Last Updated on March 14, 2024 by Senior Editor
Featured in this comparison chart are two classy smartwatches; the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 and the Garmin Vivoactive 4. These two watches represent the latest additions to the rich lineup of Samsung and Garmin smartwatches respectively. And each of these two is sturdily built with some of the most durable materials, as well as loaded with lots of features. In this post, we’re comparing the differences between the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Garmin Vivoactive 4 to find out which is a better smartwatch for you.
Note that both the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and Vivoactive 4 come in two sizes, while the Active 2 is available in 40mm and 44mm, the Vivoactive 4 is available in 40mm and 45mm sizes. Moreover, the 40 and 44mm units of the Active 2 are available in Bluetooth and LTE versions. The difference between the LTE and Bluetooth model is that the former comes with an eSIM that enables cellular connectivity, and thus makes it a standalone smartwatch. As a result, the LTE model of the Active 2 can make and receive calls, and receive and reply to messages without your phone. The Bluetooth model requires your phone to do these.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Garmin Vivoactive 4: Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) Bluetooth Full Specifications and Features |
 Garmin Vivoactive 4 Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $169.97 | $209.95 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm) | Garmin Vivoactive 4 |
| Device type | Fitness/Classic smartwatch | Fitness/Sport smartwatch |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Release date | September, 2019 | September, 2019 |
| Predecessor | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active | Garmin Vivoactive 3 |
| Successor | Galaxy Watch 4 | Garmin Vivoactive 5 |
| Versions | Bluetooth only, LTE | Captain Marvel, First Avengers, Vivoactive 4, Vivoactive 4S |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 44 x 44 x 10.9 mm | 45.1 x 45.1 x 12.8 mm |
| Weight | 30 grams (aluminum), 42 grams (stainless steel) | 50.5 grams |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Aluminum, Stainless steel | Fiber-reinforced polymer |
| Strap material | Fluoroelastomer (Aluminum), Leather (stainless steel) | Silicone |
| Bezel material | Aluminum, Bezeless | Stainless steel |
| Strap size | 20 mm | 22 mm |
| Interchangeable strap | Yes | 22 mm, Yes |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | MIL-STD-810G | — |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color | Aqua-black, Black, Cloud-silver, Gold, Pink-gold, Silver | Black, Silver |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.4 inches | 1.3 inches |
| Display type | Super AMOLED, Full color | LCD, Memory-in-pixel (MIP), transflective |
| Display resolution | 360 x 360 pixel | 260 x 260 px |
| Pixel density | — | — |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 2 Physical buttons, Digital rotating bezel, Touchscreen | 2 Physical buttons, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth v5.0 | ANT+, Bluetooth v4.0 |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | No |
| GPS | Yes, GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU | Galileo, GLONASS, GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | 0.75GB | — |
| ROM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | None |
| SIM type | None | 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 | No |
| Microphone | Yes | No |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Sensor(s) | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | No | Yes |
| Blood Pressure | Yes | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | Yes | No |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | 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 | Yes |
| On-screen workout | No | Yes |
| Sport modes | 39 | 20 |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | Non-removable Li-ion battery | non-removable Lithium-polymer |
| Battery capacity | 340mAh | — |
| Battery life | Regular: 2 days, Standby :5 days+ | GPS with music: up to 6hrs, Smartwatch mode: up to 8 days |
| 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 | — |
| CPU | Dual core 1.15GHz | — |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | Tizen 5.5 | Proprietary OS |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Samsung Gear app | Garmin Connect |
| Compatibility | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+, iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ | Android 5.0+, iOS 11.0+ |
| Payment system | Samsung Pay | Garmin Pay |
| Voice command | Yes, Bixby | No |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Manual, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (44mm), Straps | Charger, Garmin Vivoactive 4, Manual, Straps |
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 vs Garmin Vivoactive 4: What’s the Difference?
The Active 2 and Vivoactive 4 share a lot of features in common, both are circular shapes, both are also fitness-focused, and both are equipped with a 4GB storage capacity. However, there’re certain differences between these two.
- The Active 2 is slimmer and more compact than the Vivoacitve 4. Thus, it’s sleeker and classier. Moreover, the innovative digital rotating bezel of the Active 2 makes navigation a lot easier. On the other hand, the Vivoactive 4 is thicker and bulkier than the Active 2.
- The Active 2 with an AMOLED display offers a more vivid and fulfilling viewing experience than the Vivoactive 4 which has a transflective LCD display. The Active 2 also has a slightly bigger display size than the Vivoactive 4.
- Thirdly, the Active 2 comes with both a microphone and loudspeaker which the Vivoactive 4 lacks. Thus, you can access voice assistant features via Bixby and as well play music aloud. Moreover, you can also make calls directly from the Active 2 via Bluetooth calling which isn’t possible with the Vivoactive 4. The LTE model of Active 2 can make and receive calls independent of a smartphone.
- Both the Active 2 and Vivoactive 4 are very well loaded with lots of fitness tracking features. Each of these will track all your daily activities like steps, calories, heart rate, sleep, and stress. However, Active 2 has some health tracking features not present in Vivoactive 4. Likewise, the Vivoactive 4 has some fitness features not present in Active 2.
The Active 2 allows you to take ECG directly from your wrist. It also features blood pressure measurements. Meanwhile, the Vivoactive 4 features blood oxygen measurement and animated workout modes that can guide you through some of your favorite workouts which are not available in Active 2.
- Finally, the Active 2 battery will last about 2 days or more with mixed usage which is far lower than the Vivoactive 4 which has up to a week of battery life. This will allow you to go longer from a single charge.
Which is Better?
In all, each of these two has got an outstanding design and awesome features.
However, the Active 2 has a more colorful display and a comfortable design. It also has a microphone and loudspeaker than enable Bluetooth calls as well as advanced health tracking features like ECG and blood pressure measurements. It’s clearly a more productive and smarter smartwatch than Vivoactive 4, yet cheaper.
On the other hand, the Vivoactive 4 also has an incredible, durable design, plus lots of health tracking features. Moreover, it has a longer battery life than Active 2.