Since last year when Active 2 and Vivoactive 4 were released these two have since then gone to become some of the most popular smartwatches, you can buy on the market. These two watches spot one thing in common and that’s fitness tracking. Although I haven’t used any of these, I’ve read a lot about these two. So, in this post, I want to compare the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Vivoactive 4 specs, features, and otherwise to perhaps help you decide which is a better smartwatch.

Meanwhile, let’s take a look at the specifications between these two fine smartwatches. Less I forget, these are some of the best rated smartwatches on the market for many good reasons among which are, stylish appearance, long battery life, comprehensive activity tracking, and productivity.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Garmin Vivoactive 4: Specs Comparison

	Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) (bluetooth only)	Garmin Vivoactive 4
ABOUT DEVICE
Device name	Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) (Bluetooth only)	Garmin Vivoactive 4
Device type	Classic/Fitness smartwatch	Sport/Fitness smartwatch
Predecessor	Samsung Galaxy Watch Active	Garmin Vivoactive 3
Successor	N/A	N/A
Date Released	September, 2019	September, 2019
Gender	Unisex	Unisex
WHERE TO BUY	BUY AT AMAZON	BUY AT AMAZON
DISPLAY
Display size	1.4 inches (44mm)	1.3 inch
Display type	Super AMOLED Full color	Transflective memory-in-display (MIP)
Display resolution	360 x 360 pixels	260 x 260 pixels
Pixel density	--	--
Display always-on	Yes	Yes
Input type	Touchscreen, 2 physical buttons Digital rotating bezel	Touchscreen plus 2 physical button
BODY
Shape	Circular	Circular
Casing material	Aluminum	Fiber-reinforced polymer with polymer rear cover
Strap material	Fluoroelastomer (Aluminum)	Silicone
Bezel Material	Glass	Stainless steel
Weight	30 grams (aluminum, without straps)	50.5 grams
Color(s)	Cloud-silver Aqua-black Pink-gold (aluminum)	Black/black
Dimension	44 x 44 x 10.9mm (44mm)	45.1 x 45.1 x 12.8 mm
Strap size	20mm	22mm
Screen protection	Corning Gorilla glass DX+	Corning Gorilla glass 3
Durability test	MIL-STD-810G
Waterproof rating	Yes, IP68, 5ATM MIL-STD-810G	Yes, 5ATM
CLOCK FEATURES
Time/Date	Yes	Yes
Alarm	Yes	Yes
Stopwatch	Yes	Yes
MEMORY
RAM	0.75GB non-LTE	--
Internal storage	4GB	4GB
Memory card slot	No	No
MEDIA
Audio	mp3/mp4	mp3/mp4
Microphone	Yes	No
Loudspeaker	Yes	No
Camera	No	No
Music streaming	Yes	Yes
CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth	Bluetooth smart v5.0 LE	Bluetooth smart, ANT+
NFC	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth calling	Yes	No
NOTIFICATIONS
Calls alert	Yes	Yes
SMS alert	Yes	Yes
Email alert	Yes	Yes
Reminder	Yes	Yes
CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY
Network Technology	No	No
SIM	No	No
FITNESS TRACKING
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	Yes
Blood pressure	Yes	No
ECG Tracking	Yes	No
Blood oxygen	No	Yes
Preloaded sport modes	Yes	Yes
PLATFORM
Operating system	Tizen OS 4.0	Proprietary OS
CPU	Dual core 1.15GHz	--
GPU	--	--
Chipset	Exynos 9110	--
SENSORS
GPS	GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo	GPS/GLONASS/Galileo
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes
Heart rate sensor	Yes	Yes
Barometer	Yes	Yes
Compass	No	Yes
Pulse Ox.	No	Yes
Altimeter	--	--
ECG	Yes	No
Thermometer	No	Yes
Ambient light	Yes	Yes
OTHER FUNCTIONS
Interchangeable straps	Yes, 20mm	Yes, 22mm
Custom watch face	Yes	Yes
Voice Assistant	Yes	No
Compatibility	Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+ iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+	Android and iOS Check if your device is compatible
Payment system	Samsung pay	Garmin pay
Companion app	Samsung Gear app	Garmin connect IQ store
BATTERY
Battery type	Non-removable Li-ion battery	Non-removable Li-ion battery
Battery capacity	340mAh	--
Est. battery life	Standby :5 days+, Mixed usage: 2 days+	Smartwatch mode: Up to 8 days GPS mode with music: Up to 6 hours
Charging mode	WPC based wireless charging	USB charging cable
Charging duration	About 1-2 hours	About 1-2 hours
BOX CONTENTS
	Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2	Garmin Vivoactive 4
	Small and large straps	Straps
	Wireless charger	USB charging cable
	Quick start guide	Quick start guide

