Samsung Galaxy Watch Extremely evaluate: if you happen to can’t beat ’em, be part of ’em

After Samsung introduced the $649.99 Galaxy Watch Extremely on July tenth, I noticed a few posts floating around on Threads. The gist was the identical. Every submit had two photos: on the one aspect, there was the Apple Watch Extremely, and on the opposite, the Galaxy Watch Extremely. Hmm, customers questioned. The place have we seen this earlier than?

IT’s harsh, however IT was my actual first thought as nicely. Whereas there are stylistic variations, IT’s painfully apparent that Samsung made a listing of all the things the Apple Watch Extremely had that the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional — Samsung’s first try at a extra rugged smartwatch — didn’t. IT then went down the listing, ticking off every function one after the other. By and huge, that was a profitable technique. This can be a nice Android smartwatch. Arguably, IT’s the finest Android smartwatch.

IT simply doesn’t really feel good.

Extra particularly, the Extremely’s successes don’t at all times really feel earned. Samsung smartwatches have at all times had their very own distinctive aptitude (normally within the type of a bodily rotating bezel, which is unfortunately lacking right here). Sure, there have been some Samsung-y quirks, however IT gave the watches character. 

A few of that quintessential Samsung-ness continues to be there. However IT’s additionally simple that Samsung overhauled its wearable technique to be the Apple of Android. My nerdy lil’ coronary heart isn’t damaged over IT. However IT does sting.

After sporting the Apple Watch Extremely 2 on one arm and the Galaxy Watch Extremely on the opposite for the final two weeks, IT’s simpler to say what they don’t have in frequent. In contrast to Apple’s watch, the Galaxy Watch Extremely has a round face (although IT’s set in a squarish case). There’s no digital crown. IT has FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection, a 3nm processor, and an upgraded 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor, which measures EKGs, physique composition evaluation, and different coronary heart charge knowledge. (Apple has EKGs and coronary heart charge, however IT’s nonetheless on a 5nm chip, and Masimo’s lawsuit has thrown a wrench in its sleep apnea efforts.) Naturally, the Galaxy Watch Extremely runs One UI 6 Watch and Put on OS 5 as a substitute of watchOS. 

Evaluate that to what they do have in frequent:

• An orange shortcut button (Motion Button versus Fast Button)
• Three band sorts primarily based on whether or not you do water sports activities, climb, or run
• An emergency siren (the Apple siren is 80db; Samsung’s is 85db) 
• A watchface that turns crimson for simpler studying at night time
• 3,000 nits of display screen brightness
• Twin-frequency GPS 
• 10ATM of water resistance 
• New multisport exercise for triathletes 

I might go on as a result of there are even extra comparable options — like backtracking for hikes, racing previous routes for runners, and useful threshold energy for cyclists — however these are the foremost ones. 

IT’s comprehensible why Samsung has adopted this route. The Apple Watch Extremely has been profitable in a approach that the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional has not. And as a lot as I hate to say IT, I can’t say IT was a nasty thought. All of those additions and upgrades add as much as a robust and succesful Android smartwatch. General efficiency is snappy, battery life is nice when you end calibrating (extra on that later), and there’s nice synergy if you happen to use IT with the brand new Galaxy Ring. I might finish the evaluate proper now with “that is the Apple Watch Extremely for Android,” and also you’d most likely have an honest understanding of the Galaxy Watch Extremely’s strengths and weaknesses. 

IT’s simply that when Apple does IT higher, IT takes among the shine from Samsung’s model. As an example, IT’s simpler to sync a customized climbing route onto Apple’s Extremely through the Maps app than IT is to obtain a .GPX file from a separate app into the Samsung Health app in your telephone. Apple’s Extremely has a local depth app and can be utilized as a dive laptop. You may safely take Samsung’s Extremely for a plunge, however there aren’t any equal scuba diving capabilities. Programming and utilizing the Motion Button is a little more intuitive than the Fast Button. If I step right into a darkish closet, the Apple Watch Extremely’s night time mode kicks on mechanically. Auto night time mode on the Galaxy Watch Extremely appears to be primarily based on the precise time. 

However comparability is the thief of pleasure. As a substitute, enable me to gripe about one of many Galaxy Watch Extremely’s extra distinct options: its polarizing squircle design. 

Lately, Samsung watches have been overwhelmingly round. The official line is that the Extremely’s new squarish case provides sturdiness, although I’d argue the Professional was loads sturdy with out IT. My working principle is that IT permits for a greater strap swapping mechanism — similar to Apple’s — and that Samsung was purposefully going for visible similarity. 

However after just a few weeks of damage, I want Samsung had simply picked an oblong show or a round one as a substitute of splitting the distinction. Retaining the round design would’ve stored IT extra visually distinct from Apple and, let’s face IT, much less ugly. (Although, there is a component of colour desire right here. I discover the white titanium model to be rather more fetching than the silver or my Halloween-y evaluate unit. The black case is okay, however the strap is so orange.)

Apart from aesthetic sensibilities, Samsung’s 47mm Extremely is chunkier on the wrist than Apple’s 49mm Extremely. That’s as a result of Samsung’s sq. case seems extra squat on the wrist, even when the size are fairly comparable. IT additionally wasn’t fairly as cozy for my petite wrists. The hole between the strap and my wrist was so huge, I might stuff exactly three pens or chopsticks into that area. The added chunkiness additionally made IT tough to discover a good match. Both I strapped the watch on approach too tight, leaving marks on my arm, or IT was too free and would slide up and down my wrist.

