The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is excellent with two key flaws

Digital Trends

4 days ago

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic
MSRP
$499.99
Score Details 'The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic features a new design that seamlessly blends the Classic design language with the Ultra form factor, introduces new health monitoring features, and features three hardware buttons. It has two key flaws, but is otherwise, an excellent smartwatch.'
Pros The rotating bezel is easy to use
Health features like vascular load
New Antioxidant level check
New BioActive sensor
1st watch to measure ectopic beats
Action Button can be customized
Great range of complications
Cons New dynamic lug system is extremely awkward to use
Smaller display than Watch 6 Classic
Squared-circle design is polarizing
Expensive
Slow charging
Instant Insight
Samsung's biannual updates to the Classic lineup are usually among my favorites, thanks to the rotating bezel, which is also present this year and remains my preferred method of controlling a smartwatch. The display is vibrant, the watch is thinner than before, and the battery lasts for two days on a single charge.
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The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is a sizeable upgrade, but while many are positive, some of these changes aren't. There's a new design that's inspired by the Galaxy Watch Ultra, featuring a square body with a circular display, but this has already proven polarizing in online discussions. Personally, it's not my favorite design, but it's not a dealbreaker either.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic also introduces an entirely new dynamic lug system that makes it challenging to change bands, far more so than the best smartwatches. The lug system also isn't compatible with previous watch straps, meaning you'll need to start your strap collection from scratch.
Look past these changes, which may not be a deal-breaker, and you'll get a polished smartwatch experience that is among the best smartwatches you can buy. It's not as clear-cut as previous Classic versions, but the battery life is solid (if not spectacular), the performance is great, and the health features are second-to-none.
Samsung Health deserves special mention as it's one of the most polished health suites available on a wearable device today. The new features include an antioxidant index for testing the oxidant level of your skin, new tailored bedtime suggestions, and the ability to track the stress and pressure on your vascular system while you're asleep. It's also the first smartwatch to identify ectopic beats, a feature that will be life-saving for some users.
An optimized software experience is also key to the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. It's the first smartwatch preloaded with Google Gemini — although it's also available for download for the Pixel Watch 3 lineup, which brings the ability to create multi-step routines, such as starting a run and a playlist simultaneously.
Overall, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is a smartphone that is enjoyable to use. There are some negatives — albeit some of these are very subjective — but this is a smartwatch that offers a lot of bang for your buck. It's pricier than the competition, but there's no smartwatch like the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, meaning this premium could be worth it.
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Specs
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Display 1.34-inch Super AMOLED
438 x 438 pixels, 327 ppi density
Sapphire crystal protection Design Features Size: 47mm
Dynamic Lug System
Rotating Bezel
MIL-STD-810HIP68 (up to 50m/5ATM) Health features FDA-Certified ECG
Blood pressure monitor
Antioxidant level check
BioActive Health Sensor
Advanced Glycation End-products (AGE) Processor Exynos W1000 Penta-core Memory 2GB RAM / 64GB ROM Battery 445 mAh Li-Ion
10W wireless charging Colors Black, White Price $499.99 (Bluetooth), $549.99 (LTE)
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Design & display divides opinion
Quick take: A familiar yet divisive design and lug system change
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is instantly familiar if you used last year's Galaxy Watch or the previous Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. It features the same iconic rotating bezel that makes it easy to navigate menus on the smartwatch, and it still utilizes a circular display, although this is now set within a square-shaped watch.
This brings us to the first major change: instead of the circular design used before, the Galaxy Watch 8 series now matches the Galaxy Watch Ultra — and the Apple Watch Ultra — with a cushion design, otherwise known as a round display on a square body. It's reminiscent of the icon shape commonly found on the best smartphones, especially with certain themes. The design is a little odd at first, but quickly becomes second nature and something you easily ignore.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic continues Samsung's recent trend of making things thinner. A re-engineered design allowed Samsung to make the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic 0.3mm thinner than the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, but it is between four and ten grams heavier. It's also worth noting that it's still considerably thicker than the Apple Watch Series 10.