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Garmin Vivoactive 4: The Difference

Clearly, as you can see and from many positive reviews, these are two remarkable smartwatches. The design looks cool, the features are awesome, activity tracking is almost accurate and battery life is encouraging.

Design

There are many differences between these two, starting from the design, the Active 2 which is available in two sizes; 44mm and 40mm same as the Vivoactive 4; 45mm and 40mm. But then the Active is slightly compact, slimmer, and weighs a little less than the Vivoavtive 4 which I believe makes it a more comfortable wear. Make no mistake, the Vivoactive 4 is also lightweight when compared with the average weight of smartwatches which falls between 50g and 100g.

I really like the rotating bezel of the Active 2, I’ve seen it in action and it sure is awesome resulting in easy navigation of the tiny display. The Vivoactive 4 supports touchscreen in addition to two physical buttons which also makes it easy to navigate.

As per the display, AMOLED of Active 2 is richer and more colorful, but not so easy to read outdoors. You might need to increase the brightness to make it legible enough which unlike the transflective LCD display of the Vivoactive 4 is very bright and easy to read outdoors. Although not so colorful when compared to the AMOLED.

Media

Going further, looking at the inbuilt features, each of these has music storage with support for streaming. But the Active 2 is equipped with a microphone and loudspeaker that supports its voice assistant features and allows you to play music aloud. Not just that, you can also make calls with this watch by simply connecting it to your phone Bluetooth. Google translate is also available on Active 2 which comes handy on many occasions.

There is also the LTE version of the Active 2 which is a standalone smartwatch that allows you to make and receive calls directly from the watch. Samsung also introduced some fine apps like Twitter and Youtube to the Active 2 allowing you to socialize directly from your watch, features the Vivoactive 4 lacks.

Activity Tracking

A bit further, these two like mentioned earlier are fine activity trackers equipped with many sensors that enable lots of activity tracking features. Sleep tracking is awesome, so also is heart rate tracking, steps, calories, stress, fitness level, and many more features.

Active 2 recently was cleared in South Korea for ECG and blood pressure monitoring which the Vivoactive 4 obviously lacks. But then, the Vivoactive 4 features animated workouts that can substitute for live coaching, thus saving you money on subscriptions. It also features menstrual cycle tracking, a feature that’s expected on the Active 2 and the much expected Galaxy Watch 2. There’s also blood oxygen monitoring, hydration and respiration tracking, and incidental fall detection which the Active 2 lacks. Although, Active 2 allows you to call an emergency number which is also a safety feature.

Which is more accurate in terms of activity tracking between the Active 2 and Vivoactive 4? I can’t really tell, but as claimed by many owners these two are almost as accurate as you’d expect.

“44 mm is actually quite small! Heart rate seems a little off but it could be because black skin does not reflect light like white skin does. Battery life is okay. Charging time is excellent“

“Hear rate seems actually quite accurate on mine, it was the same or very close to measurements I got from Fitbit Charge 3 at the same time“.

You can check out the videos below for accuracy comparison and more.

Battery Life

The battery life of these two is something to write home about as each of these will keep you going over a day. However, Vivoactive 4 has a far longer battery life of almost a week on light usage compared to Active 2 with about 2 days or more. So, as per battery life, the Vivoactive 4 floors the Active, perhaps due to the display and lesser features to power.

Which is Better Between Active 2 vs Vivoactive 4?

In simple words, if you are more concerned about taking your fitness goals to a new level, then I’ll recommend the Vivoactiuve 4 over Active 2. It has more activity tracking features than you can imagine and the battery life is also great.

However, if features like voice assistant, browsing directly from the watch, calling and of course, stylish design intrigues you, then go for Active 2. It has many features that can improve your productivity and is also a comprehensive fitness tracker with a quite impressive battery life to match.

I personally will buy the Active 2 very soon once the Covid-19 allows total movement in my country.