Samsung recently expanded its Galaxy smartwatch line-up with the launch of its Samsung Galaxy Watch6 and Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic devices. We got a chance to try the Galaxy Watch6 and here are our thoughts about the new wearable.
Design
The latest Samsung Galaxy Watch6 series devices bring in quite some considerable changes for both design and performance, and the return of the Galaxy Watch6 Classic is one of the best decisions Samsung has made. That said, the new Samsung Galaxy Watch6 standard model does not fall short. The device comes in two different sizes, and this includes the 40mm and 44mm.
The smaller 40mm Watch6 features a 1.3-inch Super AMOLED circular display with 432 x 432 pixels as the screen resolution. The 44m model comes with a larger 1.5-inch Super AMOLED circular display with 480 x 480 pixels as the screen resolution. The display also has a brightness of up to 453 ppi. The screens are also protected with Sapphire crystal to protect from accidental scratches and bumps.
Samsung claims that the screens of the Watch6 series are the largest ever made for a Galaxy wearable, along with a thinner bezel. While the 40mm model comes with a dimension of 38.8 x 40.4 x 9 mm and weighs 28.7g, the 44mm model features a dimension of 42.8 x 44.4 x 9 mm and the device weighs 33.3g. We should also mention that the Watch6 also comes with an aluminum frame and MIL-STD-810H certification. Both buttons are located on the right side. Apart from helping with navigation, both buttons feature integrated sensors for different health-related functions.
Users will be able to purchase different kinds of bands from the official Samsung store, and this includes the Sport, Extreme Sport, Hybrid Leather D, Hybrid Leather T, and Fabric. The Galaxy Watch6 comes with the Sports band as a default. As you can see, the buckle of the sports band allows users to tuck the remaining length of the band inwards, so there isn’t any of the band that will stick outside.
Changing the watch bands is fairly easy, thanks to the dedicated eject buttons on these straps. However, third-party bands may not feature the eject buttons. The rear side of the Watch6 is black in color with a silver circular region that surrounds the health sensor.
Features
While the Watch6 comes with an improved design, Samsung has also upgraded the internal chipset for better performance. The Galaxy Watch6 comes powered by the 5nm Exynos W930, a dual-core processor with 1.4 GHz speeds. Samsung claims that this chipset offers almost 18% performance uplift over the previous generation. The processor is backed by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The GPU used on the SoC is the Mali-G68. On the software side of things, the device runs on the Android Wear OS 4-based One UI Watch 5 user interface.
The user interface runs smoothly most of the time but with slight lags in different situations. You get the same series of functionalities, such as receiving or making calls, viewing notifications such as missed calls, SMS, IM chats, emails, calendar reminders, Google Maps, etc. Users will be able to install Android Wear OS-based applications from the device’s PlayStore app directly, and you can use your connected smartphone to transfer new watch faces and perform other customizations.
When it comes to health functions, the Galaxy Watch6 features Advanced Sleep Coaching that provides the insight you require to achieve better sleeping habits, heart rate scanning that is checked periodically so that the device can notify any irregular rhythm that could lead to complications and the BIA sensor that is used to provide readings for body fat, skeletal muscle, body water, Body Mass Index (BMI), along with blood pressure, ECG, number of steps, and more for a healthier life. The watch also has its own skin temperature sensor which is recorded during sleep tracking.
The watch also doesn’t fall short of fitness challenges and helps you track personalized performance insights on the duration, distance, and calories burned. The device can also automatically recognize the activities you do, including running and rowing, along with the option to manually track over 90 different types of activities. All your health results and activities are synced with Samsung Health and other Google-based apps that are installed on your smartphone.
As for the battery capacity, the Galaxy Watch6 40mm model houses a 300 mAh battery, and the 44mm model has a larger 435 mAh battery. Both variants have support for 10W wireless charging capability. I was able to use the watch for over a day of use in normal situations. The Watch6 series devices also feature Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC, and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.
Verdict
For those looking for a good Android Wear smartwatch, we recommend the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 smartwatch. The device comes in two different sizes, along with a larger display, slimmer bezels, and an aluminum frame with MIL-STD-810H certification. The 44mm model comes with a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED circular display. The screen is also protected by Sapphire crystal. The smartwatch comes with sports bands that are easy to attach or remove. The device comes powered by the Exynos W930 dual-core SoC, along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.
The OS used here is Android Wear OS 4 with One UI Watch 5 user interface. The smartwatch comes with support for Google Apps, along with viewing notifications for SMS, incoming and missed calls, reminders, alarms, and more. Users will also be able to measure their heart rate, sleep tracking with skin temperature, step tracking, body fat, body water, skeletal muscle, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, ECG, and more.
