Samsung Galaxy Watch (42mm, GPS, Bluetooth) – Midnight Black (US Version)

Before I begin my review, I'd like to make a few quick points:

- I'm giving my thoughts on the 42mm version, which I've had for about three weeks.
- Apple vs. The Samsung comparisons are exaggerated. Both watches are good, but you should match your watch to your phone if possible. br>- I don't believe there is a better smartwatch on the market right now, but I only gave it four stars because I don't believe smartwatch technology has fully matured at this point; There are no 5 star smartwatches on the market right now, in my opinion. br>br>Bottom line: The Galaxy Watch does almost everything I was hoping for, and it does it well. br>- My preferences are as follows: With a simple face, brightness 3, location off, HR every 10 minutes, and voice activation off, AoD is turned on. When I'm not at home – about 11 hours per daybr>-, I wear the watch. With those settings and that usage pattern, I can get two days out of a single charge with a little left over. br>- It's easy to read and respond to notifications. br>- Overall, I think the exercise tracking is adequate, but not exceptional. br>- Walking at a reasonable pace appears to be accurate, but slow walking or a combination of walking and standing (such as when moving through a museum) appears to be inaccurate. br>- S Health is my primary HR tracking app, which works well for steady-state cardio but not so well for weight training. I'm not sure if it's because of the rapid fluctuations in my HR, the fact that I move my wrist around a bit during exercise, or what, but it frequently loses track of my HR, lags behind spikes and dips, and doesn't seem to reach true peaksbr>- S health isn't very useful for weightlifting. It is unable to count reps on a large number of exercises and does not permit the creation of custom workouts. br>- I use a program called Gymrun that allows me to create my own workouts. It does not track HR or count reps, but you can manually enter reps and track HR with S health (under 'other workout'). br>- I was hoping that the Galaxy Watch would allow me to leave my phone in my gym locker and use the watch to (1) listen to music, (2) track my workout, and (3) connect to wifi so I could send and receive texts/emailsbr>- The good news is that the watch can do all of this without lagging – even when running with music, wifi, and continuous HR monitoring. br>- The bad news is that the watch can’t connect to captive portal wifi networks (networks that require you to visit a website and accept terms), and that the watch burns through The flooring – It's a mixed bag when it comes to the climbed counter. It's usually pretty accurate, but it occasionally misses floorsbr>br>Style, comfort, and buildbr>- I'm a tall man, and the 42mm watch face fits me perfectly. There are online watch face size calculators based on wrist size – you'd have to have quite large wrists to look 'appropriate' with a larger watch. br>- Of course, personal taste differs, and some people prefer a larger face, but for me, 42mm was the maximum size I was willing to go, and the fact that it was available was a huge selling point. br>- Overall, the timepiece appears to be in good condition. It isn't the most attractive watch in the world, but it is certainly one that can be worn anywhere from the gym to the office to a night out. br>- I didn't expect the watch to be as thick as it is; It appears to be chunky from the sidebr>- It is extremely relaxing; Even when typing, I'm not aware of it during the day. When lifting weights, it does not get in the way. br>- So far, the build quality appears to be good – no dents or scratches, but it hasn't been subjected to any harsh treatment. br>br>Hardwarebr>- This is where the Galaxy Watch truly shines, particularly in two areas: the watch's SoC (controller chip) and rotating bezelbr>- I'm not sure I'll ever wear a watch that doesn't have a rotating bezel. It's by far the best way to interact with a smartwatch; it lets you navigate without smudging the screen or using both hands to spin a tiny wheel on a side button. br>- Everyone except Apple is blown away by the SoC; Wear os watches are two generations behind the times. br>- As a result, battery life (by today's smartwatch standards) is excellent, and apps run smoothly. br>br>Softwarebr>- This is the most common gripe – not so much about the OS as it is about the lack of app availabilitybr>- Tizen OS is actually very user-friendly, fluid, and adaptable. br> I'm not bothered by the lack of apps because, aside from the ones I mentioned above, I'd rather use my phone for anything else. br>- However, the Google integration isn't flawless, and many apps aren't available. If this is something you're interested in, find out what is and isn't available on the watch.

