Just six months after the launch of the Galaxy Watch Active, Samsung is following it up with the next generation of its flagship smartwatch. But why We took a closer look at the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 for this first hands-on review.

The Watch Active 2 comes in both LTE and Bluetooth options and can be pre-ordered now. The Bluetooth model starts at £269/$279 for the 40mm model and £289/$299 for the 44mm. That price rises to £399 and £419 if you want LTE. There's no LTE pricing in the US as yet.

It looks good on the wrist and the functions have improved a lot from its predecessor

I really like the lightweight feel of the Actie 2. I have the 44mm which is perfect for me. Fitness tracking is great and battery life seems fine, I'm expecting 3 days based on experience so far. The one disappointment likes the Galaxy Watch I've just replaced, it's hopeless to the point of useless at counting flights of stairs. It's set at 3 metres, so if you live in a typical UK house, you could run up and downstairs all day and it won't register a single flight. Some on Samsung at least let the user configure the floor count, or have it based on location perhaps. Not happy with that side of things. Not sure if Samsung Pay works as pretty much every UK major bank doesn't support it

I have had my Galaxy Watch now for almost 12 months. It does everything I need to and more importantly it isn't one of those fruity brand devices which are overpriced and use design over functionality, I digress... The Samsung pay function does not work with my UK bank which is a little sad, and it also does not work on my Galaxy S10+ so am using google pay, would be so much easier to use my watch instead of getting my phone out! Battery lasts almost a week! that is great, if it were a fruity brand once or twice a day if you use it! Gotta love the battery life, one of the reason for purchasing this!

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is a solid smartwatch, but unless you want LTE connectivity, there's very little reason to buy it instead of saving some money on the original model.

Digital rotating bezel makes navigation easier; Available in two sizes; LTE connectivity

Inconsistent battery life and fitness accuracy in testing; Limited iOS compatibility; Thick bezel

There's much to like about the latest Galaxy Watch Active 2, even though its flagship health feature hasn't been turned on yet.

The Galaxy Watch Active 2 feels even better on your wrist than the first Active -- it's comfortable during workouts and when sleeping; An updated running coach works fairly well, as long as you can deal with the Bixby voice; The touch bezel lets you navigate between menus easily.

The watch has an ECG, but you can't use it yet; Battery life on the smaller 40mm version does take a beating during workouts, especially when you have the always-on display active; There's no menstrual tracking.

If you want a smart watch for notifications and NFC payment Its not a bad watch, however as a fitness watch it's nothing short of terrible! The step count is way off (it only seems to count after around 20 steps) as it doesn't count ALL your steps, the heart rate function seems ok but the counting...

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is a minor upgrade on its predecessor, adding a digital rotating dial, bigger version, currently inactive ECG, and LTE option. But it's also nominally costlier, putting a hefty price on only a few extra features.

Digital haptic dial control is great; Still decent 2-day battery life; Attractive minimalist design

Pricey upgrade; Still very few third-party apps

When I unboxed the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 last week, I was rooting for it. On paper, the Active2 had a lot going for it. It's a good looking watch with solid app offerings and multi-day battery life. It's reasonably priced, and now comes with LTE connectivity.