By Md Waquar Haider
New Delhi, Jul 23 (IANS): Wearable devices are rapidly gaining prevalence due to numerous advantages such as portability, convenience and more. To expand its presence, South Korean tech giant Samsung has brought its "Galaxy Watch Active" to India, priced at Rs 19,990.
The Watch comes with features like exercise tracking, sleep tracking, stress tracking and health tracking. In addition, the smartwatch includes blood pressure monitoring feature too.
Most people like to wear a fitness tracker in form of a Watch -- not as a band.
"Galaxy Watch Active" is for such customers.
The device features a round watch face like its earlier models, with a 1.1-inch AMOLED display and a resolution of 360 x 360. The quality of display is good enough to use even in bright-light conditions.
The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 which makes the display feel smooth.
If you love wearing small or modest size watch, this is just perfect as your daily companion.
In terms of design, the company has applied two buttons on the right of the device for easy access. The upper one is back button while the other is home button. The home button also works to power on/off.
It is powered by a 1.15GHz Exynos 9110 dual core processor and runs Tizen-based Wearable OS 4.0.
In terms of memory, it offers 768MB RAM and 4GB of onboard storage; the combination makes navigation quick and comfortable.
In terms of software, the Tizen Wearable OS 4.0 software is designed to put the display's circular shape to good use and one can quickly scroll through menus.
"Galaxy Watch Active" has an automatic workout tracking for six routines and can track a total of 39 different workout routines, including running to lifting weights to swimming, along with different profiles for indoor and outdoor swimming.
It keeps a count of steps taken, calories burned, floors climbed, minutes worked out and heart rate. With a Samsung smartphone, one can add in extra details like calories eaten, water drank and caffeine intake.
The wearable also features a blood pressure monitor. It is compatible with Android and iOS, and offers support for third-party apps such as "Under Armor", "Spotify" and "Strava".
The device also supports virtual assistant "Bixby Voice" which allows users to make calls or send messages without picking up the phone.
Most importantly, it supports wireless charging along with Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity which facilitates users to get text messages, social applications and other information reminders.
The device is water-resistant to 5 ATM (50-meter deep), so you can take it for swimming without fear.
The device houses a 230mAh battery which powered the Watch for more then two days on regular usage upon full charge.
Conclusion: If you are planning to buy a wearable device, go for it.
Samsung is expected to launch "Galaxy Watch Active 2" with electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor feature for heart rate tracking (like Apple Watch Series 4) and is rumoured to be announced along with Galaxy Note 10 smartphone next month.