While the openness of the Android ecosystem means there’s no shortage of options to choose in terms of smartwatches, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch family leads the pack by a wide margin.
The Galaxy Watch 6 marks the wearable’s fifth generation (there was never a Galaxy Watch 2), which means the line has had plenty of time to evolve and mature. Samsung’s decision to embrace Wear OS two years ago and expand the lineup in new directions with an adventurous “Pro” model and the return of the much-loved rotating bezel means that there’s now a Galaxy Watch for just about everyone.
You also don’t need to splurge on the latest Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy Watch 6 Classic to get a great wearable, as Samsung still sells its Galaxy Watch 5 series, and it’s not hard to find the Galaxy Watch 4 still on sale in many places. So, if you’re in the market for an Android smartwatch, there’s little doubt that a Galaxy Watch will serve you well. But which one is best for your needs? Let’s take a look and see how they compare.
The best Galaxy Watch overall
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
- Very comfortable design
- Colorful and bright display
- Smaller bezels are lovely
- Samsung Health keeps getting better
- Good, reliable performance
- Much-improved battery life
- Still a great value
- Wear OS still has its issues
- Slightly more expensive
Why you should buy this: This is hands down the best Android smartwatch for most people.
Who's this for: Any Android user looking for a well-rounded smartwatch to handle everything from daily tasks to health and fitness.
Why we chose the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: The Galaxy Watch 6 took everything that was already great about its predecessor and made it even better. The screen is bigger and brighter and the battery life is reliable and consistent. Samsung has even found a use for the temperature sensor that it introduced in the previous model.
In specific terms, the Galaxy Watch 6 boasts a Super AMOLED panel that measures 1.3 or 1.5 inches, depending on which case size you opt for. That translates to a 432 x 432 or 480 x 480 resolution, and more importantly, it’s all but entirely eliminated the bezels around the outside, which means watch faces and other graphic elements stretch to the edges and look downright gorgeous.
While the Galaxy Watch 6 is still powered by an Exynos chip — a W930 in this case — rather than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform, it’s hard to consider that a shortcoming. We’ve had no problems with the watch keeping up with us, and it’s plenty powerful enough to do everything a wearable needs to do.
On the upside, that lower-power chip also takes less of a hit on battery life, and Samsung has made some nice optimizations this year to ensure that the Galaxy Watch 6 delivers on its promises. Even with the always-on display enabled, a steady stream of notifications, and regular workouts, the wearable can finish the day with over half a charge remaining. Getting through two full days between charges isn’t at all difficult, even if you’re wearing it to bed at night for sleep tracking.
On the subject of health-tracking features, Samsung’s wearables remain at the top of their form in this area. Samsung Health just keeps getting better, and the Watch 6 packs in a wealth of sensors to give it all the data needed to provide heart rate monitoring, automatic workout detection, cycle tracking, and blood oxygen tracking, as well as new Advanced Sleep Coaching and Personalized Heart Rate Zones for workouts. The body temperature sensor is joined by a Bio Impedance Analysis (BIA) sensor that can track muscle composition, fat mass, water percentage, basal metabolic rate, and more.
The Galaxy Watch 6 starts at $300 for the smaller 40mm size with Bluetooth/Wi-Fi only, with the 44mm version adding $30 to that. The LTE versions of each are $50 more, or $350 and $380, respectively. As usual, the color choices differ depending on size, and they’re even more limited than usual. Either model can be had in graphite, but silver is only available on the 44mm version, and gold is solely available on the smaller 40mm size.
The best premium Galaxy Watch
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
- Rotating bezel
- A choice of case size
- Supreme 24/7 comfort
- High quality materials
- Comprehensive health and fitness tracking
- Spotty notification reliability
- Performance doesn't always impress
Why you should buy this: It offers all the same great features of the standard Galaxy Watch 6 in a more elegant package, with a rotating bezel for additional control.
Who's this for: Those who like an Android smartwatch with a look that’s more classy than utilitarian.
Why we chose the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic: Don’t mistake “Classic” for “old” here. Although it may not be obvious from the name, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is a notch above Samsung’s standard wearable, at least in style.
