Samsung Galaxy Watch4 – 2021 review

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Samsung made big changes to its smartwatch lineup this year, switching from Tizen to Wear OS, rebranding its Active line, and following Apple’s lead by releasing two models to accommodate different budgets. His efforts have paid off, as the $249.99 Galaxy Watch4 and $349.99 Watch4 Classic are Samsung’s best watches to date. The Galaxy Watch4, reviewed here, is the company’s answer to the Apple Watch SE. But unlike the SE, which is similar to the Series 6 but lacks some of its key features, the Watch4 does everything it can in the classic model, but is made of aluminum instead of stainless steel and has a digital bezel instead of a physical one. It offers notable upgrades from the Watch3, including a faster processor for smoother scrolling, an HD display for clearer visuals, expanded memory for music and app storage, a sensor that can measure your body fat, and the ability to track snoring. Attractively designed, feature-rich and affordable, the Samsung Galaxy Watch4 is our new Editors’ Choice for Android compatible smartwatches.

Comparison between Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic

Samsung’s 2021 smartwatch lineup includes two models, the $350 Galaxy Watch4 Classic and the $250 Watch4. Similar to the way the Apple Watch only works with iOS devices, the Galaxy Watch4 series is exclusive to Android. Samsung’s latest smartwatch only works with smartphones running Android 6.0 or later with 1.5GB of RAM, which is a departure from last year’s Watch3, which also worked with iPhones.

From left to right: Watch4 Classic, Watch4

The Watch4 has a simple and minimalist design, similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch Active2. It comes in 40mm or 44mm sizes, priced at $249.99 or $279.99, respectively for the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi model, or $50 more if you want LTE connectivity. Both sizes come in black or silver; The smaller model is also available in rose gold while the larger model comes in dark green. For reference, the Classic model comes in 42mm or 46mm sizes in black or silver, starting at $349.99 for the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi model or $399.99 for the LTE model.

For this review, Samsung sent me the Bluetooth-only 40mm Watch4 in black, as well as the Galaxy Note20 Ultra to pair with the wearable for testing.

From left to right: Watch4 Classic, Watch4

Aside from the price, the design is the only thing that separates the Watch4 from the Watch4 Classic. The Classic features a stainless steel case and physical rotating bezel, while the standard model has an aluminum case and digital bezel.

The rotating bezel makes the classic style a little thicker and gives it a more solid look. To navigate, just rotate the frame to scroll. On Watch4, you can run your finger on the side of the screen to activate the digital bezel, which works the same way. It’s a pleasure to use the physical frame, but we don’t think it’s worth the extra $100.

On Watch4, you can run your finger on the side of the screen to scroll with the digital frame.

Both models come with a matching Fluoro Rubber (FKM) rubber band. The classic Ridge Sport band has a ridge detail, while the Watch4’s Sport strap is simple. Samsung sells a variety of accessory straps for the Watch4 series, including a Hybrid Leather band for $49.99 for a sleek look, and a $39.99 Extreme Sport model with air vents for sweaty workouts.

Other than these design differences, the Watch4 and Watch4 Classic have the same battery, connectivity, internal memory, operating system, processor, sensors, and user interface.

Stylish and fast, but needs a daily charge

The Watch4 and Watch4 Classic both feature two physical buttons on the right side: the Power/Home button at the top and the Back button below. You can also use these buttons when performing a body composition check (which I will discuss later in this review).

Samsung says the 40mm Watch4 measures 1.59 x 1.55 x 0.38 inches (HWD) and weighs 0.91 ounces (without strap), while the 44mm model measures 1.75 x 1.70 x 0.38 inches and weighs 1.07 ounces. But there is a catch: Samsung’s depth measurements exclude the health sensor, which protrudes slightly from the back, so the watches are much thicker than stated. However, the Watch4 is noticeably thinner than the classic model. It’s also slightly slimmer than the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, both of which are 0.42 inches deep. The Watch4 feels light on my wrist, and its thin case makes it comfortable to wear to sleep.

The 40mm watch has a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display, 396 x 396 pixels, while the 44mm model features a 1.4-inch, 450 x 450 screen. Regardless of the size, the screen is bright and beautiful, and delivers resolution from the already vibrant Watch3 display. Easy to read 360 x 360.

Scrolling is smooth and responsive thanks to the Exynos W920 processor. Samsung says the 5nm chip delivers 20 percent faster CPU performance and 10 times better graphics performance than the Watch3’s Exynos 9110. As for memory, it has 1.5GB of RAM (a 50 percent increase over last year’s model) and 16GB of internal storage (up from 8GB).

In terms of durability, the watch has 5ATM and IP68 ratings, which means it is water-resistant to 164 feet for 10 minutes, and can withstand dust, dirt, and sand. It also meets the military standard MIL-STD-810G, so it should have no problem withstanding drops, extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, low pressure, or high altitude.

