Samsung Galaxy Watch review
Smartwatches saw a 61.1% market share in 2019 in India as per IDC. While stats are boring to analyse, this piece of information is mainly to highlight that smartwatches are being sold, they are liked by people and I am one of them. Ever since I started using a smartwatch, I knew I won’t be getting bored anything soon. That’s when I received the Samsung Galaxy Watch for review. In no time, it became my friend.
I used it for over a month, got used to it, and here is whether or not the Samsung Galaxy Watch turned out to be a true friend? Read on my review to find out.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Review: Design and Display
The Galaxy Watch comes in two sizes: 46mm and 42mm. I used the latter one, that too, in the Rose Gold variant. The watch is the epitome of good looks and premium. You wear it and you know you are wearing a high-end Samsung watch. It doesn’t feel cheap and the built quality is something I like, especially the gold tones on the dial and the buckle of the watch. One interesting thing about the Galaxy Watch is the rotating bezel, that rotates to access the various options on the watch.
Samsung Galaxy Watch review
It fits well on the wrist and doesn’t feel heavy, which is a good thing about it. Additionally, you get to change the watch straps, which is an added perk. There are two buttons present on the right side of the dial. The bottom one acts as both a power on/off button and a way to access the recent apps. The top one acts as the back button to get back to the main screen.
Samsung Galaxy Watch review
As for the display, the Galaxy Watch has a 1.2-inch display. The Super AMOLED screen comes with a screen resolution of 360 x 360 pixels. The display is aptly lit and the notifications pop up quite well on the smartwatch. The 42mm size proved quite convenient for me and accessing the various functionalities of the Galaxy Watch was made easier. The touch is decent and works well. There is the Always On Display feature and the Wake Up feature, which was my favourite among all the features of the watch.
Samsung Galaxy Watch review
In totality, the Samsung Galaxy Watch impressed me in the design section and Samsung for sure didn’t compromise in this section.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Review: Specifications and Features
The Samsung Galaxy Watch comes with a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display and two variants, namely, 42mm and 46mm. It is powered by a 1.15Ghz dual-core processor, coupled with 1.5GB and 4GB of internal storage. With dimensions of 45.7 x 41.9 x 12.7mm and 49 grams of weight, the smartwatch comes with a 270mAh battery and runs Tizen OS. Additionally, it supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth version 4.2, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, HR Sensor, and Light Sensor.
Samsung Galaxy Watch review
In terms of the various features, it tells you about the weather, heart rate, stress level, and water intake. It helps you take up exercise goals and record various physical activities such as running, cycling, swimming, walking, and a lot more. It tracks your sleep, measures food calories, keeps track of altitude climbed, manages weight, lets you access alarm clock and calendar, gets reminders, and whatnot. It supports various gestures such as double-press the Home key to activate Bixby, Touch to wake up, touch sensitivity, Theatre mode, Good Night mode, Do Not Disturb mode, tap to sleep, and a lot more.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Review: Performance and Battery
During my initial usage, the Galaxy Watch was a bit slow. However, a subsequent software update made it work faster. Although I liked the WearOS better, the Tizen OS proved equally good too. Setting it up was pretty simple too; you need to connect it via your smartphone’s Bluetooth and then the Galaxy Wearable app. During my usage period, the Galaxy Watch was kind enough to notify me of my messages, app alerts and a lot more with great ease. The notifications display the app icon followed by the main notification and I liked the bright display of all my alerts on my wrist.
Samsung Galaxy Watch review
Majorly, I used my Galaxy Watch to track my steps, heart rate, change the music I listened to, know of my water intake, and it precisely helped me know of it. Most importantly, it takes care of your stress levels and asks you to relax a bit. This is one feature I surprisingly liked and with this, I at least loosened up a bit when needed. Its usage with my Samsung Galaxy S20+ was a delight; I loved the wireless PowerShare feature and it charged quite well via the smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy Watch review
With a smooth usage and tons of features, my experience with the Samsung Galaxy Watch was a cakewalk. However, there is a thing that bothers me when it comes to its performance -- its eligibility with an iPhone. I used it with both my iPhone and the Samsung phone. While it was easy breezy for it to connect with the Samsung phone and work with it, the iPhone seemed slightly difficult. Even after it finally paired up, notifications popped up way later than my iPhone. As for the battery, the Galaxy Watch easily lasted me for two days and charged up in an hour and a half. This was decent for me. The charger is a nicely-designed one and charging the smartwatch was quite convenient with it.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Review: Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Watch is one of the few smartwatches that is accompanied by both impressive and useful features. From the basic time display to it reminding me to take water and complete my workout challenges, the smartwatch proves to be a really good friend with good looks. However, it will be your best friend if you have an Android phone, especially a Samsung phone. iPhone users should go for their best friend, that is, the Apple Watch since the Samsung Galaxy Watch doesn’t work as smoothly as with the Android ecosystem.
Samsung Galaxy Watch review
For Rs.28,490, the Galaxy Watch might seem pricey but its features make it worth going for. Hence, if you own an Android device, that too a Samsung smartphone, this is the one for you.
