I completely forgot about the direct today but I have watched it now and thought I’d share my thoughts here. Also three blog posts in the space of a week? Crazy lol.
First of all, here are the bullet points I made while watching, I will put some final thoughts below but if you want a quick overview of what was going on in my mind at the time then please enjoy:
Starting out strong with Mario Kart – a classic.
Driving anywhere in the world is kind of crazy, I will definitely be taking some scenic drives.
24 drivers?? Yikes. Can barely keep track of 12 half the time.
Knockout is a cool gameplay mode, I can’t wait to immediately lose since I am not good at Mario Kart lol.
For my birthday this year, I decided to upgrade from my old Fitbit to a Samsung Galaxy Active 2.
I decided to choose the Samsung over another Fitbit because I thought it would give me more of a smart watch feel in terms of being able to use more apps than just tracking exercise.
One thing I was sad about when deciding to leave Fitbit was that all my data from the last two years using Fitbit was useless coming into using a Samsung smart watch. Samsung uses their own health app for tracking everything and you can’t import any of the data from Fitbit into it, something I was sad to learn about when I first got my phone. But it’s okay, I mean I’m not super into tracking my steps/sleep so much that I really analyse the data that is collected, but it still would have been nice to have it all in one place.
Aside from that I have been using the watch for a month now and I am really enjoying it.
I have found that it has helped me be more active in lockdown as I have been using it to track my walking and other exercise. I didn’t really actively track my walking when I was using the Fitbit because I wasn’t really going on walks, at least not planned walks. But I do enjoy seeing the progress I’ve been making and it makes me feel good to know I’ve done something other than sit in the house all day during lockdown. (Though that has been the majority of it).
In terms of look and functionality I find the watch really easy to use, I like the touch bezel and everything. It is a big step up from my Fitbit as the touchscreen on it was tough and wasn’t really used.
I also enjoy the customisation options of the face of the watch, though I wish when it came to using your own photo background that you had more options for the time display and also options on whether you wanted to display the date and things too. I did look into it and I know there are other ways to create your own watch faces but I don’t know if I’m that dedicated yet.
Plus I know there are a range of watch faces you can download and purchase on the Samsung Store app as well, though I don’t really know if I want to spend money on a watch face when I’ve already spent so much money on the watch to begin with.
As for other features on the watch I feel like they are all pretty standard, and similar to what I had before on the Fitbit. I have been using the watch to track my sleep as well, I find it is pretty accurate though sometimes doesn’t always register when I get up in the morning, but it’s not the end of the world.
The Samsung Health app is nice too, and I enjoy the look of it and it syncs pretty quickly with the watch too. I don’t have any complaints with it, plus every month the Samsung Health app has a step goal community thing which is cool, I never get anywhere close to completing the step goals but I think that’s something fun. I’m sure it would be more fun if I had friends on the Samsung app to compete against but I currently do not have any.
If I had to complain about anything with the watch it would be the battery life. Sadly the battery on the watch only lasts 2 days, which is fine when you don’t really leave the house so you can just charge it at the desk or whatever but I think could be annoying if you are out all day and can’t charge the watch.
I find even when I wasn’t tracking exercise during the two days or anything the watch still lasts about the same amount of time as when I have been using it to track exercise and things. So I don’t really know if there’s any other ways to improve battery life. I suppose if you kept it solely as a watch and didn’t use any of the other features that would keep the battery life but that’s not really why we buy smart watches is it?
Aside from the battery life though I am really enjoying the watch, and I am enjoying getting to use it more as I have been making the effort to start going on more walks and have been able to use it out and about as lockdown has slowly started lifting.
Watch with screen protector
One thing I am sad about though is that the screen is already scratched, I thought I could leave the watch without a screen protector because I don’t like screen protectors, but I had to cave and get one because I didn’t want to the screen to continue to get scratched up when I’ve barely had the watch for a month.
I suppose the one thing my Fitbit did have was a more durable screen but I wasn’t expecting the screen on this watch to be so fragile. But I’ve learnt my lesson so it’s protected now. The screen protector is okay, nothing fancy £6 or something from Amazon.
Sometimes the screen protector interferes with me trying to use the touch screen on the watch but it’s not so bad, I think it would be more annoying if I was actively using the touchscreen on the watch a lot but it’s nothing terrible. But we’ll see how long it lasts.
Oh and one thing I was super excited about with this watch is that it is waterproof, though I haven’t fully tested that because I’m a bit sceptical, I mean I don’t think I would ever be okay if someone was like “yeah you can wear that electrical thing to track your swimming”. Not that I can swim but that’s not the point, I doubt I’ll be jumping into water anytime soon thinking it’s okay with the watch on. But it’s still nice to know it’s not the end of the world if some water does get on it somehow.