Like the Apple Watch, battery life is a big limitation here. Samsung says that the 247mAh battery of the 40mm model and the 44mm 361mAh cell provide up to 40 hours of juice on a charge, similar to the Watch3. In my testing, the Watch4 lasted for about 24 hours with the always-on display enabled. In other words, you should expect to charge the watch daily. The Apple Watch Series 6 similarly lasted about 25.5 hours in testing with the always-on display enabled.

If you’re looking for a long-lasting wearable, the Fitbit Versa 3 promises more than six days of battery life when charged. During our testing, battery life was still 79 percent after 24 hours of heavy use with the always-on display enabled, so you definitely won’t need to charge it on a daily basis.

Better choice of application

In my review of the classic model, I went through the setup process and how to navigate the user interface, the same is true for the Watch4, so I won’t repeat that info here.

As I detailed in my Watch4 Classic review, the new Wear OS platform gives Samsung’s latest wearables a much better set of apps than their Tizen predecessors. Google Maps and the Google Play Store come pre-installed, along with Samsung backup systems like Samsung Pay for mobile payments and SmartThings for smart home control. The Google Maps app is a particularly welcome addition to the Watch4 series, bringing step-by-step driving, walking and cycling directions right to your wrist.

One notable omission is the Google Assistant. I use the Google Digital Assistant to control several smart home devices, including the Wyze Bulb Color and the Nest Thermostat, so having it on my Watch4 series would be very useful. But for now, Bixby is your only option. It remains to be seen if that changes in the future, and Samsung declined to comment on the matter.

You can use Bixby to set timers, find your phone, see the weather, and more.

The new Wear OS platform doesn’t seem to offer much integration with Fitbit. Google has promised to bring “the best of Fitbit,” which it now owns, to the platform, including health progress tracking and goal celebrations on the wrist, but those features don’t appear to be available at the time of writing. However, you can still track your daily activities and goals via Samsung Health.

In terms of third-party app support, Wear OS still tracks Apple’s watchOS platform, but it offers a much broader set of options available on Tizen. In Google Play Store on Watch4 you can find some big name apps like AccuWeather, IFTTT, iHeartRadio, Lifesum, Nike Run Club, Kamoot, Pandora, Shazam and Telegram. Samsung and Google are also promising new and improved versions of Spotify, Calm, Strava, adidas Running, Swim.com, and Flo Period Tracker in the near future. They say YouTube Music and Bitmoji will also come to the platform.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Watch3 and other Tizen-based Galaxy smartwatches will not be eligible to upgrade to Wear OS. Instead, Samsung promised to continue providing software updates to its Tizen-based smartwatches for three years from their launch date. So, if you want to wear Wear OS on your Galaxy Watch, you’ll need one of the new models.

More health features

On the health front, the Watch4 series has a new 3-function bio-active sensor, which can not only read your heart rate and conduct an ECG, but also assess your body composition using a process called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Commonly used in smart scales, BIA involves sending a low-level electrical current through your body to measure fat and other measures. You can’t feel this happening, but the small electrical current can affect pacemakers and other internal medical devices, so you shouldn’t use the watch to measure your body composition if you have one, or if you’re pregnant.

After a 15-second scan, the watch displays skeletal muscle mass, fat mass, body fat percentage, body mass index (BMI, a measure of body size based on your weight and height), body water mass, and basal metabolic rate (BMR, or the minimum necessary power needed in an inactive state). It also shows whether your results for each scale fall within the low, normal, or high range.

Meanwhile, when you wear it to sleep, the Watch4 will automatically track your sleep duration, sleep stages (awake, light, deep and REM) and calories burned. In the Samsung Health app, you can optionally enable overnight blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) readings. When paired with a compatible smartphone, the watch also lets you monitor a somewhat unfamiliar sleep metric: snoring.

I detail my experience with the new body composition and snoring tracking features in my review of the classic model.

For fitness tracking, the Watch4 Series supports 95 different exercises (everything from walking and running to shooting and fly discs). It can automatically detect certain types of workouts, including walking, running, elliptical, rowing, swimming and dynamic workouts. During testing, the Watch Series 4 provided more accurate fitness metrics compared to the Apple Watch Series 6, and the automatic exercise tracking feature worked perfectly while walking my Bradley dog.

The Watch4, pictured here with the Aviron smart rowing machine, can automatically track certain types of workouts. Best Android Smart Watch

The Galaxy Watch4 and its more expensive sibling, the Watch4 Classic, are the best Android compatible smartwatches on the market. Starting at $249.99, the Watch4 offers more apps than previous Samsung watches thanks to the switch to Wear OS. It can track snoring as well as saturate the blood with oxygen. It features a body composition scanner that can help you monitor your body fat percentage. From a design perspective, it features a slim and elegant aluminum case with a practical digital bezel, which are the only differences from the $349.99 Classic model.

In the end, we feel that the Watch 4 Classic’s stainless-steel design and rotating physical bezel doesn’t equal the extra $100. For $249.99, the Galaxy Watch4 offers a premium smartwatch experience at a mid-range price, giving it our Editors’ Choice award.

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