I don't mind the cushion design, but the new dynamic lug system is extremely hard to use. I've tried many different lug systems — both proprietary and standard designs — and Samsung's new lug system is the hardest I've had to use. It's incredibly awkward to line up the lug properly with the casing, and even when you think you have, they don't connect. It took me over five minutes to attach one side of my band, which is a major issue that Samsung needs to resolve. I don't mind a new lug system, but I imagine that most average users will struggle with the current implementation.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic display has also changed. As part of the new design, the size has decreased from 1.5 inches to 1.34 inches, and the density has decreased from 453 pixels per inch to 327 ppi. However, the peak brightness under direct sunlight has increased by 50% to 3,000 nits, making it significantly more suitable for outdoor use.
This smaller display is somewhat of a disappointment, as the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is only available in the 47mm size, while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic features a larger 1.5-inch display in the same size watch. There's no smaller size for the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, but the 1.34-inch display is quite similar in size to the 1.3-inch display on the 43mm Watch 6 Classic, although that display is considerably more dense.
Overall, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic design mostly hits its mark, but falls short in introducing a new dynamic lug system that won't appeal to most customers. The display is smaller, and the device is slightly thinner, but unless the cushion design and custom action button are a must-have for you, the health features will likely appeal the most.
Score: 8/10
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic's health features lead the way
Quick take: Continuing to build from an excellent base
When it comes to measuring your health, Samsung Health has a considerably larger suite of available features compared to Google Fit and Apple Health. Yes, the latter does have a wider range of third parties it can sync data with, and integration with your medical records provider, but Samsung Health is the most feature-rich.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic introduces the same featureset as the Galaxy Watch 7 and adds a few new features that will presumably be incorporated into future Samsung wearables as well. The existing features include the Advanced Glycation End-products (AGE) index, which is a precursor to more accurate glucose measurement, and Sleep Apnea detection.
These features are paired with three key new ones. First, there's new tracking of your heart's stress while asleep, something that's particularly important to me, given that my heart attack happened while I was asleep. The new Vascular Load while Sleeping feature will track your vascular system's performance and provide you with an indicator of performance each morning.
Then there's the new Antioxidant level check. Remove the watch, turn it over, and place your thumb on the LEDs on the back. The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic will then use the yellow, blue, violet, and IER LEDs to detect the carotenoids in your skin and provide recommendations on how to improve this. Data is not updated in real-time, as it can take considerable time for your skin to report changes in antioxidant levels. However, it's a useful feature that works fairly well, even if measuring from your thumb makes it less user-friendly.
The last new health feature was announced in a small panel: the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is the first smartwatch to measure ectopic beats. These are small, irregular heartbeats that are mostly harmless but can pose a problem if left undiagnosed and untreated for an extended period. Many smartwatches can display this as part of a regular ECG, but the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is the first to identify it within the ECG results.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic introduces a range of new features to the Samsung Health ecosystem, while also offering the familiar features that previous Samsung users will be accustomed to. It does more than any other smartwatch, but certain features, such as recording ECGs and detecting Sleep Apnea, require the use of the Samsung Health Monitor app, which is only available in the Galaxy App Store on Samsung phones.
Score: 9/10
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is great for tracking sleep and energy
Quick take: It's the most expansive sleep report you can find, at least among the major smartwatch makers, and covers a host of metrics you didn't even think to track.
I've been on a mission to hack my sleep for years, and the sleep report provided by the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic goes a long way to providing the data necessary to do so. Like Apple Health — but unlike Google — these sleep reports are provided in full detail for free, and Samsung has confirmed that there are no plans to put these behind a paywall in the future.
Sleep tracking on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is fairly accurate, and the resulting Energy Score matches the way you feel most of the time. Markers such as skin temperature while asleep have helped me identify when I'm feeling under the weather, while the tailored bedtime recommendations are prompting me to sleep much earlier, even though I haven't listened yet.
