fossil gen 5?
Fantastic review. Really bummed with the Active 2 results. Hopefully, it's a simple software fix and not a hardware issue. With all the smart watches you've reviewed, which one do you recommend the most at this point. Given that they all fail, which one is accurate most of the time? Seems like it may end up being the Apple Watch Series 4, but I could be wrong. Would love to know your opinion.
Thx for your hard work
Thanks!
I'm glad I sent mine back today. For a watch with 'active' in the title, it seemed more like a secondary feature with Samsung going hard on the smartwatch features and less so on the sports. confirmed after watching this, thanks to DC. Samsung pay doesn't work with my bank! Stick with my trusty Suunto.
Iam gonna do the same with my SWA2. Really dissapointed with HR, calories burned (running/cycling) measurements. On cycling even worse it shows me than i burned 35 % less calories than on my wahoo and in running it shoots HR to 200 where i have normally 160
AH! Een Nederlander! Groetjes uit België!
Ik heb nog geen problemen gehad met de Active 2, behalve dat de hartslagmeter soms verkeerd meet.
Yeah, when I visited the rijksmuseum it was that wet - but I still miss Amsterdam
Thank you for making an honest review the run and the view was very nice .
I mostly look at distance ran and GPS track . And from the looks of the Galaxy active 2 it wasn't accurate for the most part. On one mark it was way off. And this is a big deal for me .
Thank you. I was waiting on your review for the Samsung Active 2.Will I buy it? Right now I have it on pre order. Will see how I like it.
Great video. Thank you, rly good content.
Hi bro, really good review 👍 i suggest that when recording outdoor you should use a separate mic instead of the phone's mic so the sound quality could be better and the traffic and wind noise cannot go in 👍
Yeah, normally I do, but for the weather like that a GoPro is really the only viable solution.
Super video! Thanks
Thanks!
@DC Rainmaker Ive got new Samsung Watch Active 2 on this saturday and already tested it with cycling and running and iam very dissapointed with quality of its HR and calories burned measurements.
I have used Wahoo Element Bolt with Wahoo Run strap together against Samsung Watch Active 2.
So, i have runned 9 kms. And on SWA2 ive got maximum HR of 204 and average HR of 180, but on Wahoo Element Bolt ive got maximum HR of 162 and average HR of 148.
In cycling i went for 24 km ride on my road bike. Average speed on SWA2 was 33,8 km/h and on Wahoo 35,8km/h. On SWA2 ive got maximum HR of 188 and average HR of 151, but on Wahoo Element Bolt ive got maximum HR of 191 and average HR of 170. Calories burned on SWA2 was 445 at the end of the ride and on Element Bolt was 685 which is a huge difference.
Iam about to send SWA2 back to Samsung.
Thanks dude, nice physical review you should try a gym review next.
I'm still getting it. Mainly want it for the positive feedbacks and motivational messages 🤷🏼♂️
Paying 300 dollars for a Watch to tell you that you're great...? hmmmm
@@ferfer9999 I'm a millionaire, so 300 is not much to me
@@BradSD25 you wouldn't mind donating me a Watch Active than, would you? 👌🙀
@@ferfer9999 I might. Let me think about it. What color do you want?
@@BradSD25 A black one would be awesome