Samsung - Galaxy Watch8

Bought a Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 for the price of SE with promotion and the discounts. Missing out on ECG doesn’t sit well with me, even though all I use my watch is for step tracking.

From an older Galaxy Watch? Yeah the Pixel Watch will be more accurate. From a Galaxy Watch 7 or 8? It will be roughly the same. GPS was an area of difference but the GW7 has been improved with updates and the GW8 is pretty much par with PW. For most cases any of the major smart watches like the GW, PW or even AW are close. So I wouldn't make your decision on that basis. Comparing the Galaxy Watch and Pixel Watch I'd look at what device you're pairing it with and the unique features each offers.

You might have problem finding $300 watch with both eSim and 3-4 days battery life... Huawei Watch 5 is probably the closest you can get to it, but it's payment system is a shit and outside of China you need to do some workarounds. Maybe Galaxy Watch 8 would do, but the battery will be more like 2 days (which is still better than your current watch). The ultra version might give you 3 days, but it's closer to $500. Oneplus watch 3 is promising, but still lacks LTE outside of China. The rest is covered, 5 days battery. Upcoming Pixel Watch 4 is great SMARTwatch, but has a shit battery and iffy swim tracking. Of course there are Suunto, Garmin and Coros with battery life of over a week, but no chance for esim in this price range. Only Fenix 8 Pro, but its $1300.

Love mine, had it for 3.5 years. Will upgrade to the 4 now. I also wear a Samsung ring, Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, and Whoop band. Oura has been my longest worn device and has provided tremendous insights as it's gotten to know me and my routines/cycles over the years.

The Galaxy watch 8 internal speaker is a big downgrade no one is talking about, it sounds very low. In fact the galaxy watch 4 speakers sound louder than the galaxy watch 8. Anyone facing this similar issue?

I think both are good. I prefer Galaxy watch though. Pixel watch doesn't have an option to turn on the display with a new notification and you must either lift to wake or tap to wake, and Google's lift to wake is very unreliable. You can't again the drop-down tray with settings. Can't reorder or remove any. Can't reorder the app tray (I mean really! You want someone to have to scroll in a small UI to get to their frequent apps?). I will say I don't prefer Samsung's notification card approach; I'd much prefer a vertical list like the pixel watch as opposed to a clunky whole-screen card layout where you have to awkwardly swipe left and right through many notifications (and their stacking of all cards for the same app is clunky in my opinion).

My experience with ticwatch was with the original pro and then the 3 pro. The original pro was laggy to the point of being unusable, and the 3 pro, when it eventually did get one of the few system updates, had the battery completely die not long after. I got fed up with ticwatch, and you can't trust them for anything to be honest. I've used the galaxy watch since the active 2 and up through the 7 (44mm). Working fine for me, but I don't particularly care for samsung's choice of notification cards (whole-screen horizontally-scrolled cards as opposed to a vertical list like most other watches). But it isn't a dealbreaker. Most everything else, I think samsung has the best overall experience. You could also look into a pixel watch 3. I used the pixel watch 2 and 3 (the 3 is no different from the 2 experience except for the larger size option; the SOC is the same and the software is the same). I think google's software features and fit-and-finish is lacking for their watch (for example, there is no option on a pixel watch to just automatically turn on the screen when a notification comes in to view the notification; you have to manually interact with it by either tapping the screen within a few seconds or lift-to-wake the watch, which is very unreliable--that actually was a dealbreaker for me).

The new design of the galaxy watch 8 is beautiful. I don't know where the hate comes from. In person is looks much better than the galaxy watch 7 in my opinion 

I returned my Watch 8. Went with OPW 3

Have a watch 7, ordered 44mm Watch 8. Just looks better than the classic imho, sits flatter and I have to monitor my heart due to a health condition, so I pretty much wear mine all day and charge it whilst getting ready of a morning. Nothing will compare to the battery of watch 5 pro tbf.

I'm sure it's great watch but I don't think it's better than the Galaxy watches. I have the pixel watch 3 in a Galaxy watch six seven and eight.

Galaxy watch 8. I get over 2 days battery life out of mine and it does everything well.

You don't have to use the full brightness or just use adaptive brightness, so the battery upgrade is still good. The battery on the watch 7 44mm is good enough already anyways even if you do full brightness all the time. 

Pretty much as the title says, I swapped over to Android but am finding it hard to get to grips with. I miss a lot in iOS where the Android alternatives just aren't as good, and I don't find myself using the perks of Android and my foldable as much as I was expecting to. The only thing keeping me switching back is my watch, I love the galaxy watch and it's OS while Apple watches IMO are quite dull. The only thing I found better was the synchronicity between phone and watch, and therr isn't much in that for me The trouble is, the watch I wear is important to me because of my work which is why I'm a bit hesitant to just 'put up' with an apple watch. So if I'm to switch back to iOS, are there alternatives to the apple watch that not only offer fitness and sleep tracking, but also synced notifications and media controls? The more similar to galaxy watches, the better!