While asleep, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic captures more data than any other wearable from a major phone maker. It is second only to dedicated trackers like the Whoop band or Oura Ring. Additional sleep data, such as heart rate, blood oxygen, and sleep apnea, all help to ensure you have a detailed picture of your sleep.
In the morning, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic provides an Energy Score designed to quantify your current state and offer helpful tips on whether to engage in strenuous activities or rest and recover. I've used this on previous Galaxy smartwatches, and I've found it's possible to improve my overall energy and mood by attempting to increase this Energy Score each day. That's entirely possible as there's a host of helpful explainers and tips to improve throughout the Samsung Health app.
Score: 10/10
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is built for fitness tracking
Quick take: This is built for tracking activities and is ideal for runners.
Naturally, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic also features a host of dedicated tracking capabilities that allow for a wider range of activities to be monitored with greater depth and accuracy. It mostly delivers here, although I've found that the heart rate monitor can sometimes report double the heart rate for a single reading erroneously. This is a problem that has existed in previous Samsung wearables, so it's fairly easy to dismiss, but it's still worth knowing, as it will skew some averages.
Like the Sleep report, the features preloaded with the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic are entirely free, and this includes Samsung's new AI-powered Running Coach. To start, you complete a 12-minute running analysis, and then Samsung Health assigns you a running level (on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is equivalent to a marathon runner).
From here, there are over 160 training programs, ranging from four to six weeks, featuring custom routes, AI-powered route recommendations, and multi-step routines with Gemini, which allows you to start a new activity and your favorite podcast simultaneously. It's a comprehensive suite of fitness tracking features, designed for all activities. The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic proves to be accurate in automatically starting workouts, as well as allowing you to assign a specific new workout to the action button.
Score: 9/10
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic software is top-notch
Quick take: One UI Watch 8 on top of Wear OS 6 is slick, refined, and flawless
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic runs OneUI Watch 8 on top of Wear OS 6, and is one of the most optimized experiences you'll find on a Wear OS smartwatch. This is unsurprising, as Samsung worked closely with Google on building Wear OS, and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic demonstrates that Samsung knows how to integrate its elements with the core platform.
Like every Wear OS smartwatch, you can swipe down from the home screen to access quick settings and swipe up to access your app menu. To the right, you'll find a range of different tiles — essentially, watch-sized widgets that contain pertinent information — that you can edit and add to. To the left of the home screen is a single hub for all your notifications. It's an instantly familiar layout that's easy to use, although I do find the available quick settings quite limiting on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is only compatible with Android phones — there's still no iPhone support — and requires several apps to run (some of which are preloaded on Samsung phones): Galaxy Wearable, Samsung Health, and Samsung Health Monitor (SHM). The first two are available on all Android phones, while the latter is only available for Samsung phones, but is only required for the most advanced health features.
I've been testing the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic with the new Galaxy Z Fold 7. Still, I've previously found that, aside from SHM-exclusive features, the experience and performance are mostly the same whether you're using a Galaxy Watch with a Samsung phone or another Android phone. The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic will receive four years of software and security updates, meaning it'll be supported until Wear OS 10 is released in 2029.
Score: 10/10
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic battery and performance
Quick take: Two-day battery life and slow charging aren't terrible, but are far from the best, while performance is excellent.
If there's one area I could immediately improve about the Galaxy Watch 8, it would be the battery and charging. Neither is particularly bad, but the competition has already proven it's possible to offer much faster charging and longer battery life. Granted, many of these aren't as feature-rich, but this is still an area that Samsung can improve.
The battery consistently lasts close to two days on a single charge with AOD turned on, automatic workout tracking, and no notifications. This is more than acceptable, but the Pixel Watch 3 lasts almost an additional day, while the OnePlus Watch 3 lasts for several days longer thanks to its dual architecture.
