Samsung's Galaxy-brain play: leaving Tizen behind for Wear OS.
Ever since Google its Wear OS 3 partnership with Samsung back in May, we've eagerly anticipated getting to try out the new software. Since then, we've witnessed literally dozens of leaks, many contradictory, about a new Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 4 Active in the pipeline. Today, finally, Samsung Unpacked revealed the new smartwatch, and two Android Central writers had their first Galaxy Watch 4 hands-on in NYC earlier this week.
Arriving less than a year after the Galaxy Watch 3, the new Galaxy Watch 4 abandons its predecessor's rotating bezel and stainless steel casing for the same digital bezel and aluminum frame found on the Galaxy Watch Active 2. It may not have "Active" in its name, but the Galaxy Watch 4 design will look more appealing to fitness fans; for a more classy look with a physical bezel, you'll want to look at the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic instead.
We'll have a review of Samsung's new watch soon, which we suspect will snatch a high spot on our best Android smartwatch list. But if you're deciding now whether or not to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (or 4 Classic), we have all the official specs and information you need to make an informed decision.
Pre-order it now
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
With the new Galaxy Watch 4, you get an upgraded Exynos chipset with faster CPU and RAM, 16GB of storage, a beautiful AMOLED screen with always-on display, and the latest Wear OS 3 software — giving you access to your favorite Google apps like Maps and Pay. And it's much more affordable than the Galaxy Watch 3 at launch.
Take it for a spin
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic has similar internals to the base 4, but with a case size increase of 42mm/46mm, a more stylish stainless steel material, and a physical rotating bezel. Get a classier look with the same Wear OS 3 improvements with this everyday watch, available in Black or Silver.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic can be pre-ordered as of August 11, the day of Samsung Galaxy Unpacked. Buy one now, and it will reach your doorstep by August 27, 2021 — the official Galaxy Watch 4 release date.
At launch, the Galaxy Watch 4 price is $249.99 for the 40mm case size. Add $30 to upgrade to 44mm or an additional $50 to purchase the LTE cellular version. Both sizes come in Black and Silver, but the 40mm model ships in Pink Gold while the 44mm watch offers Green instead.
As for the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic price, it starts at $349.99 for Bluetooth or $399.99 for LTE, with a small increase in cost for the 46mm model. These lifestyle watches only come in Black or Silver — no fun colors allowed for its retro design.
Samsung informed us that anyone who pre-orders the Galaxy Watch 4 by August 26 will receive a $50 Samsung credit, though we don't have any details on how to claim the credit or if only certain retailers make you eligible for it.
Compared to the expensive $399-and-up Galaxy Watch 3 launch, the Galaxy Watch 4 will fit inside the budgets of a larger group of people, teeing the brand up for a best-selling success story. It's slightly pricier than our favorite cheap Android smartwatches, but most of those won't have the same speed, power, or software perks as the Galaxy Watch 4.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Design
The Galaxy Watch 4 design shows that Samsung likely envisioned its newest watch as the Galaxy Watch Active 3, before ditching the "Active" brand. It has the same 40/44mm case sizes made of aluminum and lack of rotating bezel as the Active 2, plus similar weights, AMOLED displays, and batteries. Generally speaking, the two have similar appearances so long as you ignore the new OS on-screen.
It's not completely the same, of course. Samsung says the new design combines multiple internal sensors into one so as to make the watch more compact on your wrist. But in truth, this Galaxy Watch 4 takes the improved display and sensors of the Galaxy Watch 3 and combines them to the Active 2, which will hopefully prove to be a winning combination.
As for the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, that watch comes equipped with a stainless steel case and a physical rotating bezel, channeling a similar design to the Galaxy Watch 3. For comparison, the Classic has 42mm/46mm case options that slightly dwarf the 41mm/45mm Galaxy Watch 3; despite that, the Classic weighs just a few grams less than the 3 in both sizes.
While we haven't confirmed this, we believe the 42mm Watch 4 Classic and 40mm/44mm Watch 4 will support 20mm bands, while the 46mm Classic will use 22mm bands. We're working on Galaxy Watch 4 accessory round-ups now, but in the meantime, check our list of the best Galaxy Watch 3 bands or Galaxy Watch Active 2 bands; a pick from either list should prove compatible with the Galaxy Watch 4.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Specs and Sensors
Most of the Galaxy Watch 4 upgrades are internal, boosting performance to help run the new Wear OS 3. The highest-profile improvement over past Galaxy Watches is the 5nm Exynos W920 chipset. It has two Cortex A55 cores (found in many modern smartphones), an Arm Mali-G68 GPU, and a Cortex M55 co-processor that enables always-on features without using the core processors. Overall, the chipset gives a 20% CPU boost and a 10X graphical boost over the Galaxy Watch 3.
Alongside the new chip, the Galaxy Watch 4 has 1.5X the RAM and twice the storage of past Samsung smartwatches.
In terms of built-in health sensors, the Galaxy Watch 4 has a new Samsung BioActive sensor that combines an optical heart sensor, electrical heart sensor, and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) sensor. It also has built-in GPS, accelerometer, barometer, gyro, geomagnetic sensor, and light sensor.
Compared to the Galaxy Watch 3, only the BIA sensor is new. Like the 3, the Galaxy Watch 4 can measure your blood pressure, blood oxygen level (SpO2), VO2 Max, or irregular heartbeats. With BIA tracking, your Samsung Health app will show "Body Composition" data like your skeletal mass, basal metabolic rate, and body fat percentage. Hopefully, people hoping to lose weight will find these readings informative.