Oh?? If I can just keep my galaxy watch than that would absolutely be ideal! How do you pair them? As far as I could find online it seemed to be basically impossible

Yeah I much prefer the design and OS on Galaxy watches too. I've still got my old iPhone so definitely going to try it Is there anything that you miss or can't do?

And also which watch do you have? I have the galaxy watch 8 but the app only has up to the watch 3?

If I can just pair my galaxy watch then perfect, but I couldnt see a way online. Any suggestions how?

If you do upgrade than definitely get the 8. But you could probably go one more year and wait for the 9. Your 4 will be getting the new update at the end of October according to google.

👍...I have both! The 7 looks and feels like a classic watch, the 8 is a Apple whatabe that I got for a discount when I traded in my GW6!

I was offered a smart watch for my birthday from my mom. So since the release of the Google Pixel Watch 4, i have been waiting for the announcement of the Garmin Venu 4. Yesterday my daily (multiple times a day) Google search finally returned with the desired result. The Venu 4 was finally out. And honestly, i am just really disappointed. I am in no way an aspiring athlete, i never run or jog and only do some strength exercies and mountain biking. The smart watch would be mostly an extension of a smartphone that would also track my sleep and energy levels. ECG is the function my mom wants my watch to have the most. For me it is an okay bonus function, together with the GPS. The leaks teased a longer battery life and a bunch of new functions, but for me, the only new function that has any value is the flashlight and expanded GPS. And the price increase together with the new design makes it even more desirable. So i think the most logical thing is to just go with a Venu 3. **UPDATE** After reading many constructive comments here, I do think that I may rather be going for a OnePlus watch 3. It seems like the best WatchOS alternative out there without looking like a bubble or an entire computer on the wrist. While also keeping the activity features up to par with my needs. Thanks everyone! **UPDATE 2(The Final)** I ended up buying a Galaxy Watch 8 40mm LTE. I got it with a very nice discount at my carriers webshop(200 usd). It is one of the few WearOS watches that look good on my wrist. (I have almost never had any issues with regular watches, but apparently in the smart watch world it is go big or go home or something) I am so far very pleased with my choice and feel in no way that I am missing anything.

Ended up buying a Galaxy Watch 8 40mm LTE. The fitness functions on it seem superb for my needs and the WearOS 6 out of the box is pretty much a must after a lot of research and weighing. Got a really nice discount on it through my carrier(190 USD), otherwise i would maybe go for a OnePlus watch 3 43mm. (a BIG problem on the smartwatch market right now is the watch sizes IMO, most of them will look quite bulky on my wrist)

Upgraded (with trade-in) from Galaxy Classic 6 to 8 for 250€. Do you think it's worthy? Canceled the first offer to get a new one (with promo code) at 198.10€ !

I've used the Pixel Watch 3 for the last year and upgraded to [Samsung Galaxy Watch 8](https://www.reviewni.com/product/B0F7QD4HSD) recently. Honestly Watch 8 just nails it! The new bezel design took me a second to warm up to, but honestly, it gives the watch a modern, unique vibe that stands out. Switching up watch bands is super easy (once you get the hang of the latch thing), plus you get way more watchface options and can really tweak backgrounds and fonts, which is a nerdy dream. The new “folders” system for tiles/apps is a game changer. It keeps everything way more organized than the Google Pixel, and you can customize the heck out of it. Health, Fitness, Basic and set your own categories, stick your most used apps wherever you want. Battery life’s solid too, I wore it all day and only used 10%. And it's comfy, looks slick, and charges up with a little more info on the screen now. Honestly, Samsung’s attention to detail and customization blows the Pixel Watch 3 out of the water.

Galaxy Watch 8 is good enough.

You are missing that the Watch 8 is noticeably thinner compared to the 7 which will improve wear comfort

I have owned a Galaxy Watch Ultra. I currently own a Watch 8, a Garmin Epix Pro 2 51mm, and an Apple Watch Ultra. I run about 20-40 miles per week depending on if I am preparing for a race or not. I have an iPhone and a Samsung phone (currently zFold 7 and an iPhone 13 mini) because I use one for work. I have LTE on the watches. I really like the Epix. It looks good. It is the best of all of the watches for fitness tracking (I do think it is harsh on sleep tracking though). I love the long battery, and the flashlight on it really does come in handy. However, when I wear it I always miss the smart features of the actual Smart Watches. Probably the watch that works the best for ease of use (easy to manage notifications, reply to texts from the watch) is the Apple Watch Ultra. But I like the screen better on Watch 8 and GW Ultra. For some reason I think playing music/podcasts on Spotify and audiobooks on Audible work better on the Samsung Watches. The Epix is fine with Spotify playlists I have downloaded, but with no LTE I cannot just play whatever. If I run with the Epix I either take a phone with me or wear one of the LTE connected smart watches in case I want to change up what I am listening to or one of the few contacts I don't have suppressed during workouts needs me (wife, kids, my admins). IMO the Apple Watch Ultra comes the closest to replacing all of these watches with one watch. My problem is that I prefer the Android phones available over iPhone right now. Maybe that changes if Apple comes out with a good folding phone next year. But if you can afford it, I don't see a problem with keeping the Fenix (very similar to the Epix I have but newer of course) and the 8 Classic. They each have their use cases. I haven't owned the 8 Classic, but I would guess it performs somewhere in between the 8 and Ultra. Like I said, keep them both if you can afford it. They each do some things better than the other, and you can have them both connected to your phone and switch back and forth easily enough.