Under the hood, the specs are basically identical to those of the Galaxy Watch 6. That means the same excellent screens, sensors, health and fitness features, batteries, and processors. In other words, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic offers the same features, performance, and battery life as its standard counterpart.
Where the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic differs is primarily in style. It looks more like a traditional watch thanks to its stainless steel case, leather band, and larger bezel. However, Samsung has another important trick up its sleeve here in that the bezel rotates to provide another way of navigating through the Wear OS user interface.
This was pretty much Samsung’s marquee feature for the Galaxy Watch before it inscrutably abandoned it in the Galaxy Watch 5 lineup last year. Thankfully, it was merely on hiatus while the company focused its efforts on the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. It’s precise and intuitive and makes the entire user experience more enjoyable; it’s something you have to try for yourself to fully appreciate, but once you do, you’ll likely never want to go back to merely swiping around a touchscreen.
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic starts at $400 for the 43mm Bluetooth and Wi-Fi model and goes up to $480 for the 47mm LTE version. Both sizes are available in black and silver.
The best value Galaxy Watch
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
- Lightweight, comfortable design
- Robust health tracking
- AMOLED screen looks excellent
- Easy access to Google apps
- Very fast charging speeds
- Skin temperature tracking not yet available
- Falls short of battery life claims
Why you should buy this: It’s the sweet spot in Samsung’s lineup for folks who want everything a Galaxy Watch has to offer at a more wallet-friendly price.
Who's this for: Anyone who wants a Galaxy Watch that’s good enough for everyday use and won’t break the bank.
Why we chose the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5: The Galaxy Watch 5 wasn’t merely a fantastic wearable for its day; it still holds its own against the company’s latest models in most ways. That means it’s a great way to get into a Samsung smartwatch at a much more affordable price.
Many of the improvements that were introduced in the Galaxy Watch 6 were software features that have since come to the older models in a software update, and the Galaxy Watch 5 was already equipped for most of these. For example, while the wearable packed in a useless temperature sensor when it first launched in 2022, Samsung unlocked that a few months later. Other new features like sleep coaching, custom workouts, and heart rate zones have similarly found their way to the older wearable.
This applies to the other sensors as well. Since the Galaxy Watch 6 didn’t add any new hardware features related to health, the Galaxy Watch 5 has all the same sensors as its successor, so you won’t be missing anything when it comes to health and fitness features.
The biggest downside to the Galaxy Watch 5 is that its battery life doesn’t live up to Samsung’s promises. Expect single-day battery life, which won’t be a problem as long as you’re willing to charge it every night, but you may have to adjust your routine if you want to take advantage of the sleep-tracking features as it will need to spend about one out of every 24 hours on a charger.
Samsung also hasn’t made any significant design changes, which means you’ll have a hard time telling the Galaxy Watch 5 from the newer Galaxy Watch 6 or the older Galaxy Watch 4 without examining them more carefully. More significantly, the Galaxy Watch 5 has some additional color options that were dropped in the more recent model, including Sapphire in the 44mm version and Pink Gold in the 40mm.
You won’t find these colors on Samsung’s website anymore, but they’re still available at other retailers if you shop around a bit, which is a good idea as you’ll undoubtedly find better prices elsewhere. For example, Samsung hasn’t discounted the Galaxy Watch 5 from its original starting prices, which means the 44mm LTE version — the only one still available on its website — is still $360 for the 44mm size. Meanwhile, that same model can be found new on Amazon for as low as $234, while the 40mm Bluetooth-only version is going for as little as $189. And you can do even better if you’re willing to opt for an Amazon Renewed model.
The best rugged Galaxy Watch
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
- Luxury materials
- Super sharp screen
- 3-day battery life
- Comprehensive health tracking
- D Buckle strap is excellent
- Niche additional features
- Slightly slow performance after waking up
- Notifications don't always wake the screen
Why you should buy this: It’s a thoughtful combination of luxurious design, rugged build quality, long battery life, and features that cater to hikers and cyclists.
Who's this for? Outdoor adventure enthusiasts who want a Samsung Galaxy Watch that can last for days and stand up to the elements without an overtly rugged look.
