There is a caveat to all of these improvements that is particularly important if you’re weighing up buying the Galaxy Watch 4 against future Wear OS 3 powered smartwatches, and it’s that we don’t yet know how much of this is down to Samsung’s exclusive One UI overlay. Of course, this is hardly an issue from Samsung’s point of view, but for consumers, it’s worth being aware of. The 40mm version comes with a smaller 247mAh cell, and we’ve yet to be able to test how well this performs. Our experience with previous Samsung smartwatches has seen a slight difference in battery life between the smaller and larger model, but you shouldn’t expect the 40mm variant to be dramatically different. In addition to Samsung’s core apps for weather, reminders and alarms, you’ll find a couple of standout new entries here, including Google Maps and, importantly, Google’s Play Store. The latter opens up a whole range of possibilities compared to what’s possible with any recent Samsung smartwatch, with apps such as Shazam, Couch to 5K, Nike Run Club, Calm, Komoot and Telegram all available, in addition to Google essentials such as Google Fit, Google Pay and Google Keep. Typical value tested under Samsung laboratory condition. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated(minimum) capacity is 361mAh for Galaxy Watch4 44mm, 247mAh for Galaxy Watch4 40mm. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns, and other factors.

Applies to calls made in in the UK and when roaming in our Europe Zone to standard landlines and mobiles. Minute minimum charges apply 2. Text message Returning to the chassis, it’s clear that Samsung has taken a leaf out of Apple’s book for the Galaxy Watch 4. Gone are the softer edges and slightly curved screen of previous iterations, replaced by sharper angles and a display that lies completely flat. I was sceptical about this change at first but I’ve really come to appreciate just how stylish the Galaxy Watch 4 is. This feels like a truly modern smartwatch. This speed isn’t as noticeable as it might be on a smartphone or a laptop, but it is noticeable when compared to other smartwatches, and it allows you to use a variety of apps while the GPS features are running, for example. ECG and BP feature only to be used by 22 years+. For accurate BP readings, a calibration is required every 4 weeks by BP monitor & arm cuff. Requires a Galaxy smartphone running Android 7.0 or above.The display is one of the best we’ve seen on a smartwatch, with bold colors and high max brightness, making it easy to view both in glaring daylight and when we raised our wrist to glance at it while on a run. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic: Performance and software Courtesy of the new 5nm Exynos W920 chipset, almost everything on the Galaxy Watch 4, from menu navigation to interacting with apps, is fast and fluid. It all feels very similar to using Wear OS on Snapdragon Wear 4100 powered smartwatches, except this time the OS feels far more confident in its execution and style.

That means you’ve got access to the Google Play Store, and while Wear OS isn’t the best-supported platform apps-wise, you’ve got more/a lot more/whatever options than you have on Tizen. The design, meanwhile, still feels distinctly Samsung. The Galaxy Watch4 is the entry-level model in the 4 family. The Classic is the premium offering from Samsung in 2021. Discover the Galaxy Watch4 Classic today. Despite being another numbered iteration in Samsung’s mainline wearable line, the Galaxy Watch 4 is entirely unique for being the first smartwatch anywhere to feature Wear OS by Samsung – an entirely revamped operating system co-developed between Samsung and Google. The fitness features here aren’t hugely different to what we’ve seen before, but there is a new body composition tool that gives you a rough idea of your body fat percentage. We’ve found that GPS, heart rate monitoring and other fitness features are well thought out on the Galaxy Watch 4.

You may want to invest in a band made from different material if you regularly wear your watch to the gym.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is finally here, acting less as an update to last year’s Samsung wearable and more as the first in a long line of next-generation smartwatches. As for the Galaxy Watch 4, this is the best smartwatch for anyone who owns a Galaxy smartphone. If you own a different Android phone, it’s still a worthy choice for your next smartwatch, but there are caveats around the features mentioned above.Helping to cement that concept is the Super AMOLED screen and I haven’t seen a smartwatch yet that can compete with the vibrancy found here. On occasion, I’ve found myself simply admiring various watch faces because of how colourful they appear on the Galaxy Watch 4. There’s 16GB of storage on both models of the Galaxy Watch 4. We found that about 8GB of this was taken up with the OS and preloaded apps, which leaves you with the same again for your own apps and music. Unlike on most other watches, where you can adjust the angle of the strap relative to the body, on the Watch 4 Classic, the straps can only protrude perpendicularly from the sides of the body, which results in a sizable gap between the strap and your wrist on either side of the body; you can see this issue in the image of the standard Watch 4 below – and we'd consider our wrists to be pretty average-sized. Some of the most popular Wear OS apps have also been updated, such as Google Maps. It’s now a lot easier to see where you’re going as the in-app map design is thankfully less cluttered to give you a better understanding of your surroundings. For the first time ever, you can now use Google Pay on a Galaxy Watch, but Samsung Pay is still available if you prefer. After spending a good deal of time with the Galaxy Watch 4, it’s clear that the gamble has paid off. Design and screen

The stats you’ll get include a body fat percentage score, skeletal muscle, fat mass, body water and BMI. It’ll also give you a rough idea of the healthy range for your sex, weight and height. The display on the watch is 42mm across if you opt for the 42mm version and 46mm if you opt for the 46mm model - that might sound obvious, but it’s worth clarifying that the size refers to the display, and not the body as a whole.

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The Galaxy Watch 4 is also Samsung’s only smartwatch in recent years that doesn’t work with iPhones at all. Apple itself is notoriously restrictive but with Samsung moving to Google’s Wear OS, you’d hope it would become more accessible, not less. UK calls/texts to standard UK landlines and mobiles and when roaming in our Europe Zone. Fair Usage policy applies. Special and out of bundle numbers chargeable.4G phone required to access 4G. 4G available in selected areas. Both the Samsung Galaxy Watch4 4G and the Galaxy Watch4 Classic run on Google's new Wear OS, as opposed to the Samsung Tizen OS. Instead, this is Wear OS 3 but with Samsung’s own skin, called One UI Watch 3, on top. It includes a variety of Samsung apps that you’ll be used to if you’ve had a Galaxy Watch before, but this is primarily Wear OS.