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Will your smartwatch get an upgrade to Google and Samsung's new Wear OS?
Even two months after I/O, future plans are still unclear
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After years of silence from Google, Wear OS has finally returned to the spotlight. New partnerships with Samsung and Fitbit have reenergized Android-friendly wearables, but there's still a lot we don't know. Both of these companies currently power some of the most popular wearables for Google's mobile OS, leaving many current owners unsure about the future of their watch.
Flex on your friends' aluminum smartwatches with nearly half off the titanium Galaxy Watch3
Or grab the Watch Active2 for even less
Samsung's Galaxy Watch3 is still one of the best wearables you can pick up for Android today, and its "Titanium" edition is an ultra-premium version. It launched last fall for $600 — a significant markup over the already-expensive standard Watch3 — but Amazon Prime members can pick one up today for an all-new low of just $340.The titanium Galaxy Watch3 mainly offers the same excellent experience as the standard edition, albeit with a couple of notable differences. The stainless steel casing is swapped out for titanium, which not only looks sharp — it lowers the overall weight of the watch. The box also includes a metal strap, as opposed to the usual leather band that comes with the standard model. Outside of these differences, it's the same excellent watch experience you've come to expect from Samsung. And although it won't be moved from Tizen to Google's new WearOS experience later this year, the Watch3 has guaranteed software support through August 2023.
Samsung's latest wearable updates are hitting the Galaxy Watch3 and Watch Active2
Icon tweaks and stability improvements await Samsung's wearable fans
Your excuses for your sedentary lifestyle are rapidly disappearing. The weather's getting better, days are getting longer, and with any luck you may soon be all vaxed up, ready to head out and take on the world. Many of us are putting in a little bit of an extra effort to get out and be active, hoping to shed some of this pandemic weight (and maybe then some), and there's no better tool to help you with that than a good smartwatch. This week Samsung's got fresh updates landing for a couple of its recent models.
Pick up Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active 2 for less than your family's cell phone bill
Great even without the rotating bezel
Samsung makes some of the best smartwatches for Android, especially if you pair it using one of its phones. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 might not be the newest wearable on the block, but it's still a great choice — particularly since you can regularly find it for far less than its original MSRP. Today, you can grab it for just $180, an all-new low on one of Samsung's best fitness-focused watches.Although the Galaxy Watch Active 2 was released back at the tail-end of 2019, it's been kept up-to-date with plenty of new features and updates. In the fall, it gained support for ECG monitoring (assuming you have a compatible phone) and even received new software just last Friday, at the same time as its successor. With speedy performance and a clean design, this is one of the best smartwatches you can buy today — as long as you don't require a physical rotating bezel.
Get your pick of refurbished Samsung Galaxy Watches starting at $115
Galaxy Watch to Galaxy Watch3, all on sale at Woot
Hankering for something to wrap around that bare wrist, perhaps something from Samsung? Save a few bucks with today's big sale on Woot — refurbished Galaxy Watch devices from the first to the latest are available at a decent discount until 10 p.m. PDT tonight.
Why I'm glad I made the switch from Google to Samsung
And why I don't think I'll ever go back the other way
I used Google devices exclusively for years. At the time, I loved my Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, the first two generations of the Pixel (XL versions), the Nexus 9 and Pixel C tablets, and even the Pixelbook. But after a few weeks with the Pixel 3 XL, I had to face a truth that I'd been trying to deny: Google hardware makes too many compromises. I went through at least three of each Pixel, all replaced on warranty for one reason or another. And the 3 XL wasn't faring any better in the software department, with the music app constantly being pushed out of memory and the camera failing to save many of the pictures and videos that I took. My fanboy emotions for Google were fading, and I needed to move on. In the end, Samsung was where I ended up.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch3 and Watch Active2 are both getting updated software
It's mostly stability fixes
The state of wearables for Android is kind of lamentable, but Samsung makes some of the best. Today it's rolling out software updates for the Galaxy Watch3 and Watch Active2, the latter of which hasn't seen a software bump since January. Both of them are relatively minor patches to Tizen version 5.5.0.2, released earlier this year.
Samsung is making it inconvenient to locate its smartwatches
The Get Location feature is being terminated
One of the many benefits of putting some modern tech in a watch is that you can track it if it manages to get lost. Samsung's smartwatches can not only buzz when they're nearby but can also be located approximately on a map when they're not in Bluetooth range. However, according to an end-of-service notice currently going out to owners, users will no longer be able to use Get Location to accomplish the latter.
