Today, I’ll be reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Watch which I have used for over three months. The Galaxy Watch is a comprehensive smartwatch pack with both lifestyle and fitness tracking features. It’s built with durable materials and loaded with lots of features, and as well as long battery life. I’m going to share with you my 3 months experience with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 46mm Bluetooth model although there is now a Galaxy watch 3 which has a higher storage capacity, more health tracking features, and a refined design.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Comprehenive Review
DESIGN
- Sturdy and Rugged Design
- Display
- Navigation
- Lots of Watch Faces to Choose From
- Waterproof Rating
Starting with the design, the Galaxy Watch has a remarkable design which I think is a prestigious one. It’s also durable and tough thanks to its MIL-STD-810G military-grade rating. It comes in two sizes 46mm and 42mm, each of these is also available in two models; LTE and Bluetooth-only model. The LTE model is a standalone smartwatch that allows you to make and receive calls, access the internet without carrying your phone along.
The Galaxy Watch has a case made of stainless steel, while the straps which come in 22mm for the 46mm model and 20mm for the 42mm model are made of silicone. The touch-sensitive screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass DX. So, this smartwatch is very sturdy, I have no doubt about it.
AMOLED powers the display of the Galaxy Watch, while the 46mm has a 1.3 inches display size, the 42mm has a 1.2 inches display size. So, it’s easier to read complications on the 46mm model than on the 42mm model. AMOLED powers the display of the Galaxy Watch with a 360 x 360 resolution that offers a rich and satisfying viewing experience. Both have an always-on display with touchscreen support that allows for easy navigation. Corning Gorilla DX+ protects the screen which offers superior clarity and durability.
One of the finest features of the Galaxy Watch is its physical rotating bezel which Samsung replicated in Galaxy Watch 3. The physical rotating bezel makes scrolling so effortless. And in addition to its 2 physical buttons and touchscreen support, the Galaxy Watch is very easy to navigate.
When you swipe right, you’ll see your list of widgets which are a maximum of 15. These widgets make it easy to access information that matters most to you. When you swipe left, you can see your list of notifications, and when you swipe down, you get to see the quick panel section that contains stuff like touch light, sleep mode, brightness, and more. You can easily adjust and arrange the order of widgets.
Rated 5ATM, the Galaxy Watch is swim-proof and safe to wear while swimming. It has a water eject mode that allows you to eject water from the watch after deeping it into water. When the water eject mode is activated, the watch makes some sound which removes the water from the loudspeaker.
HEALTH AND FITNESS TRACKING
As per fitness tracking, the Galaxy Watch will track your heart rate, sleep, calories, steps, and distance. Thanks to the built-in sensors like accelerometer, barometric altimeter, heart rate sensor, gyroscope, and GPS.
- Sleep Tracking
- Heart Rate Monitor
- Outdoor Activity Tracking With Inbuilt GPS
- Preloaded Sport Modes
- Other Activity Tracking Features
The Galaxy Watch tracks your sleep every night, although it’s quite bulky to wear to sleep. I do wear it some nights and it tracks your sleep in four stages; light, awake, deep, and REM, and it shows a sleep trend overtime.
39 sport modes are featured in the Galaxy Watch, this allows you to choose your preferred workout modes, and it can auto-detect and track 6 sport modes. You can choose a workout mode from the Samsung Health app in the Galaxy Watch.
The Galaxy Watch also tracks all the basics like your steps, calories, and distance. There is a stress app that can guide you through a breathing session to help you recover from stress. And as well as the menstrual cycle app which allows women to log and track period cycles. You can also log your food and water intake using the respective widgets apps.
MEDIA
You can store music on Watch, you can also install apps, watch faces and images. The Galaxy Watch has a 4GB storage capacity out of which about 2.5GB is available for use.
It also has both a microphone and loudspeaker which enables you to make and receive calls directly from the watch. It syncs your phone contacts and allows you to easily select a number you wish to call. You can also receive calls directly from the watch, you can decide to speak directly or connect a wireless Bluetooth headphone.
Bixby is the voice Assistant on Galaxy Watch, you can use Bixby to start an exercise, check the alarm, check the weather, and more.
I do enjoy playing music aloud from the Galaxy Watch while running or just during recreation. You can add a Bluetooth headphone to allow you to enjoy music hand free.
CONNECTIVITY
The standard Galaxy Watch is equipped with Bluetooth and WiFi which allows for different means of communicating with the watch. However, the LTE model comes with an e-SIM that allows you to make and receive calls directly from the watch. You can also install apps and watch faces independently, and as well reply to notifications directly from the watch.
BATTERY LIFE
One major reason why the Galaxy Watch is very popular is because of its decent battery life. It’s not the longest of them all, but it can take you through a couple of days from a single charge. The 46mm model with 472mAh battery capacity has longer battery life than the 42mm model with 272mAh.
On average I got about 3 days plus battery life with the Galaxy Watch. I tested the Galaxy Watch based on, 30 minutes of outdoor activity tracking, always-on display mode turned off, 20 apps selected to receive notifications with maximum brightness, yet I averaged about 3 days battery life.
NOTIFICATIONS
Beyond the design and activity tracking features, the Galaxy Watch also helps me manage notifications. So I can setup which apps I want to receive notifications from and I can reply to messages in three ways; voice reply, texts, and emojis. There are over 30 preset replies which you can customize or add more. The Galaxy Watch also shows chat history which is also now possible with Active 2 and Galaxy Watch 3.
Pros
- Sturdy and rugged design.
- Has microphone and loudspeaker.
- You can make and receive calls from watch.
- A decent fitness smartwatch.
