Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Disappoints: Unchanged Design with Minor Upgrades

Samsung has released the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 smartwatch, the anticipated successor to the Watch 5 released last year. It also launched the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, which has a rotating bezel. These watches are similar to the iPhone S series in that they offer minor improvements, but here the changes are even less noticeable. Are these worth getting over the Watch 5, let’s find out.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Design

Throughout the years, the Galaxy Watch has maintained a steady and unchanging design, featuring a circular screen, two side buttons, metal accents, and the option to swap out bands. With each successive generation, Samsung has skillfully managed to reduce the watch’s thickness slightly while preserving its familiar and timeless look.

But this time, it’s even harder to tell the newer watch apart from the old one. It has been pointed out that the Galaxy Watch 5 is a carbon copy of the Watch 4, and now with the arrival of the Galaxy Watch 6, it sure looks like Samsung just released the Watch 5 with a new name and called it a day.

If I place both watches in front of you and tell you to pick the newer one, you’ll be hard-pressed to make a decision given the similarities between the two. Eagle-eyed viewers will be able to notice the thinner bezels, new band colors, and also the newer watch faces, but were these the only new changes you could come up with Samsung?

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, on the other hand, is a more traditional smartwatch, with a physical rotating bezel that the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro lacks. Both watches have larger OLED displays than their predecessors and come in two sizes: the Watch 6 is available in 40mm and 44mm, while the Watch 6 Classic is available in 43mm and 47mm.

Lastly, the Watch 6 comes in three colors: Graphite, Gold, and Silver. As for the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, the two color offerings are Black and Silver.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Build & Specs

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and the Watch 6 Classic both have Sapphire Crystal AMOLED screens with Always-On-Display (AOD) capability. The 40mm base model has a 1.3-inch screen, while the 44mm model has a 1.5-inch display. The 43mm Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, on the other hand, has a 1.3-inch screen, while the 47mm version has a 1.5-inch screen.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series comes with a newer Exynos W930 SoC, but this is just a slightly overclocked version of the previous year’s W920 chip. This means that the new chipset is physically the same as the old one but with a few minor changes.

The chipset is paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. There is IP68 dust and water resistance and 5 ATM certification, meaning they are pressure resistant to up to 50 meters in depth for 10 minutes.

Regarding battery capacity, the Galaxy Watch 6 comes with battery capacities of 300mAh (40mm) and 400mAh (44mm), respectively. Similarly, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes with battery capacities of 300mAh (43mm) and 400mAh (47mm), respectively.

According to the company’s claims, these smartwatches offer a battery life of up to 30 hours with the Always-On Display (AOD) feature enabled and up to 40 hours with the AOD feature disabled. These devices are powered by Google’s Wear OS-based One UI 5 Watch and support WPC-based wireless fast charging.

The Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic can be used with any device running Android 10 or a later version. They offer support for LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, and GPS connections.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Health Features

Similar to many other smartwatches, these Samsung models include fitness trackers that can monitor heart rate, oxygen levels, and sleep patterns. However, the Galaxy Watch 6 series brings new features, such as a sleep coaching functionality, designed to improve the user’s sleep quality. Moreover, these watches offer personalized fitness coaching and the ability to calculate personalized heart rate zones.

Furthermore, the smart wearables come equipped with AFib monitors, enabling users to detect irregular heart rhythms. In addition to that, both the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic allow users to monitor their blood pressure and predict menstrual cycles.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Price & Availability

The Galaxy Watch 6 is priced at $299 (approximately Rs. 24,500), while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic starts at $399 (around Rs. 32,700). Pre-orders for both models will begin in select markets on July 26, and they will be available for purchase starting August 11.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Worth It?

Honestly, it does not make much sense to spend a lot of money on the newer Galaxy Watch 6 if you already have the Watch 5, given the meager upgrades this year and the Watch 5 already having the essentials to boot.

The Watch 6 has a few new health-related features, but they are not significant enough to justify an upgrade. It would be better to wait until Samsung makes major improvements to its smartwatch lineup.

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published: Wednesday, July 26, 2023, 19:36 [IST]