The Galaxy Watch Extremely does supply some notable enhancements over the Watch 5 Professional. For me, the 2 most impactful ones had been longer battery life and the double pinch gesture.

The Extremely sports activities a 590mAh battery, which is similar because the Professional. Nevertheless, software program updates between 2022 and 2024 — and a brand new train power-saving mode — assist prolong the Extremely’s battery life. Battery life relies upon closely on particular person utilization, however in testing, I received roughly 70 hours on a single cost with heavy GPS utilization and power-guzzling options just like the always-on show enabled. If I enabled power-saving mode as soon as I hit 15 p.c battery, I might stretch IT to about 76 hours. (Observe: Samsung watches take just a few cost cycles to calibrate and be taught your utilization patterns. The primary few days, I received a dismal 36–48 hours on a single cost.) I by no means fairly hit Samsung’s 100-hour estimate, however IT’s nonetheless a marked enchancment over the 50–60 hours I received with the Professional. 

That is true multiday battery life, although IT nonetheless falls in need of different multisport watches for actual outdoorsy sorts. Once I tracked a 3.5-hour hike in a distant space with no cell reception, the Galaxy Watch Extremely misplaced 22 p.c battery, whereas my year-old Extremely 2 misplaced about 34 p.c. Whilst you may get away with leaving the charger at dwelling for a one- or two-day journey, however you’re rolling the cube for something longer.

Double pinch isn’t a brand new function for Samsung watches — IT’s been round for some time. IT’s simply extra entrance and middle now. In contrast to Apple’s model, IT’s not contextual, which means IT’s restricted to principally dismissing alerts, accepting calls, and controlling your telephone’s digicam. However placing these limitations in place paradoxically makes IT extra clear-cut for every day use. There are just a few different gestures you should use, which expands your hands-free choices. As an example, I programmed the knock knock gesture to open the Digital camera Controller app after which used double pinch to snap selfies. That’s simply neat.

Samsung made a giant hullabaloo about including Galaxy AI Health options this yr within the type of a brand new Power Rating and Wellness Suggestions. There’s additionally an upgraded 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor, which brings with IT an experimental advanced glycation end products (AGEs) metric to gauge metabolic Health. Sadly, AI doesn’t at all times know what’s finest for you.

I wrote extra concerning the Power Rating metric in my Galaxy Ring evaluate, however the gist is that IT’s broadly correct with some hit-or-miss AI-generated recommendation. The identical is true for the AI-generated Wellness Suggestions. For instance, the opposite morning, I received two suggestions that informed me that I each was and wasn’t sticking to my sleep schedule. 

In the meantime, the AGEs index metric is baffling. Whilst you sleep, the watch measures for bodily compounds that accumulate when “protein and fats molecules are oxidized by sugar molecules.” Supposedly, that tells you the way nicely you’re metabolically growing old, however Samsung has been imprecise about how this truly works, the worth of even having this knowledge, and what you’re purported to do with IT. You’re graded on a spectrum from low to excessive — IT informed me I’m within the center. To enhance my rating, the app advises me to eat wholesome, train, and prioritize sleep to enhance my AGEs index — which I’m already doing — whereas different components of the app inform me to cease figuring out so laborious. Is that this an actual factor? Maybe in the research field, however in a client smartwatch, that is little greater than a gimmick.

The brand new FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection function is comparatively simple, however sadly, I discovered IT tough to make use of. The function requires you to put on the watch for 2 nights when you sleep to detect disturbances primarily based on blood oxygen ranges. I had a tough time getting legitimate readings, partly as a result of the Extremely’s dimension made IT laborious to get a cosy match. Ultimately, I used to be accurately informed I don’t have sleep apnea. The caveat is that this function is not a medical diagnostic device and should not catch each occasion of obstructed respiration — so take from that what you’ll. Just like the EKG function, IT additionally requires you to have a Galaxy telephone.

Truthfully, the most effective health replace was the addition of dual-frequency GPS. In comparison with the Galaxy Watch 7, the Extremely was rather more correct at recording the gap of my runs. I hiked a 4.99-mile route with heavy tree cowl, and the Extremely recorded a spot-on 4.99 miles, whereas my Apple Watch Extremely 2 logged a negligible distinction of 5.03 miles. 

I genuinely just like the Galaxy Watch Extremely. That is probably the most full-featured Android smartwatch you should buy proper now. I might wholeheartedly suggest IT to Android customers who need a longer-lasting smartwatch with a strong choice of third-party apps. 

Nevertheless, I concern that in copying Apple so carefully, Samsung will ultimately cease marching to its personal quirky beat. As a result of IT’s not simply this watch — the entire Galaxy Watch lineup now mirrors Apple. There’s a funds Galaxy Watch FE to match the Apple Watch SE, a Galaxy Watch 7 sits the place the Apple Watch Sequence 9 does, and on the high, there’s the Galaxy Watch Extremely. Samsung’s signature bodily rotating bezel is now restricted to final yr’s Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional — which wasn’t up to date this yr. IT’s unclear if IT’ll get a refresh down the street.

This really was a bittersweet evaluate to jot down. I can’t deny the Galaxy Watch Extremely fills a void for Android customers who need a smarter Garmin different. (For an inexpensive worth, too.) I can’t fault Samsung for making an attempt one thing completely different now that IT has a rival within the Pixel Watch. After coasting with final yr’s watches, IT needed to do one thing to regain momentum. I simply by no means thought IT would do IT by making an Apple Watch. 

Images by Victoria Track / The Verge