At today's Samsung Unpacked event, we got the expected announcement of the Galaxy Watch 6, the next iteration of the company's higher-end but standard, bezel-less smartwatch. However, the more interesting reveal was for the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, which brings back Samsung's signature rotating physical bezel after the company removed it last year. Beyond that, both watches are getting modest upgrades with a new chip and longer battery life. They're also among the first smartwatches to run Wear OS 4.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Display 1.3-inch Sapphire Crystal Glass Super AMOLED 432x432 (43mm) or 1.5-inch Sapphire Crystal Glass Super AMOLED 480x480 (47mm) 1.3-inch Sapphire Crystal Glass Super AMOLED 432x432 (40mm) or 1.5-inch Sapphire Crystal Glass Super AMOLED 480x480 (44mm) CPU Exynos W930 Exynos W930 RAM 2GB 2GB Storage 16GB 16GB Battery 300mAh (43mm) or 425mAh (47mm) 300mAh (40mm) or 425mAh (44mm) Connectivity NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), LTE (optional) NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), LTE (optional) Durability IP68, 5ATM, MIL-STD-810H IP68, 5ATM, MIL-STD-810H Health sensors Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart Sensor, Bioelectrical Impedance, Skin Temperature Sensor Optical heart rate, electrical heart sensor, bioelectrical impedance, skin temperature sensor, accelerometer, barometer, gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, light sensor Dimensions 42.5 x 42.5 x 10.9mm (43mm) or 46.5 x 46.5 x 10.9mm (47mm) 38.8x40.4x9.0mm (40mm) or 42.8x44.4x9.0mm (44mm) Weight 52g (43mm) or 59g (47mm) 28.7g (40mm) or 33.3g (44mm) Mobile payments Samsung Pay, Google Wallet Samsung Pay, Google Wallet Workout detection Yes Yes
Galaxy Watch 6 series: What's new and what's different?
As we mentioned, the biggest change is the return of the physical rotating bezel on the Watch 6 Classic. It operates like before, so you rotate it to cycle through UI elements and scroll up and down pages. Twisting it is as satisfying as ever, with audible and tactile clicks with every incremental turn. The bezel itself, however, is 15% thinner than its last appearance in the Watch 4 Classic, although it still rises over the screen enough to provide a protective lip. Samsung probably thinks you won't need that extra protection, though, because the displays on both Galaxy Watch 6 models use Sapphire Crystal glass and are rated MIL-STD-810H for being able to withstand low pressure, exposure to high and low temperatures, and shock.
Besides the aforementioned physical rotating bezel, there are a few other things that separate the Classic and the regular Galaxy Watch 6. First, they each come in two sizes. The standard model, which is just an iterative update from last year's Galaxy Watch 5, comes in 40mm and 44mm variations, while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic features 43mm and 47mm sizes. There is no update to the Pro model, which made its debut last year — in fact, Samsung says the Watch 5 Pro will continue to sell alongside these two watches.
The Watch 6 Classic's casing is also made out of stainless steel, while the standard uses aluminum. This, coupled with the fact the Classic model is larger, means there are noticeable weight differences between the two. The Classic models weigh 52g and 59g, while the standard models weigh 28.7 and 33.3g. The Watch 6 Classic also comes with a faux-leather band, while the standard model gets a silicon band.
That's about it as far as differences go. They both run on the exact same Exynos W930 chip (up from last year's Exynos W920) with the same 2GB RAM and 16GB storage (up from 1.5GB RAM). They also have identical battery capacities (425mAh for the larger watch and 300mAh for the smaller one). The new Exynos chip is said to be more efficient. That, along with the slightly larger battery sizes, means better battery life. Samsung promises up to 40 hours of use on a single charge for either of the watches. This isn't amazing, as I'd still need to charge the watch at least once every two days, but it's much better than what the Pixel Watch or Apple Watch could do.
And despite the Classic being physically larger, the screen dimensions are actually identical, with the larger varieties each packing a 1.5-inch screen and the smaller versions offering 1.3-inch displays. The 1.5-inch screen size is the largest yet in a Samsung wearable. The AMOLED displays on both Watch 6 models look sharp, with resolutions at either 480x480 or 432x432. Samsung also designed new watch faces to take advantage of the larger screens, with more complications and information-dense layouts.
All the sensors you'd expect are here, and they're also identical across both models. There's a BioActive sensor that combines a heart rate sensor with an electric heart signal monitor, a skin temperature sensor, an accelerometer, a barometer, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a light sensor. These sensors are not new from last year, so we expect the health tracking experience to be similar Galaxy Watch 5 series, which we liked a lot.
WearOS 4 brings better software
The Galaxy Watch 6 watches are some of the first to run Wear OS 4. It isn't a major overhaul, but it does bring some much-needed refinements, such as the ability to pair the watches to a new phone without having to reset them. This is great news for me as somebody who switches phones anywhere from 30–50 times a year. Needing to reset my Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch 5 Pro every single time I want to pair it to a new phone has been a hassle, so Wear OS 4 will save me time in the future.
Samsung has also worked with Google to bring further optimized versions of Google Assistant, Google Maps, and other third-party apps to the Watch 6 series. I've complained in the past that Android smartwatches pale in comparison to the Apple Watch in terms of app support, and while Samsung's wearable ecosystem is still miles away from catching up to the Apple Watch, it's still probably the best ecosystem in the Android space right now.
Galaxy Watch 6 series: Early thoughts
I have not had enough time to try the watches to have any conclusive opinions — a smartwatch is harder to test at the demo booth than a smartphone — but it appears Samsung is merely bringing back iterative updates to existing devices with more polish and power. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as the Galaxy Watch 5 series was excellent. If you're an Android user on the market for a new great smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 6 series will almost certainly be at the very top of devices you should consider.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
- Brand
- Samsung
- Battery Life
- up to 40 hours
- Operating System
- Wear OS 4
- Case Material
- Armor aluminum case with sport band
- Case size
- 40mm, 44mm
- Colors
- Graphite, gold (40mm) or graphite, silver (44mm)
The Galaxy Watch 6 is the latest and greatest from Samsung. It features Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, up to 40 hours of battery life, Wear OS 4, and a host of sensors to accurately record sleep, exercise, and more.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
- Brand
- Samsung
- Colors
- Black and silver
- Display
- 1.3-inch Sapphire Crystal Glass Super AMOLED 432x432 (43mm) or 1.5-inch Sapphire Crystal Glass Super AMOLED 480x480 (47mm)
- CPU
- Exynos W930
- RAM
- 2GB
- Storage
- 16GB
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 6 brings the largest screen in any Samsung smartwatch yet, and also features a new and improved rotating bezel, plus longer battery life.
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