With the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, Samsung took a very different approach to wearables this year. Even though they are already one of Apple’s biggest competitors, Samsung’s Tizen watches have always come in third, behind Xiaomi’s wearables. Tizen was slowly becoming a standard for smart wearables, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch is known for being stylish and having a lot of features.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Description
So it was a big leap of faith for Samsung to leave its own Tizen OS and work on Google’s new Wear OS instead. In exchange, it got access to Wear OS’s app list, which is better than Tizen’s. It also got permission from Google to change the watch’s user interface to make it work better for Samsung.
This makes Samsung the only Wear OS maker with a branch of custom software, which is called Wear OS Powered by Samsung. It has a different interface from stock and Samsung’s own apps, like Samsung Pay, Samsung Health, and Bixby, as well as a stronger link between Samsung phones and the new watches.
That’s not a bad place to start if you want to buy a smartwatch and have one of the billions of active Galaxy phones out there. But there are other things that make the new Galaxy Watch from Samsung the best for Android users. Samsung’s new BioActive Sensor, which is built into the watch, can measure body composition and take an electrocardiogram and blood pressure reading. This can be very appealing for people who want to keep better track of their health and progress. Sleep tracking has gotten better as well.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Competitively priced
- Bright, sharp display
- Thinner than the Classic model
- Fast processor
- Detects snoring
Cons
- Concerns with BIA sensor
- Battery life can be inconsistent
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Specifications
| Processor | Exynos W920 |
| Software | Wear OS + One UI Wach |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE (optional), NFC |
| Memory | 1.5GB RAM + 16GB |
| Durability | 5ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810G |
| Battery life | 40 hours |
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Design
Both versions of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 have a frame that has been redesigned so that there is no gap between the smartwatch body and the straps. The same number of crown buttons have an oblong shape instead of a round crown that sticks out and a flat side button.
Even with these small changes, the Galaxy Watch 4 is a tribute to previous models. The rotating bezel on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is both a useful navigation tool and a great way to pass the time. Since the first Samsung Galaxy Watch came out with the bezel, it has become as recognizable as the S Pen on the Galaxy Note phone. Because of this, Samsung’s decision to take the rotating bezel off the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 has caused some controversy.
Since I used the Galaxy Watch 3 more recently than the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, it took some time to get used to the basic Galaxy Watch 4’s capacitive bezel. But without the mechanism, the smartwatch is a lot thinner and looks more like a modern gadget than a traditional watch.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Health features
One of the main things the Galaxy Watch 4 does, and one of the main things any smartwatch does these days, is track health. Samsung Health works well with Wear OS. All sizes of the Watch 4 series have the same health features, including a 3-in-1 BioActive sensor that measures heart rate, blood pressure, ECG, and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), which is new to smartwatches but familiar to anyone who has used a connected scale.
During the week I spent testing the series, I switched between the Watch 4 Classic and the Watch 4. I used the Watch 4 Classic with a Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Watch 4 with a Pixel 5 to see if having a Samsung phone is actually better. All health features, including BIA, can be done on the watch and synced to the Samsung Health app on Android. ECG readings require the Samsung Health Monitor app, which is only available in the Galaxy Store.
Using the Watch 4 to work out is easy, especially if you do common exercises like running, biking, swimming, or rowing, which the watch can automatically recognize because of how they move. Some exercises, like weightlifting, have to be chosen by hand. There are a lot of strength workouts for one person, and an update in September 2021 added a lot of new workouts, such as circuit training.
Performance and Software
The Exynos W920 chipset and 1.5GB of RAM in the Watch 4 are made by Samsung. During our testing, we found that this was enough power to run a wide range of apps smoothly and without lagging. This smartwatch is one of the fastest we’ve ever used. This speed isn’t as noticeable on a smartwatch as it might be on a laptop or smartphone, but it is when compared to other smartwatches. For example, you can use different apps while the GPS is running.
Both versions of the Galaxy Watch 4 have 16GB of space. We found that the OS and preloaded apps took up about 8GB of this space, leaving you with the same amount of space for your own apps and music. The Galaxy Watch 4 is at its best when it comes to its software. Samsung is not using its own Tizen software for wearables here.
Instead, it’s bringing back Google’s Wear OS, but adding its own twist to it. You could be confused about what’s going on here. In recent years, most of Samsung’s software work has been on Tizen, and the software that runs on the Galaxy Watch 4 looks a lot like Tizen. Instead, this is Wear OS 3 with the One UI Watch 3 skin from Samsung on top. It has a few Samsung apps that you’ll be familiar with if you’ve used a Galaxy Watch before, but Wear OS is what it’s mostly about.
That means you can use the Google Play Store, and even though Wear OS isn’t the best platform for apps, you have more options than you do with Tizen. The design, on the other hand, is still very Samsung. The software on the Galaxy Watch 4 looks good and works well, and all the apps from the Google Play Store are already installed and ready to go. This is a better solution than Tizen, but it still has all the great things about Tizen.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Battery life
Even though I’d like to say that the battery life is a letdown (some rumours said it would last a week), it’s not even close to being a dealbreaker. Samsung says that if you use the Galaxy Watch 4 every day, it will last for 40 hours. It said something similar last year, but as I explain in my guide to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 vs Galaxy Watch 3, with GPS, activity tracking, and the always-on display turned on, I had to charge it every 24 hours.
Most of the phones and tablets we use every day need to be charged every day. Sure, many of the best smartwatches and fitness trackers can go for a few days without being charged. But as long as you’re not going to disappear for a week in the woods, I wouldn’t worry about the difference between 40 hours and a day. I wish the battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 was more consistent, though. I found that the watch had to be charged more than once every 24 hours on some days.
Price and availability
As of August 27, 2021, you can buy both the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. The 40mm Bluetooth model of the Galaxy Watch 4 starts at $249.99, and the 40mm LTE model starts at $299.99. you can purchase directly from Samsung’s stores. The 42mm Bluetooth model of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic starts at $349.99, and the 42mm LTE model starts at $399.99.
If you want to save money, you can use our Samsung promo codes to get discounts from the store itself. A Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro model has been rumoured, and it might have a big battery for a smartwatch. When you get your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, be sure to check out our guide on how to set it up.
Final Words
You might think I don’t like the Galaxy Watch4 because of all these small problems, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is probably the best full-fledged smartwatch I’ve ever used. Even though I miss the longer battery life of simpler fitness trackers, I think the extra features are a good enough trade-off to make this one.
I miss Samsung’s rotating physical bezel a lot, but even without it, I’m still very impressed with how well the Watch4 is made, from its relatively slim frame to its ability to avoid damage from everyday wear and tear. This is probably the best-looking smartwatch I’ve ever worn, and even though I wish I could throttle the person who designed the band, that just shows how well the rest of the watch works.
FAQs
How reliable is the Galaxy Watch 4?
In terms of heart rate accuracy, both of these watches were way off compared to other wearables and chest straps. But the Galaxy Watch 4 series fixes those problems with new algorithms. And in my tests, the accuracy of the Galaxy Watch 4 has really impressed me.
Does Galaxy Watch 4 have speaker?
The Exynos W920 chipset makes sure that everything runs smoothly, and it has a built-in speaker and microphone for making calls, using Bixby, etc.
