Samsung is taking a big chance with its brand-new flagship smartwatches, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority Table of contents 01 At a glance 02 Should you buy it 03 Experts’ take 04 Users’ take 05 Hardware and design 06 Fitness and health features 07 What’s new in the Galaxy Watch 4? 08 Specs 09 The new Wear OS 10 Galaxy Watch 4 alternatives 11 Where to buy 12 FAQs 13 Polls With its new flagship smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, Samsung takes a big leap into the unknown. There are plenty of hardware upgrades and design refinements to look forward to. But the big news here is that Samsung canned its familiar Tizen operating system in favor of the new Wear OS it co-developed with Google. We considered its predecessor one of the best smartwatches for Android users, and Samsung’s latest are primed to take its place on the list. Here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Editor’s note: We’ll regularly update this Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 guide with more tips, resources, and details, so stay tuned. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic at a glance Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Samsung’s best smartwatch, now with Wear OS Samsung and Google combined forces to improve the software situation with smartwatches on Android. The result is the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, running the new, co-developed Wear OS. The standard Galaxy Watch 4 is for the sportier crowd, while the Watch 4 Classic is for those who’d like a watch they can wear to the office. $249.99 at Amazon $249.99 at Samsung $249.99 at Best Buy $299.99 at Verizon $299.99 at AT&T $299.99 at T-Mobile Samsung launched two smartwatches, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, on August 11, 2021. For the most part, the two feature similar specs and design cues but are built for different users. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is the spiritual successor to the Galaxy Watch Active 2. (It just has a nicer name this time.) It’s the sporty one, comes in better colorways, and has an overall smaller form factor. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is the direct successor to last year’s Galaxy Watch 3. It’s bigger, classier, and simply offers more. Catch up: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 review| Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 review The physical rotating bezel — which we adore — returns on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, while the vanilla Galaxy Watch 4 has a touch-enabled bezel similar to that of the Active 2. Both devices have bigger, brighter displays than before, offer longer battery life, and have new health features that aim to give you a more holistic view of your current health conditions. Again, these are also the first two devices with the new Wear OS on board. There are a few different versions to choose from. The Galaxy Watch 4 is available in two different sizes — 40mm and 44mm. On the other hand, you’ll get 42mm and 46mm variants of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. There’s a $30 difference between the two size versions in both cases. You will also have the choice between Bluetooth-only or LTE variants, with another $30 surcharge for the latter. Are the Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 4 Classic worth buying? Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority Yes, absolutely. If you’re looking for the best smartwatch you can buy that isn’t made by Apple, the Galaxy Watch 4 or the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are it. However, with two distinct smartwatches this time around, users have a choice to make. The Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are quite similar. The Galaxy Watch 4 is smaller, thinner, lighter, and uses a capacitive touch-based virtual rotating panel instead of the physical rotating bezel you get with the Classic. You’ll still get the same display sizes across the board, though. You’ll also get the same set of features, similar internal hardware, and an identical software experience. These are some of the most fully featured smartwatches you can get. Related: The best smartwatches you can buy Adding to the breadth of fitness tracking and health monitoring features available, the Galaxy Watch 4 series also comes with an optical heart rate sensor (PPG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and bioelectrical impedance (BIA) sensor. There’s an unfortunate catch here in that you’ll need a Samsung phone to use some of these new features (more on this later), but we’ll hopefully see better support down the line. The Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are cheaper than what their predecessors cost at launch. However, depending on the size and connectivity options, they can get pricey. The regular Watch 4 starts at $249 and goes up to $329, while the Watch 4 Classic will set you back between $349 and $429. These aren’t the most expensive smartwatches around by any means, though, and it’s great to see them priced to compete in an increasingly packed field. What reviewers are saying about the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority In his review, Android Authority’s own Jimmy Westenberg says, “all of the smartwatch features work well, the fitness features are abundant and improved, and both devices can be customized to your particular size and style.” He adds that while the Galaxy Watch 4 series is in a league of its own in the Wear OS ecosystem, it isn’t quite perfect. There aren’t too many issues with the watches, but the lack of device support is disappointing, with features like ECG readings and blood pressure monitoring only available with Samsung phones. The software experience is good, but it’s more Samsung than Google in this case, so it’ll be interesting to see how other Wear OS watchmakers adapt to the new software. It’s also still early stages, so plenty of software features are still to come, the most glaring being the lack of the Google Assistant. However, despite some quibbles, he concludes that “the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a fantastic smartwatch that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to any Android user.” What other reviewers around the web are saying about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic Tech Radar’s James Peckham says that the Galaxy Watch 4 is “a great choice for anyone who owns a Galaxy smartphone.” He adds that it’s still worth getting if you don’t have a Samsung phone, but you will miss out on features like blood pressure and ECG measurements. Peckham also says battery life wasn’t a huge concern and that the watch has “good fitness features, strong battery life, and a comfortable design.” However, the compatibility issues may be disappointing for potential buyers. Tom’s Guide’s Kate Kozuch calls the Galaxy Watch 4 “the first Wear OS smartwatch worth your money.” She adds that it’s an excellent upgrade with design updates, refreshed software, and a breakout BIA (bio-impedance analysis) system. And the fact that the series is cheaper than its predecessors is surprising but welcome. She would have preferred better and more consistent battery life and finds that the new Wear OS is missing some key features. That said, she concludes that “the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4’s success comes down to integrating as obnoxiously well with Galaxy devices as the Apple Watch does with the greater Apple ecosystem.” SamMobile’s Danny D. says the hardware upgrades make the Galaxy Watch 4 series noticeably fast and that “the hardware improvements alone justify the upgrade” if you have any older smartwatch. The even more exciting update is on the software side, saying, “the work that Samsung has done with Google on Wear OS will benefit the entire Android smartwatch ecosystem.” He adds that Samsung seems to have priced the new watches to be more attainable and that they offer “incredible value for money with great new features, a completely new chipset and access to Android’s vast library of apps.” What people like you think of the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic There was a lot of hype surrounding the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, especially after Google mentioned details about the new collaboration with Samsung and Wear OS 3.0. To find out how excited (or not) you were about the new smartwatches and software, we issued a few polls before and after the launch of the watches. After a leaked marketing video showed off the UI in action about a month before the Galaxy Watch 4 series was officially announced, we asked you whether you liked the new UI. An overwhelming majority was in favor of the new user interface. Out of the 1,560 votes in total,93% of AA readers liked what they saw. Before the launch: Do you like the new UI of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series? After Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch 4 series, we put a simple question to our readers. Is the Galaxy Watch 4 hot or not? Once again, most of you think that Samsung has a winner on its hands, with more than 80% positive votes out of the 1,422 total. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 hardware and design Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority The Galaxy Watch 4 and Classic models offer different designs and are made for different users. Both Galaxy Watch 4 models offer thinner cases than their respective predecessors — good news if you weren’t a fan of the Galaxy Watch 3’s bulkier design.