Unfortunately, today's press release has one major omission: the Galaxy Watch 4 won't have a blood glucose monitor. We originally heard rumors Samsung would add the sensor, but it apparently abandoned its plans some time ago. Perhaps the technology isn't advanced enough yet to give accurate readings to diabetic users.
As for Galaxy Watch 4 battery life, Samsung says it "could have up to 40 hours of battery life", slightly less than 2 days' worth. Both the Galaxy Watch 3 and Active 2 typically lasted about 2 to 3 days, or only about a day with the always-on display (AOD) activated. Given most companies tend to be generous with their battery estimates, get ready for a watch that you'll have to recharge every night if you use it actively.
We've collected the official Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic specs in the table below. Past leaks exposed much of this information already, but it's nice to have proper confirmation of how the Galaxy Watch 4 will run.
| Category | Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Wear OS w/ One UI Watch 3 | Wear OS w/ One UI Watch 3 |
| Chipset | 5nm Exynos W920 | 5nm Exynos W920 |
| Sizes | 40mm, 44mm | 42mm, 46mm |
| Colors | Black, Silver, Pink Gold (40mm), Green (44mm) | Black, Silver |
| Dimensions | 40mm: 40.4 x 39.3 x 9.8mm, 25.9g 44mm: 44.4 x 43.3 x 9.8mm, 30.3g |
42mm: 41.5 x 41.5 x 11.2mm, 46.5g 46mm: 45.5 x 45.5 x 11.0mm, 52g |
| Display | 40mm: 1.2-inch 450x450 Super AMOLED w/ Gorilla Glass with DX+ 44mm: 1.4-inch 396x396 Super AMOLED w/ Gorilla Glass with DX+ |
42mm: 1.2-inch 450x450 Super AMOLED w/ Gorilla Glass with DX+ 46mm: 1.4-inch 396x396 Super AMOLED w/ Gorilla Glass with DX+ |
| Memory | 1.5GB RAM | 1.5GB RAM |
| Storage | 16GB | 16GB |
| Battery | 247mAh (40mm) or 361mAh (44mm) 40-hour estimate |
247mAh (42mm) or 361mAh (46mm) 40-hour estimate |
| Voice assistant | Bixby, Google Assistant (after launch) | Bixby, Google Assistant (after launch) |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5, LTE cellular (optional) | Bluetooth 5, LTE cellular (optional) |
| Rotating bezel | 🚫 | ✔️ |
| Sensors | HRM, BIA, ECG, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, ambient light sensor | HRM, BIA, EEG, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, ambient light sensor |
| Onboard GPS | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Blood oxygen monitoring (SP02) | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| VO2 Max | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Protection | IP68 / 5ATM water resistance MIL-STD-810G certification |
IP68 / 5ATM water resistance MIL-STD-810G certification |
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Software
Wear OS 3 is here. We know it'll come to some Mobvoi and Fossil smartwatches in the future, but the Galaxy Watch 4 will offer our first real look at the new OS. While we were big fans of the old Tizen operating system, the new Wear OS will unlock apps like Google Maps, Google Pay, Google Messages, YouTube Music, and Google Play tiles on Samsung watches — something previous Galaxy Watches lacked.
We'll know more about how Wear OS performs in comparison to Tizen after our Galaxy Watch 4 review; for now, Samsung gave a MWC 2021 presentation on Wear OS that gave us an idea of what to expect with the new software.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Competing smartwatches
With the arrival of the affordable Galaxy Watch 4 and the Classic variant, there's no reason to buy the Galaxy Watch Active 2 or Galaxy 3 anymore. Either the health-focused base model or the lifestyle-oriented Classic do what those older watches do, but with new sensors, apps, and processing power. Yes, you can probably get those watches at a discount, but Samsung will offer much better support for Wear OS than Tizen in the near future.
That being said, you should still consider some Galaxy Watch 4 alternatives. Its most obvious rival is the upcoming Apple Watch Series 7. Even though Apple watches don't pair with Android phones, many smartwatch fans choose the Apple ecosystem because the Apple Watch series is so great as a combo fitness-lifestyle watch. We even gave the Apple Watch Series 6 a glowing review.
As for Android users, you could check out the excellent TicWatch E3, a lightweight fitness watch with a fast Snapdragon processor. It won't get the new Wear OS until mid-2022, and it doesn't have as much RAM or storage, but it will save you a bit of money out of the gate.
While the Galaxy Watch 4 will have all of the health sensors you could want, along with popular health apps and third-party fitness apps like Strava and Adidas Running, it won't have some of the fitness-focused features of a Garmin fitness watch. The Garmin Vivoactive 4 won't look as stylish or have the same app selection, but it'll have a much better week-long battery life and excellent on-screen workouts.
Pre-order it now
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
With the new Galaxy Watch 4, you get an upgraded Exynos chipset with faster CPU and RAM, 16GB of storage, a beautiful AMOLED screen with always-on display, and the latest Wear OS 3 software — giving you access to your favorite Google apps like Maps and Pay. And it's much more affordable than the Galaxy Watch 3 at launch.
Take it for a spin
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic has similar internals to the base 4, but with a case size increase of 42mm/46mm, a more stylish stainless steel material, and a physical rotating bezel. Get a classier look with the same Wear OS 3 improvements with this everyday watch, available in Black or Silver.
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