Why we chose the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro: While it’s still not the most rugged smartwatch on the market, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is certainly the toughest among Samsung’s wearables. It has all the features of the Galaxy Watch 5, including 50-meter water resistance, in a titanium casing with a raised bezel around the sapphire crystal screen.
This also comes wrapped up in a case that’s not nearly as ostentatious as that of a Casio G-Shock or Apple Watch Ultra. Despite its stronger materials, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a subtle design that’s still closer to its standard sibling. Even the titanium has a smooth finish rather than the brushed metal you might expect.
Other than the design and size — it’s only available in a single larger 45mm model — the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro boasts most of the same health and fitness tracking capabilities and an identical processor to the Galaxy Watch 5. Where it sets itself apart from the smaller model is in battery life. You can get two days with sleep tracking, although the heft of this watch means you probably won’t want to wear it to bed. In that case, it’s not hard at all to push it to three days between charges with normal daily use and a typical workout regimen of a single 30-minute walk or run each day. That pales in comparison to more dedicated extreme sports watches, but it’s remarkably solid for a Wear OS device.
The other unique feature of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is Route Workout, which allows you to import GPX files for cycling or hiking workouts so you can follow a predetermined route. This is a niche feature, and chances are that if you’re not sure you need it, then you probably don’t. However, it’s a nice bonus for groups that regularly share cycling and hiking trails in GPX format.
Still, this is a Galaxy Watch you have to be pretty sure you need before spending the money. Samsung still considers this to be a “current” model, so you won’t find too many discounts on its $450 starting price. That’s a hard sell when you consider that the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic typically sells for $50 less with a noticeably faster processor inside. You probably already know if you’re the target market for the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, in which case you’ll surely love it. But for everyone else, it exists at a weird intersection in the Venn diagram between smartwatches and truly rugged adventure watches.
The best cheap Galaxy Watch
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
- Comfortable fit and size
- Excellent fitness and health-tracking features
- Seamless pairing with Samsung devices
- Two-day battery life
- Finicky digital bezel
- Automatic workout tracking can be inconsistent
Why you should buy this: Despite being an older model, it remains a solid smartwatch for regular fitness and workout tracking and daily tasks.
Who's this for: Anyone who wants a capable Android smartwatch for everyday use at a really wallet-friendly price and doesn’t need advanced health monitoring features.
Why we chose the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: The Galaxy Watch 4 shouldn’t be dismissed too quickly merely because it’s an older model. After all, this two-year-old watch is still fully supported by Samsung and can run the latest software updates. That makes it a great value for somebody looking for a really affordable Wear OS smartwatch.
The Galaxy Watch 4 ushered in a new era for Samsung, marking the moment the company left its proprietary Tizen operating system behind to embrace Wear OS 3. That not only brought improved compatibility due to its collaboration with Google, but it also future-proofed the wearable. It took only a few weeks after the Galaxy Watch 6 launched with Wear OS 4 for the update to also make its way to Samsung’s older watches, including the Galaxy Watch 4. Samsung’s One UI Watch 5 also came along for the ride.
This puts the Galaxy Watch 4 on par with the latest models in terms of software features, breathing new life into the older model. While the Watch 4 lacks the more advanced BioActive sensor and the body temperature sensors of its successors, it adds every tool the wearable can support, and considering that it’s powered by the same W920 chip as the Galaxy Watch 5, that’s a pretty extensive list. You get personalized heart rate zones, improved sleep tracking, custom workout routines, and more.
There’s also a solid set of health-monitoring features here, as you’re still getting an electrocardiogram (ECG), a capable Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) sensor, and the heart monitoring features that are now table stakes for just about any smartwatch released in the past several years.
The Galaxy Watch 4 also comes from a time before Samsung began getting more conservative with its color options. While you may not find all of the finishes available today, it launched in Black, Green, and Silver for both sizes; however, even back then, Pink Gold could only be found on the 40mm version. We remain perplexed as to why Samsung doesn’t seem to think people with larger wrists might like a gold watch.
The Galaxy Watch 4 is still available from Samsung in limited configurations starting at $200 for the 40mm Bluetooth/Wi-Fi version. However, you can do considerably better if you shop around on third-party retailers; we’ve seen it going for as little as $105 on Amazon.
