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

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.

The Galaxy Watch Active 2 is still Samsung's most enjoyable smartwatch to live with. It strikes a good balance between design and the features on offer. While the price has crept up, it does still offer good value for money and the promise of ECG support will bolster the feature ranks – hopefully...

Still a lovely smartwatch to wear; Navigating bezel is back; Feature-packed for the price

I have been using the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 for about a week now, and it has accomplished something remarkable: it's made me decide to stop saying there are no good smartwatch options for Android users.

Touch-sensitive bezel; Offline Spotify; Decent battery life

Requires too many Samsung phone apps to work; Bixby; No good mapping solutions