So those are all my thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Active 2! As someone who is not super active it’s not important to me how accurately the watch can track certain exercises, but it is nice to have the option. As for an overall watch I think it’s great and I enjoy it though if you are looking for just a basic smart watch there are definitely others on the market at a much more affordable price. But if you want something a bit more fancy and flashy I think this is a great option, it’s also slim and light so not bulky or anything which is also nice.
I’ll be interested to see how the watch holds up in the long run, I feel like with smart watches you don’t want to be changing them as often as other technology pieces but at the same time it’s hard to avoid it with the advances companies make with each new model. But we will see what happens.
When I preordered my Samsung S10 phone, they had an offer on to also get a free pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds with it and I finally got them this week.
I was a little disappointed that they didn’t just come with the phone, but the whole process to get them wasn’t too bad. All you had to do was go online and fill in a form and they sent them right out. It took some time but these things normally do.
So what are Samsung Galaxy Buds? Basically Samsung’s version of Apple Airpods – at least that’s how I see them.
I’m not really a big earphone person – as in I really don’t spend a lot of time or money on these things – if they allow me to listen to music while I’m out and about then I am a fan. Before last year I was literally just using those cheap gummy earphones because they did the job.
The reason I stopped using them was because my boyfriend was very good to me and bought me a pair of Sony bluetooth headphones – and I’ve been using them ever since. I have to say I’m a fan of the headphones, though slightly too big for my head, it’s nice to have the wireless experience and they make great earmuffs because of their size lol.
The current headphone situation
Anyway, that’s the height of my experience and knowledge of headphones – I’m not an expert but I like new toys so because the earphones are free and fancy I decided to try them out.
First of all, I have never been a fan of Samsung earphones that come with phones – the last couple of pairs of earphones that came with my Samsung phones I gave to my brother – the shape was weird and I didn’t like how they fit.
Well – that’s exactly the shape of these new Samsung buds – so when I first put them in it felt weird. These things are really invasive when it comes to your ear – which I guess makes sense they have to be secure in there because you don’t want them to fall out when you are walking or exercising etc. But it was definitely an adjustment for me – I mean I still have a fear they are gonna fall out at any moment. Which is probably how people feel with the Apple Airpods too.
The look of them in your ears though I think is nicer than how people look with the airpods in. At least the Samsung buds are in the ear so are easily unnoticed but you can always see people’s airpods hanging out of their ears lol – I’m not saying the buds are the most stylish of looks but I think I prefer it to the Apple airpod look.
I’ve only worn them outside a couple of times and both times I wasn’t out for very long but walking with them in I worry about them falling out. One of them actually did fall out of my ear when I was walking the first time but I think it’s because the rubber attachment I had on it were too big. But even with the smaller ones they don’t quite feel so secure in there. So I can’t imagine using them for more than just walking.
The second time I wore them out it was windy and rainy, the kind of weather where you definitely don’t need your small earphone falling out and landing on the ground. Luckily they stayed in but again, still risky.
The sound quality on the buds are great, and they connect instantly to your phone – though I found this a bit annoying when I tried to pair them with my laptop because they instantly want to connect to your phone but that’s a problem that happens with any bluetooth earphones.
The buds do have this feature where they let in noises around you when in public which I did try a little bit but haven’t noticed much difference between this and when you have the setting turned off.
As for the touch settings on the buds, not sure how to feel about them. It’s kind of hit or miss and also it doesn’t always pick up the double tap when I want to change the song. It also feels a bit weird to reach up and tap your ear when walking in public lol.
So overall I think they are good earphones and I think I will continue to use them, but I won’t be so quick to hang up my headphones for good. I like the security I have with my headphones as I know they won’t just fall off and get lost.
Do I think they are worth the money? Eh, as a broke student who doesn’t like to spend money on headphones/earphones I would say probably not. I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to buy them but it was a nice perk from preordering my phone.
Anyway, I hope you found my opinions useful/interesting if you are considering getting wireless earphones and let me know if you have any tips on how to keep them from falling out of your ears, other than taping them up in there because I’d be interested to know!
After debating with myself for like two weeks I decided to upgrade early and treat myself to a new phone! I am moving from an iPhone 6 to the new Samsung S10.
I did enjoy my iPhone while I had it but I will always probably be an Android person at heart. I just wanted to know what it was like to have an iPhone and now I know so I was ready to jump ship back to Android.
I’ve been using the phone for a few days now and I’m still getting used to it, the always on display, the face recognition, the things I never had with iPhone. I’ve also had to get used to a new message tone and having to install and login to all my apps again.
But so far I’m really enjoying it, I love getting new technology because it’s so pretty and shiny. Now I just have to focus on not dropping it lol
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