The charging speeds are a key area for Samsung to improve, as the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic takes over an hour and a half to fully charge. This is almost double the charging speed of the OnePlus Watch 2 and slower than the Apple Watch Series 10 and Pixel Watch 3, which take around an hour. These speeds are achieved with battery charging optimization disabled, as well. Disabling this feature will further slow your charging and prevent the battery from charging above 90% to increase its longevity.
Overall, the battery life is sufficient for most people, but the charging speeds are slower than expected, and Samsung needs to improve this aspect. The competition charges much faster and offers better battery life, which are two key areas in which the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic still falls short.
Score: 7/10
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic price, deals, and availability
Quick take: Fairly pricy, and more costly than the previous generation.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic starts at $499.99 for the Bluetooth version, while the LTE-enabled version costs $ 549.99. It's available in Black or White colors only, with Samsung forgoing the vibrant neon orange brand from the Galaxy Watch Ultra. Unlike the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, there's only one watch size to choose from.
Like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 that it launched alongside, there are several Galaxy Watch 8 Classic deals worth considering. Samsung is offering up to $250 via trade-in, plus an additional $50 instant credit when you pre-order. Amazon is offering a $100 gift card with no further requirements.
Then there are the carriers. AT&T is offering $100 off the wearable, but if you pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Galaxy Z Flip 7 — with savings of up to $1,100 with trade-in — you'll also save a total of $370 on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. Verizon has a similar deal, while T-Mobile is offering $400 off the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic when you add a new line to the Galaxy Watch. This makes it just $150, which is an excellent price, although it requires a watch line with T-Mobile to qualify.
Should you buy the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic?
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is a fantastic watch, whether you're a first-time Samsung smartwatch user or seeking the ideal companion for your new Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Galaxy Z Flip 7 folding phone. The new design won't be for everyone, but it is stylish, and the single size means it's only suitable for larger wrists.
The new health features ensure the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic remains one of the best smartwatches, but this comes at a cost. The battery life and charging are average compared to the competition, the new lug system makes changing bands considerably more tedious than it should be, and some advanced features require a Samsung phone, not just an Android phone.
If these negatives don't deter you, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is probably the best smartwatch for most Android users. It's a fantastic wearable device and one that I'm going to keep on my wrist for the detailed sleep and health reports.
Why not try…?
If the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic doesn't appeal to you, then you should consider the Pixel Watch 3. Google is expected to launch a new Pixel Watch 4 in the coming weeks. Still, the Pixel Watch 3 is a fantastic wearable device with unique health features, such as measuring your cardio load and integrating with your Peloton bike. It's also available for $100 less than the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, as it starts at $349 for the Wi-Fi model of the smaller version.
Then there's the OnePlus Watch 3, and if you're looking for a wearable that prioritizes longevity over detailed health features, this is the one for you. A dual architecture featuring Wear OS and the simpler RTOS system for low-power tasks ensures that the battery can last for five days in full smartwatch mode, and up to 16 days in power-saving mode. It offers the best balance of battery and features of any smartwatch readily available in the US.
Unlike phones, there are far more wearables available from global phone makers, and one of my favorites is the Huawei Watch 5. It runs the HarmonyOS platform — so there's no Play Store and limited third-party app support — but it has a fantastic design, a range of health features available with a single tap, and a comprehensive fitness tracking suite. The innovative X-TAP feature can also be used to capture a 60-second health check that's detailed, informative, and genuinely helpful. The Huawei Watch 5 is more expensive than the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic at $559, but it's a worthy alternative that's compatible with both iOS and Android.
How we tested
Samsung provided this Galaxy Watch 8 Classic unit for review purposes, but had no input into this review. I've worn the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic for seven nights over the past nine days since its launch in New York City. This has involved several full charges, a few automatically tracked workouts, and keeping the Always-on-Display enabled. The homescreen also always had four auto-updating complications, and the display brightness was set to roughly half.
I paired the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, although no notifications from the phone were passed through to the smartwatch. There was some light GPS use during workouts, but otherwise, this device was mostly used connected to Wi-Fi and within Bluetooth range of my phone.