Smart watches for Android have always been a pitiful shadow Apple Watch. Either Android Wear, now known as Wear OS, turned out to be insufficiently functional, or the manufacturers themselves were not particularly interested in the release of smart watches, but, one way or another, it was almost impossible to meet worthy contenders on the market. It is logical that this provoked a strong growth in the share of fitness bracelets, which also did not know anything special, but at least cost 5 or even 10 times cheaper than a watch. Fortunately, there is at least one smartwatch model for Android that can not only compete with Apple Watch, but even plug it in the belt.
Galaxy Watch Active 2 is arguably the best smartwatch for Android
I'm talking about the Galaxy Watch Active 2. This is a Samsung branded smartwatch that came out earlier this year and, oddly enough, didn't get any attention at all. Perhaps, it was the insufficiently competent promotion policy and not entirely successful branding that affected. Still, the presence of the word Active in the name clearly indicates the sports orientation of the gadget, although in fact it does not have a strict orientation towards athletes. So why are the Galaxy Watch Active 2 so interesting? After all, not only for the price of 17 thousand they should be loved. So let's figure it out.
ECG watch
Galaxy Watch Active 2, like Apple Watch, can take ECG
Obviously, taking the example from Apple, Samsung decided that it would also make not just a watch, but a device to track the health of users. This is the most advantageous option, considering that just a gadget on the wrist that receives notifications and counts steps is not something that the vast majority of users would like to buy. The task, it would seem, is not trivial, but the Koreans took it and simply did it. As a result, they have turned out not just a wearable gadget, but a completely working medical device. Moreover, the status of a medical device Watch Active 2 was endowed not by Samsung itself, but by the Ministry of Food Safety and Medicines of South Korea.
Galaxy Watch Active can measure ECG readings. Like Apple Watch, Samsung smartwatches are equipped with special electrodes and software that calculates the heart rate, analyzes it and makes conclusions about the health of the heart. It is enough just to put your index finger on the control button, as the necessary measurements begin. Upon completion, the watch will inform you whether the user has signs of atrial fibrillation or not. So far, this is the only disorder that Galaxy Watch Active 2 can diagnose through an ECG, but Apple Watch has a similar limitation.
What watches measure pressure
But Galaxy Watch Active 2 can also measure blood pressure. This, in my opinion, is generally the most valuable function, because atrial fibrillation is a disease of the elderly, but hypertension is found even in young people. The method of measuring the pressure of the Galaxy Watch Active 2 is quite remarkable. It is based on the speed of blood flow, which is scanned by the beams of the heart rate monitor. However, in order to start measuring, the watch needs to be calibrated using a full-fledged tonometer. To do this, you need to put the cuff on your forearm and simultaneously start the measurements on the watch. Then you need to enter the data from the tonometer into the Samsung Health app for synchronization. It will automatically check the results, and then the watch can take measurements on its own.
Isn't it cool? Today, none of the commercial smartwatches in the world can do anything like this. Even Apple Watch is still limited only to the function of taking ECG readings and has not reached in its development to measure pressure. All other watches on the market cannot come close to anything like that, being limited mainly to not very accurate counting of steps and heart rate. For some reason, their manufacturers believe that if they continue to produce this slag, then users will continue to be content with what they give and will not go to competitors. But this is not the case. Therefore, if you are looking for a smartwatch, take the Galaxy Watch Active 2, you won't go wrong.