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The Galaxy Watch has everything you want in a smartwatch: it is completely waterproof, it has LTE support, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS and all your usual sensors. It has an extended battery life compared to the S3 and a really elegant design.
The Samsung Galaxy watch is the successor of the Gear S3 and the Gear Sport. It is basically the Gear S4, but with a different name. It has some notable improvements over its predecessors and it is one of the most expected smartwatches of the year, especially by Samsung fans.
The Galaxy Watch comes in 3 color options: black, silver and rose gold. It is also available in 2 sizes: 46 mm and 42 mm.
Here are the main specs of the watch:
Design
The Samsung Galaxy Watch has more of a masculine and ‘business’ design, whether you opt for the 46mm or 42mm version. Although you can purchase the rose gold version of the watch, it is still just a change in color, but the design is still manly. The design of the watch is quite similar to the S3 watch.
The 46mm version comes with a 22mm silicone strap and the 42mm watch comes with a 20mm silicone strap. The straps are interchangeable and easy to replace. While both sizes are comfortable enough to wear, they do feel a bit chunky and thick, especially the 46mm.
The Super AMOLED display is really bright and colors are vivid. You’ll have no problem using the watch in bright light. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass DX+.
There is a rotating bezel on both versions and the main body is made of stainless steel.
For control you’ve got 2 buttons on the right side (for Home and Back), the touchscreen and the rotating bezel, which works beautifully.
Features
The Galaxy Watch runs its Tizen software, which is pretty much a joy to use. It is user-friendly and intuitive and although Apple is still ahead when it comes to available apps, Tizen stays quite close behind. You’ve got a variety of apps to choose from, such as Spotify, Strava, Map My Run and many more, as well as well as access to a lot of watch faces from third-party developers. You’ve got thousands of watchfaces to choose from and you can even store dozens watchfaces in the watch. You can personalize the faces to your liking.
You’ve also got voice assistant through Bixby and while it can’t yet compete with Alexa or Google Assistant, it is still a nice feature to have.
The watch is compatible with Android and iOS devices.
The Galaxy Watch has every possible feature you can look for in a smartwatch: all the usual sensors for heart rate monitoring, activity tracking, location tracking. You’ve got GPS, NFC, Bluetooth and WiFi and LTE support, which gives you full independence from your smartphone.
Unfortunately, unlike the S3, the Galaxy Watch doesn’t come with MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) functionality.
When it comes to health/fitness tracking capabilities, the Samsung Galaxy Watch has its pros and cons. There are features which work impressively well, such as the heart rate monitoring, which is pretty much always accurate. The sleep tracker is decent, too. The Galaxy Watch is also 5ATM rated, meaning you can take it with you in the pool or when you go swimming.
On the downside, when it comes to counting steps and tracking your location, the Galaxy Watch can’t compete with serious fitness trackers such as Garmin, for instance.
The battery life of the Galaxy Watch is good, especially if you go for the larger version of the watch (the 46mm). It can last up to 4 days on a single charge, depending, of course, on the type of usage. The 4 days are guaranteed for normal use, but if you choose the LTE version and you’re going to use the GPS/WiFi a lot, don’t expect to get as much. The 42mm has a life of up to 3 days on a normal use. Compared to the S3 model, the Galaxy Watch lasts an extra day in terms of battery life, which is a notable improvement.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is not the most affordable watch out there, nor is it among the best in terms of health/fitness capabilities. But it stands its own when it comes to health/activity tracking, it is a really good looking watch and has pretty much all the features you can look for in such a wearable.
The Galaxy Watch goes for approx. $330 for the 42mm version and $350 for the 46mm version. If you want the LTE option (only works in the US so far) you have to pay an extra $50. In the box you also get the charging dock, a travel adapter and a quick setting guide.
Phone: 1-800-726-7864
Monday-Friday: 8 am-12 am EST
Saturday-Sunday: 9 am – 11 pm EST
Social media support: Facebook, Twitter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samsungsupport
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamsungSupport
Samsung has an impressive customer support. You can reach them each and every possible way: through phone, 24/7 live chat, email (reply time – 24 hours), or using their social media channels. Their website is also useful and full of helpful resources: interactive guides, a community, a repair & service section and more.
Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but Best Review Guide may earn money when you click on links. Read our advertising disclosure.
By: Matt | Last updated January 23, 2021 
