Samsung Galaxy Watch review

Reviewers found little to complain about regarding design and comfort. They loved the weight and size of the watch.

If you're planning to use it as a fitness tracker, the watch is IP68 and 5ATM water-resistance rating. This means you can take it just about anywhere without worry.

The watch continues to use the rotating bezel for controls alongside a touchscreen and side buttons. Reviewers found the controls intuitive and responsive. Overall, they loved using the watch.

Screen

The watch comes in two sizes -- 1.2-inch (42mm) or 1.3-inch (46mm) 360-by-360 pixel Super AMOLED screens with a Gorilla Glass DX+ "uncrackable" treatment.

Reviewers loved the contrast offered by the display. While you won't use the watch to view movies or the like, the bright screen and crisp text made reading the various features and apps easy -- even with a quick glance.

Touch response was also good though you'll do most of your navigating of the various menus using the rotating bezel ring.

Performance

Samsung upgraded the processor from previous generations, using a 1.15Ghz dual-core Exynos processor.

Depending on the exact features you want in your watch, you'll also find 768MB or 1.5GB of RAM.

All Samsung Galaxy Watches include 4GB of internal storage to store songs or install apps for use on the go.

Software

Instead of Google's WearOS, the watch runs Samsung's Tizen. Reviewers loved the interface and found the software snappy and easy to use.

While the watch offers compatibility for both iOS and Android phones, you'll get access to the most features and integrations if you own a high-end Samsung phone. However, whether pairing through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, reviewers had few problems maintaining a connection between their phone and their watch.

App support is the biggest problem with Tizen. There's simply not much to choose from on their store as the phone can't run Apple or Android apps.

Pickr summed up opinions well, saying, "... the app store for the Galaxy Watch just feels like it needs more."

Connectivity & Sensors

Samsung includes virtually any sensor or connectivity option you might want.

There's Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi for connecting to your phone, making payments, or transferring information.

Optional 4G LTE connectivity allows you to stay connected without the need for a phone.

The heart rate monitor, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, ambient light sensor, and GPS/GLONASS offer everything you might need for fitness tracking, mobile navigation, and other uses.

While reviewers found the automatic fitness tracking hit or miss on activity detection, they noted that sleep tracking, manual fitness tracking, and heart rate measurements appeared accurate.

Battery Life

If you're looking for the best battery life, the model you choose will have a huge impact on your experience.

The smaller 42mm model includes a 270mAh battery good for one to two days of use with a single charge.

Upgrading to the 46mm model brings a 472mAh battery. Most reviewers saw 4 days or more of use from a single charge when using 4G access sparingly.

Pickr says, "... if you're using a wearable just as a daily thing, to send you notifications, to pick up calls on it, and to track the odd quick walk or so, you'll find an impressive work week watch of battery life here."

Both use wireless charging which is convenient but slow. Expect a full charge to take a few hours.

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Takeaway [H4]

The sheer amount of features crammed into the watch impressed reviewers. However, they worried the watch offered more features -- and more cost -- than the average person might want to deal with.

GadgetByte summed up opinions well, saying, "The design is great, the display is great, some functions are very useful. But, like I said, it does things, most of us won't even use. The comprehensive health and fitness features are great, but there are fitness bands for cheaper that can get the job done. As for other things, we use our phones anyway."