Wear OS devices may have had some problems over the years, but can Samsung definitively turn the tide with its latest premium smartwatch?
What we love — Great operating system and stunning design
Being the first device to run on Wear OS by Samsung, a new operating system developed in collaboration with Google, expectations are high for Samsung’s signature smartwatch.
Fortunately, for the most part, it does live up to the billing. The software works very fluidly, apps are well-optimised for accessing on your wrist, and there’s a wide selection to choose from on the Google Play Store. This watch’s digital rotating bezel perfectly complements the new system, too.
The hardware’s IP68-rated minimalist design is also comfortable and modern-looking, while the Super AMOLED screen is one of the very best you can find on a smartwatch. When it comes to fitness tracking, this thing is packed full of accurate sensors for checking your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels, and it can even perform an ECG or a Body Composition scan.
Battery life is not amazing by any means but it’s at least far better than the Apple Watch, and could probably just about get you through two full days of use. When the time came to recharge the watch, it took us around 1 hour and 33 minutes to top it up to full from 10%.
What we don’t like — There are still some software shortfalls
While the new Wear OS implementation has come on in leaps and bounds, it’s not flawless by any means, and just one example of that is the integration of Samsung’s under-par Bixby smart assistant. But the good news is that several features are still rolling out to the wearable, so watch this space as things could just get better and better.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a very good Wear OS alternative to the Apple Watch, which packs plenty of fitness features into a smart design — and most importantly, the software finally looks like its beginning to reach Apple’s industry-leading standard.
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