The best Galaxy Watch you can get in 2024
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The best Galaxy Watch is a strange and elusive animal. It's a different species every year. We had the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro back in 2022, with the interesting "Pro” twist, but these two models have been replaced by the Galaxy Watch 6 series last year. The wheel keeps on turning.
Once again, the naming scheme has changed, reverting back to its "Classic" roots. And now we're in the year 2024, witnessing yet another twist in the naming scheme. The Galaxy Watch Ultra. Yes, this might sound like a blatant copy of the Apple Watch Ultra, and might even look like it, but there's much more to this.
The Galaxy Watch 7 has officially landed with the aforementioned Ultra model, so now's the perfect time to dissect all the different Galaxy Watch models and find the best one. If you're wondering what all these Active, Classic, Pro, and Ultra monikers mean and are also searching for the best Galaxy Watch for your personal needs, you've come to the right place!
Contents:
- Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
Samsung being Samsung decided to change the wearable naming scheme once again, and now we have the Galaxy Watch Ultra. Gone are the Classic and the Pro models, and some might argue that it's more in line with the Galaxy S Ultra series, while others may point out the similarities to the Apple Watch Ultra. Either way, this is Samsung's top-tier wearable and it comes with some neat features onboard.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra comes with a brand-new "squircle" titanium design, and even though it bears some resemblance of the Apple Watch Ultra, the design is quite unique in its own way. There's no rotating bezel anymore but there is a new customizable button plus a very ruggedized look, and 3,000 nits of brightness.
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The battery of the Galaxy Watch Ultra is also pretty hefty at 590mAh, and it powers a new Exynos W1000 3nm chipset, paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The Ultra runs on Wear OS 5 and comes with all the benefits of Google's wearable OS plus some Samsung extras on top such as double pinch gestures and BMI measurements thanks to the BioActive sensor package.
Overall, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is geared toward adventurers and people who need a ruggedized watch that can last more than a day on a single charge. It's the best smartwatch Samsung has in its portfolio to date, and even though the price may seem steep, what you're getting in return is definitely worth it.
Read More:Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
The Galaxy Watch 7 is a silent evolution of the series, with refinements across the board. And even though there's no big changes, the product is now more polished than ever. The Galaxy Watch 7 retains the sleek and stylish design of its predecessor but adds some neat new features under the hood.
First, there's a brand-new chipset onboard and its Samsung's in-house developed Exynos W1000, built on 3nm node for efficiency and speed. The watch now comes with 32GB of storage (up from 16GB on the previous model), and it now runs on Wear OS 5.
There's also a new Galaxy AI-powered fitness and health suggestions, as well as the latest version of the BioActive sensor to back these up on the hardware side. If you don't want to pay extra for the rugged Galaxy Watch Ultra, the Galaxy Watch 7 has almost all the features and functionalities of its bigger brother, at half price.
Read More:Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 review
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
The "Classic" is back! And so is the physical rotating bezel. Samsung lifted the curtain before its latest and greatest wearable lineup, the Galaxy Watch 6 series. This year we have the Classic again and it's a tad larger than its predecessors clocking at 47mm for its larger version (43mm is the smaller one). The rotating bezel is also back but it's slimmer than the one found in previous generations.
Get your Galaxy Watch 6 Classic here:
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes with an improved chipset, a brighter screen, and a larger battery. Other than that, it's the comes with pretty much the same features, running OneUI Watch over Wear OS. You can make use of the latest iteration of the BioActive sensor array, measuring all kinds of body vitals, from ECG and blood pressure, to body composition. Fitness and sleep tracking are also onboard with more than a 100 existing workouts.
If you're in the Galaxy ecosystem, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is absolutely the best smartwatch for you but even if you're not, it's a solid choice for every Android user out there.
Read More:Galaxy Watch 6 Classic review
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
If you like smaller and more compact smartwatches and you want the latest and greatest from the Galaxy Watch lineup, then the Galaxy Watch 6 is the right model for you. It omits the physical rotating bezel of the Classic, and keeps things minimalistic and stylish.
Get your Galaxy Watch 6 here:
The all-new Galaxy Watch 6 comes with a faster chipset, a bigger screen (thanks to 15% smaller bezels), a sapphire glass, improved battery life and also improved sleep tracking. There's also a new one-click mechanism to allow you to change bands in mere seconds, all that in a very compact package.
