There are now dozens upon dozens of different models of smartwatches available on the market in our world. Apple and Samsung are the two major brands that can be said to be in a league of their own when it comes to consumer recognition. Now, don't get me wrong. There are additional, similarly excellent watches available at more approachable price points, such as the Fitbit. However, if money is not an issue and you are searching for the best of the best, Apple and Samsung stand out as the top choices.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is the subject of this review, which I am writing after wearing it for approximately one year and eighteen months.
To keep things straightforward, your first choice is between the slightly bulkier 46mm model and the more streamlined 42mm version. And there is no difference between the male and female versions of this. I am a guy who is tall and fairly thin, but for some reason, I like wearing big watches. Therefore, even though some people may decide that 42mm is the best size for their wrist, you should try on both sizes to get a good feeling before making your decision.
Even though the 46mm model is somewhat more cumbersome, I discovered that it was quite comfortable to wear on my wrist, and the benefits are fairly obvious: Having a larger screen and a battery that lasts longer are two aspects that are particularly important to me. Even when I'm not paying attention to it, the silver finish on the stainless steel stands out to me. As a result, before investing in this kind, you should try on both models, and this recommendation stands regardless of whether you have a small or large wrist. Believe me when I say that this watch, or any other smartwatch for that matter, is not something that you should purchase with just a few clicks of the mouse on the internet.
The various models all include a 1.15GHz Exynos 9110 dual-core processor from Samsung and 4GB of storage space as standard equipment. The LTE editions, on the other hand, come with 1.5GB of RAM while the noncellular editions only have 748MB available.
The internal components of the Samsung Galaxy Watch and those of the older Samsung Gear series are where the majority of the differences can be found:
The Galaxy Watch is water resistant to a depth of fifty meters, or five atmospheres (atmospheres). This watch has a water resistance rating of 100 meters, making it suitable for swimmers of all types, including those who enjoy swimming in salt water and in the increasingly chlorinated water pools that emerged during the coronavirus period. Despite this, you are required to give your Galaxy Watch a thorough cleaning after swimming in such conditions.
The 46mm models have a battery life of approximately three days, while the 42mm models have a battery life of approximately four days (on the non-LTE editions, by the way). I will elaborate on the duration of the battery life in the following paragraphs.
One of the most significant advancements is that Galaxy watches are now capable of tracking a much wider variety of workouts; specifically, 21 indoor exercises and 39 tracked workouts in total. There are also tie-ins to other well-known fitness apps, such as Under Armor, MayMyRun, Speedo, and others. The fitness and sleep tracking features are linked to Samsung's S-Health app. The Galaxy Watch, true to its word, includes a stress-management application that I can confidently say has been of assistance to me in situations where taking a few slow, deep breaths can help a great deal.
During the time that I've been using this watch, I've noticed that the function that monitors my sleep has received periodic updates that have made it more accurate. In comparison to the mode that only measures your heart rate once every ten minutes to save battery life, I found that the continuous mode measured my heart rate more accurately. Even though the Galaxy Watch performs quite well overall, prospective buyers should be aware that Fitbit and Garmin watch provide more accurate sleep tracking for those who place a high priority on having this feature.
The same caveat applies to those exercise gurus who, for a variety of reasons, strive for absolute perfection in the monitoring of their workouts by their smartwatches. All of these watches are undeniably a motivating factor for one to achieve certain exercise, step, and calorie burnt goals for every day. In addition, I suggest keeping a written record of the amount of water, food, and caffeine that you consume daily to gain a better understanding of the relationship between the calories that you consume and the calories that you burn. For those who are loyal to the Apple Watch, I have to admit that the distance and step tracking features of the Galaxy Watch could use some fine-tuning to compete with those offered by Apple.
My typical workouts consist of a few straightforward exercises and runs that are between three and four miles long. The Galaxy Watch can adequately track all of them, especially now that a recent software update has improved its GPS performance. In addition, I have an ever-present drive to not only achieve my daily objectives but also to enhance them using a weekly and monthly plan. On the other hand, I must admit that the hourly reminders to get up and move around from my desk are a lot simpler to comply with than Fitbit's requirement of 250 steps.
Bixby is Samsung's voice assistant, and it is at your disposal in the Galaxy Watch if you are the type of user who enjoys using voice commands. You can voice a variety of commands, such as "Start workout" and "Play music," as well as questions, such as "What's the weather like today?" You can use your voice to respond to text messages on your Galaxy Watch, much to the delight of a great number of people, most notably the children of my neighbor, who enjoy annoying me by answering text messages on my watch. Be aware, though, that the iPhone does not support this feature in any way shape, or form. To tell you the truth, Bixby is not as good as Apple Watch's Siri, but it is certainly an improvement over Samsung's previous voice assistant, which was a disaster. (Let's try to avoid that...)
If you already own a Samsung Galaxy phone, you won't have any problems using the numerous different pairings and apps that are compatible with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. Additionally, the optimization works well with other Android phones, and to a lesser extent, it even works with iPhones. On Android, the app is known as Galaxy Wearable, and on iOS, it is referred to as Galaxy Watch.
It's possible that you, like me, have the impression that Samsung is stepping up its competition with Apple by launching a series of mobile brand products to entice customers to buy their products in sets. This is Samsung's strategy for combating Apple's dominance in the mobile market. Apple has had an incredible amount of success in this sector, and the company currently holds a dominant position in the market for wearable merchandise. Apple and Samsung, on the other hand, have realized that the focus of the market is moving away from simple fitness trackers and toward smartwatches that provide an all-in-one, variety of everything in the form of a single device package.
