The Active 2 from Samsung and Gen 5 from Fossil are two of the best-rated smartwatches on the market. Each of these two has got a great design with nice features to match. So in this post, I compare the Samsung Galaxy Active 2 vs Fossil Gen 5 head-to-head to find out which of these two is a better smartwatch. As you may know, the Active 2 is available in LTE and Bluetooth only, but featured in this comparison is the Active 2 44mm Bluetooth only model.
Fossil Gen 5 vs Samsung Galaxy Active 2: Specifications Compared
| Fossil Gen 5 | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) (bluetooth only) | |
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ABOUT DEVICE |
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| Device name | Fossil Gen 5 Calyle | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) (Bluetooth only) |
| Device type | Classic/Fitness smartwatch | Classic/Fitness smartwatch |
| Predecessor | Fossil Gen 4 Explorist | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active |
| Successor | N/A | N/A |
| Date Released | August, 2019 | September, 2019 |
| Gender | Men | Unisex |
WHERE TO BUY |
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DISPLAY |
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| Display size | 1.28 inch | 1.4 inches (44mm) |
| Display type | AMOLED (Always-on) | Super AMOLED Full color |
| Display resolution | 416 x 416 pixels | 360 x 360 pixels |
| Pixel density | -- | -- |
| Display always-on | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | Touchscreen plus 3 physical buttons | Touchscreen, 2 physical buttons Digital rotating bezel |
BODY |
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| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Casing material | Stainless steel | Aluminum |
| Strap material | Stainless steel | Fluoroelastomer (Aluminum) |
| Bezel Material | Stainless steel | Glass |
| Weight | -- | 30 grams (aluminum, without straps) |
| Color(s) | Black silicone/steel Dark Brown/black steel Smoke stainless steel |
Cloud-silver Aqua-black Pink-gold (aluminum) |
| Dimension | 44 x 44 x 12 mm | 44 x 44 x 10.9mm (44mm) |
| Strap size | 22mm | 20mm |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla glass | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ |
| Durability test | MIL-STD-810G | |
| Waterproof rating | Yes, 3ATM | Yes, IP68, 5ATM MIL-STD-810G |
CLOCK FEATURES |
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| Time/Date | Yes | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes | Yes |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
MEMORY |
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| RAM | 1GB | 0.75GB non-LTE |
| Internal storage | 8GB | 4GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
MEDIA |
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| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | No | No |
| Music streaming | Yes | Yes |
CONNECTIVITY |
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| Bluetooth | Bluetooth smart v4.2 LE | Bluetooth smart v5.0 LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | Yes |
NOTIFICATIONS |
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| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Reminder | Yes | Yes |
CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
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| Network Technology | No | No |
| SIM | No | No |
FITNESS TRACKING |
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| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max. | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Swim tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle tracking | No | No |
| Blood pressure | No | Yes |
| ECG Tracking | No | Yes |
| Blood oxygen | No | No |
| Preloaded sport modes | Yes | Yes |
PLATFORM |
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| Operating system | Wear OS | Tizen OS 4.0 |
| CPU | -- | Dual core 1.15GHz |
| GPU | -- | -- |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 | Exynos 9110 |
SENSORS |
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| GPS | Yes | GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate sensor | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | No | No |
| Pulse Ox. | No | No |
| Altimeter | __ | -- |
| ECG | No | Yes |
| Thermometer | No | No |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
OTHER FUNCTIONS |
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| Interchangeable straps | Yes, 22mm | Yes, 20mm |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Assistant | Yes | Yes |
| Compatibility | Android 6.0 (excluding Go edition)+ iOS 10.0+ |
Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+ iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ |
| Payment system | Google pay | Samsung pay |
| Companion app | Fossil Q app | Samsung Gear app |
BATTERY |
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| Battery type | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | 310mAh | 340mAh |
| Est. battery life | Standby: 3 days+ Mixed usage: 1 day+ |
Standby :5 days+, Mixed usage: 2 days+ |