- Up to 4 days long battery life.
Cons
- The 46mm model is bulky and thick.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Full Specifications
| Product Info |
 Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) Full Specifications, Features and Price |
 Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) (LTE) Full Specifications, Features and Price |
|---|---|---|
| Price | - | $64.00 |
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device name | Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) | (LTE), Samsung Galaxy Watch (46mm) |
| Device type | Fitness/Classic smartwatch | Standalone/Fitness smartwatch |
| Gender | Men | Men |
| Release date | August, 2018 | August, 2018 |
| Predecessor | Samsung Gear S3 | Samsung Gear S3 |
| Successor | Galaxy Watch 3 | Galaxy Watch 3 |
| Versions | Bluetooth, LTE | Bluetooth, LTE |
| BODY | BODY | BODY |
| Dimension | 46 x 49 x 13 mm | 46 x 49 x 13 mm |
| Weight | 63 grams (excluding straps) | 63 grams (excluding straps) |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Case material | Stainless steel 316L | Stainless steel 316L |
| Strap material | Silicone | Leather, Silicone |
| Bezel material | Stainless steel 316L | Stainless steel 316L |
| Strap size | 22 mm | 22 mm |
| Interchangeable strap | Yes | Yes |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ | Corning Gorilla glass DX+ |
| Water resistance | Yes, 5ATM | Yes, 5ATM |
| Durability test | MIL-STD-810G | MIL-STD-810G |
| Swim-proof | Yes, recommended | Yes, recommended |
| Color | Black, Silver | Black, Silver |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display size | 1.3 inches | 1.3 inches |
| Display type | Super AMOLED, Full color | Super AMOLED, Full color |
| Display resolution | 360 x 360 pixel | 360 x 360 pixel |
| Pixel density | 391.63 PPI | 391.63 PPI |
| Always on | Yes | Yes |
| Custom watch face | Yes | Yes |
| Input type | 2 Physical buttons, Physical rotating bezel, Touchscreen | 2 Physical buttons, Physical rotating bezel, Touchscreen |
| CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY | CONNECTIVITY |
| Bluetooth | Yes, Bluetooth v4.2 LE | Yes, Bluetooth v4.2 LE |
| Bluetooth calling | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | Galileo, Yes, GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU | Galileo, Yes, GPS/GLONASS/BEIDOU |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 | Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 |
| MEMORY | MEMORY | MEMORY |
| RAM | 0.75GB | 1.5GB |
| ROM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Memory card slot | No | No |
| CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY | CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY |
| Technology | None | GSM / HSPA / LTE |
| SIM type | None | e-SIM |
| Band | — | — |
| NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS | NOTIFICATIONS |
| SMS alert | Yes | Yes |
| Calls alert | Yes | Yes |
| Email alert | Yes | Yes |
| Event reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Third-party apps alert | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to Notifications | - | - |
| MEDIA | MEDIA | MEDIA |
| Audio | mp3/mp4 | mp3/mp4 |
| Bluetooth music | Yes | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Camera | No | No |
| Radio | No | No |
| SENSORS | SENSORS | SENSORS |
| Accelerometer | Yes | Yes |
| Altimeter | — | — |
| Ambient light | Yes | Yes |
| Barometer | Yes | Yes |
| Compass | — | — |
| ECG | No | No |
| Gyroscope | Yes | Yes |
| HRM | Yes | Yes |
| Pulse oximeter (SpO2) | No | No |
| Temperature | No | No |
| Other sensors | — | — |
| ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING | ACTIVITY TRACKING |
| Blood oxygen | No | No |
| Blood Pressure | No | No |
| Calories | Yes | Yes |
| Distance | Yes | Yes |
| ECG tracking | No | No |
| Heart rate monitoring | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Steps | Yes | Yes |
| Floors climbed | Yes | Yes |
| Stress | Yes | Yes |
| Fall detection | Yes | Yes |
| Menstrual cycle | Yes | Yes |
| VO2 Max | Yes | Yes |
| Swim-tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Underwater heart rate tracking | No | No |
| On-screen workout | No | No |
| Sport modes | 39 | 39 |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery type | Non-removable Li-ion battery | Non-removable Li-ion battery |
| Battery capacity | 472mAh | 472mAh |
| Battery life | Regular: 4 days, Standby:10 days+ | Regular usage: 3 days+, Standby:10 days+ |
| Charging type | WPC based wireless charging | WPC based wireless charging |
| Charging time | 1-2 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Solar charging | No | No |
| PLATFORM | PLATFORM | PLATFORM |
| Chipset | Exynos 9110 | Exynos 9110 |
| CPU | Dual core 1.15GHz | Dual core 1.15GHz |
| GPU | — | — |
| Operating system | Tizen 5.5 | Tizen 5.5 |
| MISC | MISC | MISC |
| Companion app | Samsung Gear app, Samsung Health App | Samsung Gear app, Samsung Health App |
| Compatibility | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+, iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ | Android 5.0+ & RAM 1.5GB+, iPhone 5+ and iOS 9.0+ |
| Payment system | Samsung Pay | Samsung Pay |
| Voice command | Yes, Bixby | Yes, Bixby |
| Find my phone | Yes | Yes |
| Box content | Charger, Manual, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Straps | Charger, Manual, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Straps |
Conclusion
From my experience, I would say Samsung Galaxy Watch is a fine smartwatch. It has a decent design, long battery life, and equipped with lots of fitness and lifestyle features. If you’re looking for a smartwatch that does it all, then the Galaxy Watch is a decent choice, even better is the Galaxy Watch 3 which is compact and has more fitness tracking features.