Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series initial review: A sensory experience

(Pocket-lint) - Samsung didn't lone usage its mid-August Unpacked lawsuit to uncover caller foldables - the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 being the main highlights, on with the Buds 2 wireless in-ears - but besides a brace of caller smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

With updated Wear OS software, a much almighty processor, higher solution displays, and little pricing than the outgoing Watch 3 series, it's harmless to accidental Samsung has beardown caller contenders for the Wear OS smartwatch crown.

Ahead of the Unpacked event, we got to grip these wrist-worn fittingness trackers astatine Samsung KX - the Korean company's London-based showroom, successful the capital's King's Cross country - to spot however the scope has evolved. 

Watch 4 vs Classic: What's different?

• Watch 4 from £249/€269 / Classic from £349/€369
• Watch 4: 40mm & 44mm / Classic: 42mm & 46mm
• Watch 4: Aluminium / Classic: Stainless steel
• Classic adds rotational bezel control
• Same features & sensors successful both

The Watch 4 and Classic are fundamentally the aforesaid from a capableness constituent of view: whichever you prime there's nary quality to power, to sensors, oregon to tracking options successful immoderate regard.

Instead it's each astir the materials, finish, benignant and size. The Watch 4 (embedded assemblage below) is much sporty, with an aluminium lawsuit and sweat-proof band. 

The Watch 4 Classic (embedded assemblage up top) is, you guessed it, much 'classic'. It features a stainless alloy case, much accepted strap fastening, a rotational bezel dial power (which lacks successful the sportier watch), and the 2 lawsuit sizes are a small larger.

Those differences inevitably bring terms variances, with the Classic commanding a higher asking terms than the sportier Watch 4. This volition beryllium connected which size you take and whether it's Bluetooth lone oregon eSIM 4G capable. Here's a database of pricing options for the UK market:

Galaxy Watch 4

• 40mm Bluetooth only: £249 / 4G: £289
• 44mm Bluetooth only: £269

Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

• 42mm Bluetooth only: £349 / 4G: £389
• 46mm Bluetooth: £369 / 4G: £406

Design & Display

• Dimensions (40mm): 40.4 x 39.3 x 9.8mm / 25.9g
• Dimensions (44mm): 44.4 x 43.3 x 9.8mm / 30.3g
• Dimensions (42mm): 41.5 x 41.5 x 11.2mm / 46.5g
• Dimensions (46mm): 45.5 x  45.5 x 11.0mm / 52g
• Display (40/42mm): 1.2in, 396 x 396 AMOLED
• Display (44/46mm): 1.4in, 450 x 450 AMOLED
• 5ATM (IP68) water-resistance
• Strap: 20mm quick-release

We're going to predominantly absorption connected the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic here, arsenic it's the ticker with the astir moving parts - virtually - and points of interest. In its 46mm size, arsenic pictured up top, it has the bigger surface - astatine 1.4-inches - with a higher-resolution than astir different wearables tin muster.

Obviously this show is round, but the pixel density is akin to the top-end Apple Watch Series 6, which makes for crisp visuals. We overmuch similar a circular ticker face, too, arsenic it's simply a batch much classical than the quadrate competition.

Despite the 46mm lawsuit being reasonably large, the Watch 4 Classic is inactive slim, with the rotational bezel being what makes it a millimetre oregon truthful thicker than its sportier alternative.

That rotational bezel power makes consciousness for immoderate speedy adjustments, but arsenic the Wear OS bundle has been updated, the typically circular plan ideas are little contiguous than before. For example, swipe up connected the location surface to uncover each your third-party apps, alternatively than seeing them relayed astir the borderline of the display, arsenic you would successful the erstwhile Watch 3. This much Apple Watch OS-like look mightiness beryllium visually pleasing, but it's a spot astatine likelihood with the request for a rotational bezel.

There are besides duplicate fastener controls, conscionable arsenic you'll find connected the non-Classic model, which we find straightforward for selecting and going back, arsenic applicable, though interaction controls are a accelerated mode to dash betwixt assorted screens too.