On the feature side of things, the Galaxy Watch 6 is more or less similar to its predecessor, with improvements here and there. The watch runs Wear OS with Samsung's proprietary OneUI Watch on top. You have a big array of sensors to track your vitals. The Galaxy Watch 6 can take your heart rate, blood pressure, ECG, and also body composition, thanks to the BioActive sensor array. Sleep tracking and Fitness are present and better than ever, you should check out our in-depth article to find out everything new about the Galaxy Watch 6.
Read More:Galaxy Watch 6 review
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
This is it - we now have the first Galaxy "Pro" watch in flesh and bones - the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Samsung decided to drop the Classic moniker and kinda replace it with this much more "professional" sounding abbreviation.
And the watch is pro alright! First, there's the construction - the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro uses titanium and sapphire as main building blocks. And that's almost necessary, because the watch is quite big at 45mm. There's an inner capacitive bezel around the gorgeous display that you can swipe to get that physical rotating bezel feel, in case you miss it for some reason.
But let's put premium materials aside for a second - this watch comes with Wear OS 3.5 onboard and this results in a lot of features and functionalities. Google is trying to mimic Apple and create an ecosystem for all gadgets around and Samsung decided to hop on that train and integrate Wear OS into its Galaxy Watches - a bold move, and a logical one as well.
Get your Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro here:
There's nothing super groundbreakingly new on the Watch 5 Pro - everything has been upgraded and polished from the previous generation but that's not a bad thing. You still got the Bioactive system of sensors that can measure a lot of body vitals (including your body composition), and last but not least - the battery has been upgraded to 590mAh and now charges faster. The Track Back GPS feature deserves a mention here - it can lead you back to your starting position - very handy for finding your parking spot or getting out of that thick forest you when in for now reason.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
At the non-pro corner we find the Galaxy Watch 5 in two variants - 40 and 44mm. There aren't that much differences between the two - the vanilla Galaxy Watch 5 doesn't come with a raised bezel to protect the watch and due to its smaller size, the battery is also smaller than the one inside the Pro model (284mAh for the 40mm version and 480mAh on the 44mm one).
The software is the same - Wear OS 3.5 with Samsung's One UI Watch 4.5 on top - a nice decision given the Google backing and the sheer number of apps available (and yet to come). The same GPS Trackback feature is available here as well, alongside the BioActive sensor and everything it can do - from body composition measurements, to sleep tracking, ECG, exercise auto-detection, the whole package.
You're still getting a sapphire glass over the gorgeous AMOLED display but the frame is Aluminum this time. All in all, the Galaxy Watch 5 is a minor refresh compared to the previous generation, and probably won't justify an upgrade from a Galaxy Watch 4 or 4 Classic. That being said, it's a very nice watch, and if you're looking for Wear OS experience at the affordable end, this model could be your best bet.
Read More: Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review
Things to look for when choosing your Galaxy Watch:
- Design: Choose a Galaxy watch design that fits your style and needs. Decide whether you want small or a big face, a leather or silicone strap, or a watch that looks more like a traditional timepiece or a something more futuristic.
- Features: Look for a watch with features that match your needs. Do you want a watch that can track your steps, monitor your heart rate, and display notifications from your phone? Do you need a built-in GPS or cellular connectivity? Samsung has several options to offer in that regard.
- Battery life: Check the battery life of the watch. Some Galaxy Watch models can last for days while others need to be charged almost daily.
- Display: Consider the size and quality of the display. Make sure it's large enough and easy to read, especially if you plan to use it for fitness tracking or reading messages. The good new is that most Galaxy Watch devices sport amazing AMOLED displays.
- Water resistance: If you plan to wear your Galaxy watch while swimming or during other water-related activities, make sure it has an adequate level of water resistance.
- Price: Set a budget and look for a model that fits within your price range.
Conclusion
So, this is it - the best Galaxy Watch available in 2024. We've omitted the Galaxy Watch 4 and its predecessors due to their limited availability (they're practically impossible to find). And frankly, It's hardly worth the effort to seek them out when there are newer, more advanced options that won't break the bank.
Enter the Galaxy Watch Ultra, the latest addition to the lineup, boasting noteworthy enhancements and a brand-new addition to the naming scheme. Now we have all the names for you to choose from. If you want a "Pro" watch, you can get the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. If you prefer to rock a watch with "Classic" in its name, there's the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, and if you want to take things to the "Ultra", well there's the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
There's something for everyone on this list, and frankly, even the vanilla Galaxy Watch 7 is an amazing proposition at its current price point. If you want to check out some other brands, you can take a peek at our best Android smartwatches article, or if you're looking for something on the budget side, check out our best budget smartwatches.
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