Samsung Galaxy Watch review

The Verdict

Before we give our final verdict these are the main points that we observed during our time with the Galaxy Watch.

Pros

• Two sizes and three colors provide attractive options for most
• Excellent build quality
• 46mm Galaxy Watch has much-improved battery life
• One of the few watches to have Spotify support
• Tizen just keeps getting better with age with a slick and fluid UI
• Good daily activity tracking, stress monitoring and sleep tracking now viable with its improved battery life
• Improved HRM - now as good as expected for steady state activities such as walking, running and cycling
• Fast GPS lock
• Waterproof up to 50 meters
• Supports iPhones (albeit limited) not requiring Samsung or any Android phone

Cons

• Lack of basic fitness data - for example, Vo2 Max or SWOLF From the built in apps
• 4G Storage could be problematic for off-line music lovers or footprint heavy apps
• Tizen - App ecosystem is more restrictive than WatchOS or Wear OS
• If battery life is a priority, avoid the smaller 42mm variants
• Included silicon strap is functional but you'll want to supplement it with a posher one for date night
• We couldn't get Bixby to work with iOS and its usefulness when working is debatable
• No 'stress' measurement passed to Samsung Health iOS app in current version (Version 1.5)
• No on-line Samsung Health version
• Can't pair with external heart rate monitors for serious fitness fans

Put simply, this is the best smartwatch from Samsung yet. It builds upon the previous Gear S3 and Sport. While not revolutionary in any one area, the sum of all the changes in hardware and software results in a well rounded evolutionary smartwatch.

It's good looking - with the right strap, robust and has a great display. The Galaxy Watch in 46mm form now has usable battery life. While it's health and fitness capabilities are more than a match for what the majority of people require.

From left to right - Galaxy Watch, Gear S3 Frontier, Gear Sport, Fenix 5, Apple Watch

As an iPhone user you have to be sure that you can live with the restrictions if you can then you've got an excellent alternative for your wrist.

Today we have no problem highly recommending the Samsung Galaxy Watch. Ah, I hear you say, you're sensing a but! The Samsung Galaxy Watch is one of our favorite, if not our favorite smartwatches and if you're an ardent Samsung fan or Android user, you won't be disappointed if you went out and got one today.

But there are two dark clouds looming on the horizon that could rain on Samsung's parade in the next few months. For iPhone users, the Apple Watch with its rumored larger screens and usual spec upgrades could prove tempting. While Google's first rumored smartwatch - the Pixel may now not appear this year as predicted, we should witness a slew of improved watches courtesy of Snapdragons new 3100 SoC and Google's own evolving recently updated Wear OS, which will be of particular interest to Android owners.

Unless they hey have managed to keep something significant under wraps, such as MicroLED screens, we expect none of them to blow the Samsung Galaxy Watch out of the water. However, we'd be remiss not to advise you to wait just a while longer; you'd never forgive us otherwise.

Updated Sept 12: While the Series 4 Apple Watch does indeed bring an updated screen and internals - it's battery life doesn't come close to that of the Samsung Galaxy Watch.

Updated Sept 18: Samsung recently released an updated version of its Samsung Health App for Android (Version 6) which brings a new home screen design. The corresponding iOS version has yet to be updated.

What does this mean for the Samsung Gear Sport and Gear S3?

The new Samsung Galaxy watch has these older devices bettered in every area, and should now be avoided unless you manage to grab a bargain. We suspect they're not long for this world.