So... I've got some Samsung credit to use... Samsung Active2?

So we managed to cash in on some Samsung credits when we acquired our Note 20 Ultra phones. $150 credit per phone. $300 in credit toward a curated list of mobile-centric items. Chargers, cases, UV sanitizers, Android tablets, Chromebooks, and smart watches. Well, we've got cases, we've got chargers, there is a ratio of 5 computer devices to one individual in our house, we don't need tablets or Chromebooks... neither of us is keen on earbuds... so that leaves us with Smart Watches. I finally managed to shake myself of the feeling of phantom vibrations from my 1st gen Pebble. And yet here I am. I'm not keen on leaving money on the table, especially $300 worth. I had thought I could apply this credit toward a TV or something else, but... not the case. You pick from their list, and that's it.

Now with watches, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage. I've got skinny wrists. I'm not a hulking monster that can make any watch look good. No, I'm a skinny twig, with even a modest watch looking like a misplaced item. My wrists are 50mm in diameter and 16cm in circumference. Wooo! *flex* *watch falls off* *sigh* The Mrs. isn't far behind with just 47mm diameter, and 15cm circumference.

I know that smart watches don't have a long lifespan, so spending a significant amount of money on one isn't in the cards. The offering we're looking at is the Galaxy Watch Active2 40mm for$179.99 and Active2 44mm for $199.99. $20 more for 4mm more. But when I've got a 50mm diameter, that 44mm is going to be a giant mass on my twig of a wrist.

That, and is the Active2 even worth spending anything on? I've not looked at watches as a purchase ever, so I'm approaching this with no knowledge. I'd end up paying $30 or $50 for either watch. The better half, Mrs. HC would want one as well, so multiply that by two. $60+tax for two 40mm watches isn't bad, if they're worth it.

So... about that size? 40mm seems like the size for me I think. Thoughts?

The watch... Thoughts on that model?

 

Yeah, I would go for the 40mm and when you get it, look for a replacement strap that has better fit. I have big hands but thin wrists.

I love my smartwatch, but not entirely sure they fill a real need beyond what a dumb watch does. I do like getting messages on the phone, but it's limited to text. I do like the fitness functions that allow me to collect data on various activities. It keeps me motivated. I suspect there may be things I don't know about that might make a difference if you have Samsung phones. I don't. Other than that, it's fun to play with watch faces. But need... hard to say. But for $60 for two-- I'd do it in a flash.

 

HC - I would go with the larger watch - it has a larger battery plus a larger display and the older you get, you'll appreciate larger displays to show larger fonts.

The watch band will make a difference. I actually use bigger - thicker bands to accommodate the larger watches - plus I have larger wrist (don't have the measurements). My Pebble watch is thinner and to use a larger watch band looks out of place.

I'll snap a pic of the watches and bands on my phone and send it later.

Good luck. Mrs scjjtt likes her Galaxy watch. We will keep her $10 fee so it can receive and send calls and texts when she is away from her phone. I have to keep the $10 fee through May (it will be the end of the 2 years). We took that deal to get 2 for 1 when we purchased the watches.

Good luck - we're all excited to see and hear what you get!

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab A (10.1") /128GB using Tapatalk

 

Here's a good quick read - I may be totally wrong on going with the larger screen for you. Yes, you have a larger battery, but if it isn't comfortable and you end up not using it - it is a waste of money.


What size Galaxy Watch Active 2 should you buy: 40mm or 44mm? | Android Central

https://www.androidcentral.com/what-size-galaxy-watch-active-2-should-you-buy


Here is the pic I promised...

(Edit - P.S. I did have more than 0 steps today - today I used my Samsung watch and not my Asus watch. If I take it off of Airplane mode it will eventually get the steps from my Phone's Fit app)




Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab A (10.1") /128GB using Tapatalk

 

The watchband on your Samsung Galaxy Watch looks exactly like the one I have (I got mine from Amazon). Fit's very nicely, very secure.

 

Thank you, Scott and Hook. The review link is great!

I am not a fan of bulk on my wrists. I am also cursed with sensitivity to textures and sensations of closeness / rubbing of garments / accessories. It usually doesn't flare up often, but when it does, a watch & bracelets and necklaces have to come off asap, and shirts have to be as far away from my collarbone as possible. If the watch isn't a good fit, I will never wear it. I just so happen to be in the midst of one of these episodes. :/

My previous watches have been Swatch Skin watches which are very low profile and around 35mm diameter.