Michaela Valentine

| Jun 17, 2021

I previously owned a Samsung S7 edge and a Samsung Gear S2 smart watch that came with it. I liked both the phone and the watch at the time, but the watch didn't blow me away. I had switched to Apple for a few years at that point, and I had the iPhone 7 and iPhone X, as well as the Nike Apple Watch series 2. I liked the X, but I don't think it lived up to the hype; on the other hand, I've grown to love my Apple Watch. After reading glowing reviews of the S9, I decided to jump ship, and boy, were they right. I adore the phone, but I needed a new watch as well. Knowing that Samsung would be releasing their first new watch since the S3, I decided to hold off for a few months. I've never made a better decision in my life. While I can't speak for the S3, the Galaxy Watch has already made me forget about my Apple Watch. I like the features, and the design exudes quality and durability. It also strikes me as more masculine than the Apple Watch. I wasn't sure I'd like the silver, but I preferred the 46mm over the 42mm, and I'm glad I did. It's even more beautiful in person; pictures can't do it justice; you have to see it to believe it. The black band was nice, but it wasn't my style, so I bought an orange/red genuine Samsung S3 band that fit my galaxy watch perfectly. Samsung has made a positive impression on me. Since the "battery incident" with the note a few years ago, I believe they have really stepped it up and are now providing a better product than Apple. Samsung, thank you for the wonderful timepiece.

Salvador Ross

| Jan 16, 2021

I'd been thinking about getting a smart watch for a while and finally decided to do it. The most important criteria for me were that it be of a reasonable size, price, have GPS, and be able to use offline maps. The Gear S3 Frontier and Galaxy watches both appealed to me (let's be honest - I'm a sucker for watches). I adore the rotating bezel on the new 42mm Galaxy watch in black, which is essentially the Frontier's younger brother. br>br>I tested the S3 Frontier as well as the Galaxy watch and came to the following conclusions. br>1) Take a look at the situation - Both watches have a similar design (as can be seen in the product photos). br>2) Dimensions - The Frontier watch, at 46mm, is noticeably larger than the Galaxy watch, which is 42mm. The Frontier's watch band is thicker and has a slightly wider style, giving it the appearance of being larger than it is. To fix this, I purchased a smaller band in the same style as the Galaxy. The 42mm Galaxy wins on size for me, with a slightly smaller screen but a much smaller watch overall (as you can see in my comparison photos). Both watches have a similar thickness. 3) Bezel that rotates - The Frontier's bezel proved to be more user-friendly for me. It's a little taller than the Galaxy's, and the side notches are a little bigger. Because the Galaxy bezel fits into the face of the watch a little more smoothly, you must rotate it from the top, whereas the Frontier can be rotated from the side or top. br>br>br>br>br>br>br>4) Navigation Both watches made it easy to navigate through the various widgets and apps. To navigate and select items, use the bezel or touchscreen, as well as the two buttons on the side. 5) Maps - In the end, this was the factor that tipped the scales in the Frontier's favor. You can get directions from your location to your destination using the HERE WeGo app, which you can download. It works in a similar way to Google Maps. It does, however, support offline functionality, allowing you to download maps of a specific area (state, province, etc. ) and have them available without having to be connected to your phone. The lack of a satellite or topographic view is a drawback, but I tested it out locally and found that all of the trails I hiked were included. So if I go hiking and get lost, I'll at least know where I'm going - On the map, I can see it. Because you can't download offline maps to the Galaxy, when I tested HERE WeGo on the new Galaxy watch, it didn't work unless you were connected to the phone. I asked their support team about it, and they said they'd think about it in the future (though that doesn't help me right now). br>br>In the end, I chose to keep the S3 Frontier and return the Galaxy. The Galaxy won on size and waterproofing, but I couldn't justify spending nearly twice as much on a phone that didn't meet one of my most important criteria (offline maps). It's no Suunto, Garmin, or Casio, but it's a GPS watch that meets my needs for the price.

Mccoy Cooper

| Jun 01, 2021