Samsung's watches now support ECG monitoring in 32 more countries
It still requires a paired Samsung phone
Samsung's Galaxy Watch3 and Watch Active2 both have hardware support for ECG monitoring, but it is taking a long time to show up for everyone, since the feature has to be approved by each country's health agencies. It was exclusive to South Korea until September of last year, when it was enabled for use in the United States, and now it's coming to 32 more countries.
Galaxy Watch3 owners in Europe can now access blood pressure and ECG data
Samsung Health Monitor app approved by EU, other governments
More governments are giving their mark of approval to Samsung's ability to read and monitor your blood pressure and electrocardiogram. The company has announced that its Samsung Health Monitor app — where those tracking features can be found — will be available in 31 new countries.
Samsung rolling out SmartThings Find support to Watch Active2
Your watch can help you find your earbuds
Samsung officially revealed its SmartThings Find service in October of last year, which uses a combination of Bluetooth and ultra-wideband wireless signals to locate Samsung products. With yesterday's launch of the Galaxy SmartTag, Samsung is working to add Find support for more devices, and next in line is the Galaxy Watch Active2.
Samsung smartwatches start at just $146 during Woot's DOTD (up to $164 off)
There's no time like the present to buy a new watch
Samsung makes some pretty stellar smartwatches, and today only, Woot is offering some serious savings on three of them. The Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch Active2, and Gear Sport watches start at just $145.99 with discounts up to 48% off, making this the perfect time to do some holiday shopping.
Grab the Galaxy Watch Active 2 in either size for $70 off at Amazon ($180/$200)
Similar discounts are also available in the UK
The Galaxy Watch Active 2 is a great smartwatch and my personal favorite after using it since launch. Is was already a nice model back then, but Samsung's continued to bring it more and more features from newer models. If you thought the $250 starting price was steep, especially now that it's a year old, then you're in luck as Amazon has the majority of configurations available now for $70 off.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 LTE refurbs are just $175 for 40mm, $195 for 44mm
Some of the best smartwatches out there, now at a great price
For those in the market for a smartwatch to pair with an Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is among the best of the best. Right now, Daily Steals is offering refurbished 40mm LTE and 44mm LTE versions for just $174.99 and $194.99, respectively — just make sure you apply our code to get the full discount.
Samsung Galaxy Watch3 and Active2 finally get electrocardiogram monitoring in US
Almost a year since the Watch Active2's release
The Galaxy Watch Active2 included hardware support for electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring when it was released late last year, as did this year's Galaxy Watch3. The feature couldn't be enabled in the United States until it received FDA approval, leading to one of the watches' main selling points not (officially) working in America. At long last, Samsung has received the FDA's blessing, and ECG support is rolling out to both models. These features will also be coming to Galaxy Watches in the UK from February 22.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active2 gets even better with new fitness and UX updates
Become a better athlete while you respond to cute animal pics
Samsung's Galaxy Watch Active2 has had several helpful features added over the past months. Oftentimes these features launch first in Korea, but not today — Samsung has introduced a host of new health, fitness, and convenience features for the Galaxy Watch Active2, available right here in the US of A.
Blood pressure monitoring now live on Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2
Only available in Korea, but likely coming to the US soon
It was a only a few months ago that the South Korean government authorized Samsung's Health Monitor app. It's a tool that allows Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 users to measure and diagnose their blood pressure wherever, whenever. Today the app has officially launched, exclusive to Watch Active2 users in South Korea.
Galaxy Watch Active2 can now monitor heart rhythms, but only in Korea
The functionality was just approved by South Korea's government
Samsung released the Galaxy Watch Active2 late last year, but not all of the wearable's hardware features have been activated yet. The Watch Active2 includes an electrocardiography (ECG) sensor for measuring the rhythm of the heart, and now the feature has been approved to go live — though only in South Korea, for now.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active drops to just $120 ($80 off), Active2 is $230 ($50 off)
Samsung's best smartwatches are cheaper than ever
Samsung makes some of the best Android-compatible smartwatches around. Last year the company released the Watch Active, a smaller sports-focused watch, and followed it up a few months later with the Active2. Both watches are still excellent, and now they're heavily discounted at multiple retailers.
Samsung Galaxy Watches will soon be able to read your blood pressure
Exclusive to the Galaxy Watch Active2 in Korea at first, and will require a calibration cuff
Samsung has been working on adding blood pressure measurements to its wearables for a while. It launched a limited test of that feature for the original Watch Active back in 2019, and now, about a year later, the company has announced that the South Korean government has authorized its brand-new Health Monitor app. It's capable of taking blood pressure with nothing but the Watch Active2 (plus some calibration help from a traditional cuff) and will be available in the country in the third quarter of 2020.