| Charging mode | Inductive charging magnet | WPC based wireless charging |
| Charging duration | About 1-2 hours | About 1-2 hours |
BOX CONTENTS |
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| Fossil Gen 5 Calyle | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 | |
| Straps | Small and large straps | |
| Inductive charging magnet | Wireless charger | |
| Quick start guide | Quick start guide | |
Fossil Gen 5 vs Samsung Galaxy Active 2: The Difference
Fossil Gen 5 |
Galaxy Active 2 |
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Display |
1.28 inches |
1.4 inches (44mm) |
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Rotating Bezel |
No |
Digital rotating |
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Dimension |
44 x 44 x 12mm |
44 x 44 x 10.9mm |
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Bluetooth Version |
v4.2 |
v5.0 |
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Glass |
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ |
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Voice Assistant |
Google Assistant |
Bixby |
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Custom Notification |
No |
Yes |
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Storage |
8GB |
4GB |
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Waterproof Rating |
3ATM (30 meters) |
5ATM (50 meters) |
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Battery Life |
2 days |
2 days+ |
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Blood pressure |
No |
Yes |
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ECG Tracking |
No |
Yes |
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Sleep Tracking |
Third-party app |
Comprehensive |
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Preloaded Sports |
Fewer |
39+ |
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Editor's Rating |
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- DESIGN
- TIZEN VS WEAR OS
- MEDIA
- FITNESS TRACKING
- BATTERY LIFE
The design of both the Active 2 and Gen 5 looks very stylish, elegant, and classy. But I honestly think that Active 2 is a more stylish and attractive smartwatch with a more sophisticated design.
Active 2 is a bit slimmer than the Gen 5, it also has a slightly wider display that allows you to see more at a glance. One cannot talk about the Active 2 without mentioning it’s innovative rotating bezel that makes navigation a bliss. I prefer it to the rotating button of the Gen 5, but that’s totally up to you to decide which is best for you.
The waterproof rating of the Active 2 says 5ATM (waterproof up to 50meters) which is more than that of the Gen 5 with 3ATM rating. So, while I’ll recommend it’s okay to wear Active 2 while swimming, I won’t say the same for the Gen 5.
Another thing I like about Active 2 is the far better Tizen OS compared to Wear OS. With the Active 2 you can customize the notification shortcuts, but not on the Gen 5.
Moreover, you can access notifications from anywhere on the Active 2, but on Gen 5, it’s only from home. You also have easier access to recent apps, but it near impossible to access your recent apps on the Gen 5. How about widget tiles? You can add more widget tiles in Active 2 compared to Gen 5 that’s limited at just 5. What I’m trying to say is that the Tizen OS is a better platform than Wear OS which translates to giving the user a better experience on Active 2 than on Gen 5. Although, with Wear OS you get access to more apps compared to Tizen OS.
The Gen 5 comes with 8GB storage capacity which is twice that of the Active 2. This will allow you take more of your favorite tracks with you. Moreover, I think Google Assistant is a smarter Voice assistant than Bixby.
These two watches are advertised as fitness-oriented smartwatches that can track your active life and help you manage your fitness goals. Any of these two will track your steps, heart rate, calories, and other metrics like outdoor activities thanks to the inbuilt GPS on these two smartwatches.
But then, Active 2 has more fitness tracking features like Blood pressure monitoring and ECG that was recently cleared in South Korea, the Gen 5 lack these features. Moreover, Active 2 has more preloaded sport modes and tracks your sleep comprehensively unlike Gen 5 where you will have to rely on third-party apps to track sleep, it relies on Google Fit which I think is nowhere near the Samsung health app and all the activity tracking features inbuilt into the watch.
Gen 5 is powered by the Snapdragon 3100 chip which brings or says enables battery saver features that sees it go about 2 days from a single charge. Yet, this is shorter battery life when compared to the Active 2 that’ll keep you going for more than 2 days with light usage.
WHICH IS BETTER?
The Gen 5 is no doubt a fine smartwatch, but I honestly think Active 2 is a better smartwatch. Wear OS didn’t help the Gen 5 when compared to a more sophisticated Tizen OS that leaves Active 2 with a better UX.
Active 2 has a slightly longer battery life, more fitness tracking features, and a sleeker design. For me, it’s a better smartwatch than Gen 5.