Withings Move vs Samsung Galaxy Watch Active: Which should you buy?
Affordable and stylish
The Withings Move is one of the more affordable fitness trackers available. It runs on a single coin battery, so you get 18 months of battery life, and it has seamless automatic tracking 24/7 with your favorite fitness activities. You can also use it to track sleep. However, the plastic case definitely feels cheap, and the watch face doesn't have a lot of information, so you need to use the app.
For
- Super affordable price tag
- Seamless tracking with about 30 workout activities
- Integrated sleep tracking
- Has GPS built-in
- 18-month battery life and up to 50m water resistance
Against
- Plastic casing feels cheap
- Face is very minimal in terms of information
A watch that does it all
The Samsung Galaxy Active is the latest Samsung smart watch. It works best with Android devices to get the most functionality, such as replying to notifications and S Health features, because iOS support is limited. The Galaxy Active can track your heart rate, fitness activities, and sleep, all in a beautiful AMOLED display. However, it's fairly expensive comparatively.
For
- Gorgeous AMOLED display
- Many different watch and app faces
- Built-in GPS
- Has Qi wireless charging
- Automatic tracking of fitness activities, sleeping, and heart rate
Against
- Works best with Android, iOS has limited functionality
- Somewhat high price tag
- Battery life is around two days
While both the Withings Move and Samsung Galaxy Watch Active are watches that keep track of your fitness, they're both quite different in terms of functionality and cost. Let's take a closer look...
Let's break it down
The Withings Move and Samsung Galaxy Watch Active are both good products, but in terms of iOS compatibility, the Withings is a better option, plus it's cheaper!
Header Cell - Column 0 | Withings Move | Samsung Galaxy Watch Active |
---|---|---|
Price | $70 | $200 |
Battery life | Up to 18 months | 2 days |
Battery | Single coin battery | Rechargeable with Qi wireless support |
Display | Analog | AMOLED |
Casing | Plastic | Aluminum |
Fitness tracking | Yes, 24/7 and automatic | Yes, auto for 6 types, manual tracking for 39 more activities |
Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
Heart rate tracking | No | Yes |
Different watch faces | No | Yes |
Notifications | No | Yes |
Apple Health support | Yes, through Withings Health Mate app | Yes, through Samsung Health app |
Honestly, while both wearables are good, we think the Withings Move is the better option out of these two. The Withings Move is much more affordable. Pretty much anyone can buy this one on a whim, and it works flawlessly with Withings Health Mate app, which syncs back to Apple Health. The only drawback of the Withings Move being so cheap is that the casing is made of plastic, so you won't get that premium feel. Also, the Withings Move ECG is the same as the Move, but with a built-in ECG monitor, and it is launching later in 2019.
The Withings Move is great for seamlessly tracking your fitness activities, since it can automatically detect what you're doing from around 30 different workouts, 24/7. The Move is also lightweight and comfortable, so you won't have an issue sleeping with it to keep track of your naps and regular sleeping patterns. It also runs on a single coin battery, giving you a whopping 18-months of battery life. That's right—you won't have to charge or replace the battery for over a year.
While the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is a good overall smartwatch that tracks your heart rate, exercise, and sleep while syncing with the Samsung Health app that feeds into Apple Health, we don't fully recommend using it with iOS. That's because you get limited smart watch functionality with iOS, as we covered previously. Samsung Galaxy Watch Active would work best with Samsung and other Android devices. For iOS users who want a complete smart watch experience, we highly recommend using an Apple Watch instead.
Our pick
Affordable and stylish fitness tracking
The Withings Move is super affordable, so anyone can grab one. It has seamless auto fitness and sleep tracking, and it can last up to 18-months on a single coin battery. It's lightweight and comfortable to wear, but the plastic casing may not be as durable as aluminum or stainless steel. The Withings Health Mate app is also very feature-rich.
Great smartwatch for Android users
If you prefer Android wearables
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is one of the newer Samsung Galaxy smart watches. It can track your heart rate, blood pressure, fitness activity, and sleep, while also managing notifications and other apps. However, it works best with Samsung and other Android devices, since it has limited functionality with iOS. We recommend an Apple Watch if you want to go with a smartwatch with your iPhone.
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Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. She has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed. When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.