If you’re an Android user and are in the market for a smartwatch, the Apple Watch is pretty much off-limits. The best option instead is Samsung. But with so many Galaxy Watch models, how do you know which is right for you?
Samsung Galaxy Watch: The Best Choice for Most People
The Galaxy Watch is the most mainstream of Samsung’s ranges and is designed to compete directly with the Apple Watch. The latest model is the Galaxy Watch 7.
As with all smartwatches, health and fitness are at its core. So, it counts your steps and tracks your general daily activity levels. It also tracks your workouts and exercises, including things like running, cycling, and swimming.
The watch monitors your sleep and gives you recommendations on how to improve it via a Sleep Health score. It also has an FDA-approved sleep apnea risk detection feature that can alert you to potential issues so you can seek further medical attention.
On top of this, the watch is packed with sensors that deliver a comprehensive suite of health features. Among them, it can measure your heart rate, your blood oxygen levels, your body composition, or even how stressed you’re feeling. You can use it to record an ECG and check your blood pressure if you use it with a cuff-based blood pressure monitor.
The software uses AI to collect and analyze all this data and provide you with a daily Energy Score along with other recommendations.
But the Galaxy Watch is more than a glorified Fitbit. It can control or play your music, handle notifications and calls, provide directions in Google Maps, and let you pay for stuff with Samsung Wallet.
The Galaxy Watch runs WearOS with Samsung’s One UI Watch on top, which means you can install apps to advance its functionality significantly.
Aside from one or two niche functions that require a Samsung Galaxy phone, you can sync a Galaxy Watch with your iPhone or any make of Android phone. It comes in two sizes, 40mm, and 44mm, and two variants—just with Wi-Fi or with Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity.
Samsung Galaxy Watch7
$279 $350 Save $71
The Samsung Galaxy Watch7 offers significant performance and health monitoring upgrades, including an advanced processor and detailed AI-powered sleep tracking.
Samsung Galaxy Watch FE: The Budget-Friendly Choice
If the Galaxy Watch is the reference model, then all the other ranges offer variations on it. The Galaxy Watch FE is a slightly stripped-back version with a few key compromises so that it hits a price point around $90 cheaper.
While the hardware is different, the FE—along with all recent models in the Galaxy Watch ranges—has broadly the same software features, delivered through regular updates. This, combined with the lower price, makes it a great entry-level choice or an option if you’re on a budget.
The main differences between the Galaxy Watch FE and the Galaxy Watch 7 are in its core specs. It has less RAM, half as much storage, and a slower processor. Perhaps most crucially, the battery is smaller by about 20%, which means you’ll be looking at a daily charge, depending on how you use it.
There are a few design differences, too. It’s only available in a single 40mm version—with or without LTE—but it’s actually a touch smaller than the regular Galaxy Watch and has a marginally smaller and lower-res display.
It’s still durable, though, and is rated for resistance against dust and water, just like Samsung’s other watches.
Samsung Galaxy Watch FE LTE
The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE is a smartwatch that offers comprehensive health and fitness tracking features. It empowers users to take control of their well-being with advanced sleep monitoring, heart health tracking, and personalized fitness insights, all while seamlessly connecting with other Samsung Galaxy devices.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Classic: For Those Who Love the Traditional Watch Aesthetics
The Galaxy Watch Classic range has largely the same features you get on the regular Galaxy Watch, but it’s designed for those who prefer the aesthetics of a classic timepiece.
The biggest thing to note is that the Classic series is a year behind the regular series, meaning that the latest model is the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. On the plus side, this means you can find a good deal on it, while software updates have given it most of the features you get in the Watch 7.
The key feature that gives the Classic its appeal is its physical rotating bezel. It presents an alternative way to scroll through menus and apps instead of swiping and provides a satisfying click-as-you-go. It also gives the watch a more traditional look.
The Classic has the same screen size options as the standard Galaxy Watch, but the bezel makes it larger and bulkier—it’s nearly twice as heavy. It’s also available in Wi-Fi or LTE versions.
Because it’s a year older, some of the sensors are the previous generation, leading to less accuracy, and the processor is also a little slower and less power-efficient. The amount of memory is the same, but there’s half the storage.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
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The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is a return to the styling and functionality of the Watch 4 Classic. The rotating bezel is back, along with thinner bezels and bigger displays.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: For the More Adventurous User
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is the biggest and most expensive of Samsung’s smartwatch ranges and is designed for the most active and adventurous users.
In comparison to the Galaxy Watch 7, it’s more rugged and has a much longer battery life.
Samsung boasts of its robustness in extreme conditions, working in temperatures between -4F and 131F, and at an altitude of nearly 30,000 feet. The water resistance is rated as 10ATM, which is around 330 feet, although Samsung doesn’t recommend using it for diving or water sports.
It’s built of titanium, which Samsung says makes it the toughest Galaxy Watch ever. Among the safety features that you might need when you’re on the go is a powerful 86-decibel siren that can be heard 500 feet away. You also get things like fall detection, which are available on the other models, too.
Aside from that, you get the same health, fitness, and sleep features from the other Galaxy watches, along with the AI reporting tools and the general smartwatch features and app support.
There’s only one model of Galaxy Watch Ultra. It’s the largest size in the entire range at 47mm, although it has the same screen as the 44mm Galaxy Watch 7 and supports both Wi-Fi and LTE.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is designed for serious athletes, boasting 10 ATM water resistance and a long-lasting battery that endures for days.
Samsung Galaxy Fit: The Fitbit Replacement
Finally, a quick mention of the Galaxy Fit, the cheapest and most feature-light of Samsung’s watch ranges. It isn’t a true smartwatch because it doesn’t run Wear OS. Instead, it’s focused purely on health and fitness and is essentially Samsung’s version of a Fitbit.
The latest model, the Galaxy Fit 3, is available in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. Although it wasn’t launched officially in the US, you can still buy a Galaxy Fit 3 online.
It has a small 1.6-inch rectangular display and is protected against rain and dust. As a fitness device, it gives you virtually all of the fitness, health, and sleep features you get on the Galaxy Watch, minus some of the more advanced things like AI recommendations and sleep apnea tracking.
One of the benefits of the watch’s lack of features is that it leads to a much better battery life. The Fit 3 is quoted as lasting up to 13 days on a single charge.
To summarize, the Galaxy Watch is the model to go for if you just want to buy a smartwatch without having to give it too much thought. It’s the default choice for everyone, and you can’t go wrong with it.
The Galaxy Watch FE is ideal as a first smartwatch or if you’re on a budget. The Galaxy Watch Classic is heavier and has the appeal of a traditional wristwatch.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is Samsung’s take on the Apple Watch Ultra. It’s likely to be overkill for all but the most outdoorsy people. The Galaxy Fit is a simple option if you just want something to count your steps, provide some health monitoring, and track your sleep.
