Last Updated on March 14, 2024 by Senior Editor
Featured in this comparison chart are two outstanding smartwatches, the Apple Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch Active 2. Each is sophisticated, well equipped to track your active life, and as well loaded with lots of features. We’re comparing the specifications and features of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Apple Watch Series 5 to find out the differences and which is the best choice for you.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Apple Watch Series 5: Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) Bluetooth Full Specifications and Features |
 Apple Watch Series 5 (44mm) (GPS) Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $169.97 | - |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) | (Discontinued), (GPS), Apple Watch Series 5 |
| Device type | Fitness/Classic smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | September, 2019 | September, 2019 |
| Predecessor | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active | Apple Watch Series 4 |
| Successor | Galaxy Watch 4 | Apple Watch Series 6 |
| Versions | Bluetooth only, LTE | Apple Watch Hermès, Apple Watch Nike+ |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm | 44 x 38 x 10.7 mm |
| Weight | 30 grams (aluminum), 42 grams (stainless steel) | 36.1g (GPS) |
| Shape | Circular | Rectangular |
| Case material | Aluminum, Stainless steel | Aluminum |
| Strap material | Fluoroelastomer (Aluminum), Leather (stainless steel) | Elastomer |
| Bezel material | Aluminum, Bezeless | Bezeless, Sapphire glass |
| Strap size | 20 mm | 24mm |
| Interchangeable strap | Yes | 24mm, Yes |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ | Sapphire glass |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | MIL-STD-810G | — |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes |
| Color | Aqua-black, Black, Cloud-silver, Gold, Pink-gold, Silver | Gold, Gray, Silver |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.4 inches | 1.78 inch |
| Display type | Super AMOLED, Full color | 1000nit, OLED |
| Display resolution | 360 x 360 pixel | 448 x 368 pixels |
| Pixel density | — | — |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 2 Physical buttons, Digital rotating bezel, Touchscreen | 1 Physical button, Digital crown, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.0 | Bluetooth v5.0 |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | Yes, GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU | GLONASS, GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | 0.75GB | 0.768GB |
| ROM | 4GB | 32GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | — |
| Band | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to Notifications | - | - |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Sensor(s) | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | No | No |
| Blood Pressure | Yes | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | (Third-party app), Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Fall detection | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | No | No |
| On-screen workout | No | No |
| Sport modes | 39 | Yes |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | 340mAh | — |
| Battery life | Regular: 2 days, Standby :5 days+ | Regular: up to 18hrs |
| Charging type | WPC based wireless charging | Charging dock |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | Exynos 9110 | Apple S5 chip (64bits) |
| CPU | Dual core 1.15GHz | Dual core |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | Tizen 5.5 | WatchOS 6 |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Samsung Gear app | Apple Watch App |
| Compatibility | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+, iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ | iOS 12.0+ |
| Payment system | Samsung Pay | Apple Pay |
| Voice command | Yes, Bixby | Yes, Siri |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Manual, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm), Straps | Apple Watch Series 5, Charger, Manual, Straps |
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Apple Watch Series 5: Differences
DESIGN
Both the Watch 5 and Active 2 have an outstanding design, sophisticatedly built with some of the most durable materials. However, the Watch 5 weighs a little less than the Active 2, it’s also slimmer and has a larger display that allows you to see more at a glance. All this makes it more comfortable to wear a smartwatch.
Nonetheless, the Active 2 is also very compact and lightweight. In fact, it’s one of the most comfortable to wear smartwatches.
STORAGE/MEDIA
Secondly, Watch 5 has a massive 32GB onboard storage that dwarfs the 4GB of the Active 2. This allows you to take more of your favorite tracks along. Each of these two is able to make calls via Bluetooth connection to your phone. Voice assistance is also available, Siri for Watch 5 and Bixby for Active 2 respectively.
Note that both Watch 5 and Active 2 come in two sizes; 40 and 44mm. And each of these sizes is available in Cellular and Bluetooth models. The cellular units of both watches come with an eSIM that makes it a standalone smartwatch. As a result, the Cellular model can make and receive calls without a smartphone.
Each of these two is well equipped to track your daily active life thanks to the many fitness tracking features. Each of these two is equipped to track your steps, calories, heart rate, sleep and stress. Each of these two also has an inbuilt GPS that enables tracking for outdoor actitiies like your routes and locations. Both the Watch 5 and Active 2 feature incidental fall detection, menstrual tracking for women, and ECG.
However, while the Active 2 is equipped with a sleep tracking app that tracks your sleep cycle and stages, the Watch 5 has a simple sleep app that only tracks your total sleep time. Although, you can track your sleep stages with the Watch 5 using third-party apps.
BATTERY LIFE
The Watch 5 bearly lasts a day with mixed usage seeing it stay up for about 15-18 hours which is far less than the Active 2 that keeps you going for up to 2 days.
Which is Better?
The Watch 5 is a more comprehensive smartwatch than the Active 2. It has a better design and lots of other features that can increase your productive life. Being compatible with only iOS devices, it’s the best choice for iPhone owners. And if you need more features, the Cellular model which is a standalone smartwatch is a great choice, although it will cost you more.
On the other hand, Active 2 is still an outstanding smartwatch. For me, it’s the best smartwatch after the Watch 5. The design is awesome, the battery life isn’t bad and it’s also a comprehensive activity tracker. It’s the best choice for Android phone owners. Its LTE model is a standalone smartwatch that offers you more features via its cellular support.