So while the bigger battery sounds great, it may come with the side effect of not being worn. Wish I could try one on, but I am not gonna risk C19 to find out.

I did find an article about sizing of watches. It recommends 44mm or larger watches for much larger wrists than what we have. Now of course that is a recommendation and you can purchase as you see fit.

https://grayton-watches.com/blogs/urban-diaries/how-to-pick-the-perfect-watch-for-your-hand-size

Sent from my Samsung Note 20 Ultra using Tapatalk

 

The Mrs. And I are on day three of our Active2 watches. I am glad I went with the smaller size watch. It is bulky as is, but not to the point where I won't wear it. She got the rose gold to match her phone, and I got black.

For me, this immediately flooded me with déjà vu from my days with my Pebble. It certainly is a huge step up in design and implementation. Admittedly it still feels like a solution in need of a problem. It feeds your craving to be connected all the time. Giving you stats and updates you never knew you needed, and then reminding you that you need to know about them right now.

The Mrs. is trying to figure out how to use her Active2 to replace her very aged Fitbit Flex. At least the Active2 tells time unlike her Flex.

I managed to shut down all the persistent notifications that show up on my phone when connected to my watch. Clean notifications are like "inbox 0" for me. No clutter, no mess.

We used about 30% charge for a full day and a few hours of use. Given the back-lit screen, health monitoring, LTE, and immeasurable accidental screen activations, that's not too bad.

Not sure I will do anything more with mine than what is included out of the box. I will enjoy watching the Mrs. explore and enjoy hers as she sees fit.

Sent from my Samsung Note 20 Ultra using Tapatalk

 

Back when I was pondering whether or not to get a smartwatch I was wary of just that: having a device that wouldn't let me at peace any time of day or night. Turns out it's easy to fine tune the watch/phone combo to your personal taste. Having a Samsung phone surely makes things more smooth than with another brand, although I haven't tested that. To avoid being overwhelmed by notifications I keep just a minimum of apps connected to the Wearable app: WhatsApp, Outlook, and Gmail. All other apps are not allowed to send notifications to the watch. I keep my phone in silent mode, relying on the vibration on my wrist to alert me. I have a few quick responses on the watch, but I seldom use them. Maybe my life is boring and not many things are urgent anymore ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . At night, I have the "do not disturb" option set to fire up at 10 pm until 6 am, and this syncs to the watch also. I have WhatsApp set as an exception, in case my wife or kids need to talk to me. Since it's not possible to filter allowed contacts on WhatsApp (at least as far as I know) I have a second best method to avoid having people interrupt my sleep: if someone writes or calls me at night, I warn them that next time I will block them permanently. But my life must really be boring, because I've issued the warning just once so far .

 

I've got my phone set to do not disturb from 10pm to 7am, and I've conveniently found that the Active2 automatically recognizes that and is also in do not disturb during those same times. That's a nice feature. Only my immediate family uses WhatsApp for communication, so for now, I don't have to worry about anybody calling / messaging unexpectedly via that route.

Having a watch made by Samsung does seem to lend itself to better integration, but it still feels a bit clunky. Android on the mobile, Tizen on the watch. Unless you pay attention, you likely wouldn't even know that. They make it pretty transparent. But ultimately, the way you have to search for apps, faces, etc, is very reminiscent of the Pebble, and that's where it feels a bit disjointed & clunky. I'm probably a bit nitpicky too. *insert crotchety old man yelling and waiving his walking stick about*

I've got my notifications trimmed down and I've disabled new applications from automatically adding themselves to the queue. I'll have to see which of my enabled notifications drive me nuts and ultimately get disabled.

I did see that Hook found a watch-face that he liked, which did look nice. I've gotta go digging to see if I can find that post.

 

I think you mean the watchface Hook mentioned in this post. It is very nice, and the devs have other fine watchfaces. Worth taking a look

Since my Galaxy Watch is the first smartwatch I've owned, I have no baseline to compare against, so I can't tell whether or not it's a clunky system. Integration feels smooth enough IMO.