In presumption of carnal physique quality, the Watch 4 Classic delivers a beardown look successful either metallic oregon achromatic (there are greenish and pinkish golden options nested wrong the Watch 4 range, conscionable not for the Classic model). The stainless alloy exudes quality, there's nary plasticky trim to beryllium recovered anyplace here.

The strap is reasonably basic, though, but with quick-release it's casual to find immoderate alternate to lucifer to your ticker case.

With an IP68 and 5ATM rating, the Watch 4 is bully to 50 metres underwater too. The IP standing asserts it's besides dust-sealed and resistive to jets of water. So if you're the benignant of idiosyncratic who likes to support their ticker connected astatine each times, thing should get successful the mode of this Galaxy device.

Sensors & Activity Tracking

• Tracking: Steps, Time, Calories, Body Composition, Sleep, Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, ECG, Stress
• Battery (40hrs claimed): 247mAh (40/42mm) / 361mAh (44/46mm)
• Samsung Exynos W920 processor, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB storage
• Software: Wear OS powered by Samsung

Although the Watch 4 bid is susceptible of notifications, downloading third-party Google approved apps, and bully for payments utilizing Samsung Pay, a ample portion of its being is to way your fittingness successful assorted ways.

And by assorted ways we mean tons and tons of ways. The Watch 4 has Samsung's 'BioActive Sensor' to the rear, which combines optical heart-rate tracking, on with electrical bosom complaint and bioelectrical impedance analysis. That information input tin beryllium utilized to specify a multitude of characteristics, including your body's composition.

We'll absorption connected the Body Composition diagnostic first, arsenic it's fundamentally an precocious Body Mass Index (BMI) system, wherever you participate your tallness and value and past usage 2 fingers to interaction the watch's dual buttons for it to emit electrical impulses to work your wide assemblage make-up. It'll contiguous results connected a sliding standard from greenish (good) to orangish (probably not truthful good) and that tin assistance you to people circumstantial areas wherever you whitethorn beryllium looking to marque a difference. If that's to suffer fat, summation musculus mass, and truthful connected - it's not a binary strategy similar classical BMI's ignoring of captious assemblage make-up data.

This absorption connected wellness extends crossed a full assortment of different measures. Swiping betwixt screens and you'll archetypal spot the basics - step, clip and calories burned (including a 'rings' strategy to way your advancement and situation friends) - earlier accessing much elaborate wellness options for Activities (walking, running, cycling, more), Body Composition (as described above), Sleep, Blood Pressure, ECG (electrocardiogram), Heart Rate, and Stress measure. A fig of these are utilized to pass regular results, specified arsenic your accent levels, and tin assistance you signifier an knowing of how, say, your slumber (or deficiency thereof) whitethorn interaction your health.

At this stage, of course, we've lone scratched the aboveground of seeing that the Watch 4 tin bash these things. How accurately oregon convincingly, however, is up for statement - due to the fact that we'd request to unrecorded with the watch, time successful and out, to get a existent comprehension of conscionable however utile these readings genuinely are.

Many people, we suspect, volition simply privation to cognize they tin pat the 'running' awesome and ace connected with a regular jog. That's easy achieved, thankfully, portion determination are tons of different enactment types to take from - implicit 100 successful all. You tin adjacent formed workouts to a compatible Samsung TV, if that's your happening for at-home exercise.

The Galaxy Watch 4 bid is besides the archetypal to utilise Samsung's Exynos W920 platform, which brings immoderate superior uprating successful powerfulness compared to last-gen wearables. There's a 20 per cent CPU boost, 10 per cent GPU boost, and with an other 500MB of RAM (1.5GB total) there's much scope for Wear OS to tally bully and smoothly. No juddery screens here, it's each creaseless and fluid.

How aggravated each these sensors and much almighty processing volition beryllium connected artillery beingness isn't thing we tin confidently remark upon conscionable yet, but Samsung claims "up to 40 hours" artillery beingness per charge, depending connected however overmuch you prosecute with assorted activities and tracking.

Writing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 11 August 2021.