Yep. We sound very similar. I like how light and thin the Galaxy Watch 8 feels on my wrist, so I'm trying it out to see if it can be a daily wear. The problem is I use Runna for my run training, and they don't have a native Wear OS app. In my experience the Galaxy Watches measure a little long on the distance. The Apple Watches are a little short, and the Epix is in between those two, presumably the most accurate. I'm excited to see what the Apple Watch 11 and Ultra 3 look like.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 or 8, it's budget friendly and track exercises very well. Battery lasts around 2 days. I've used it for pool and open water swimming.

I have this watch and it sucks. I cannot wear it on my left arm because of my sleeve tattoo. I have owned a lot of similar watches, Fitbit , apple etc. If you have 2 full sleeve tattoos you should not get this watch, luckily I have space on my right arm. I guess you could try strapping it to your ankle. Over all the sensor seems cheap, even snug, it does not track your sleeping habits well, and doesn't continually record data, even when settings are changed.

Watch 8 with a few bits turned off getting easy 2 days and pushing into the 3rd Notifications on AOD off. Health tracking to a minimum Watch 8 is far superior to the 7 in terms of performance. I had the 7 and noticed a bit of lagging. The 8 is seamless

The main difference besides design is the brighter display on the 8. 2000 nits on the 7, and 3000 nits on the 8. The slightly upgraded battery on the 8 is offset by its brighter screen. So the 8 retains the same battery life, while adding a brighter display.

Not the Oneplus because of the world's shittest support on their wearables. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 for cost and versatility. GW8 supports contactless payments for the vast majority of banks unlike Garmin. Garmin Venu if money is no object because it is the most expensive of the three. Since it is a Garmin, it's health tracking would be the best. So if you're an athlete and don't care about contactless payment and have money burning a hole in your pocket, get this.

Thank you for your comment. I thought about creating a new thread to ask my question, but I'm sure it's tiresome for everyone to keep seeing me threads with similar questions so I thought I'd try and partially highjack a thread or two since I have a slight variation on the OP's question. I have run Pixel phones since the pixel 1 XL (and only bought Nexus phones before that). That said, I've owned a Galaxy watch 4 and a Galaxy Watch 5 Pro LTE (which I still wear). I've taken a hard look at the Galaxy Watch 8 series and now the PW4. There are things I like about both, but on an even playing field, I'd lean toward another Samsung since that's where my data is. However, I'm trying to see if the playing field is actually even. I've read some comments here about the PW being more accurate in areas and Samsung offering features that Google doesn't in other areas. The biggest question/concern that's nagging at me is this: I know I miss out on certain things because I don't have a Samsung phone. How does this compare to the fact that Google pay walls certain features in it's Fitbit premium subscription? Also, if you have any general advice or think I'm asking the wrong questions I'd appreciate any comments you or anyone else can make on the subject.

Well now I'm left wondering why my heartrate data doesn't sync? I am using a watch 8.

The most accurate Galaxy Watch for health and GPS right now is the 7, but I think money is a constraint for you. If you could get even the small 40mm one in sales it will be better,

GWU is probably one of the better WearOS watches for exercise tracking, and it still sucks. I'm hoping the OP Watch 3 will be better, I'll try that out eventually. Right now I wear the GWU most of the time and a Garmin Fenix 7x for exercise. Yep, I'm one of those guys.

This 100 percent.  The Samsung energy score penalizes you for resting and not working out everyday. And doesn't update throughout the day like Garmin.  Garmin watch for fitness and Galaxy if you care about a "smart watch"

I had a samsung galaxy watch and my bestie had an apple watch. We both switched to garmin. I have the forerunner 165, and she has the vivoactive. One of best features of the garmin watches is battery life - one charge lasts about a week with daily workout tracking

Same! Galaxy has a peloton app on it, activated automatically. Highly recommend.

For battery life I would go Ticwatch or OnePlus 3. I have the latest Galaxy Watch and while the watch itself is slimmer than my Ticwatch 5, its battery life isn't great. I would have 70% battery left after listening to podcasts all day on my Ticwatch, while I have less than 50% with my Galaxy Watch.

I wore my galaxy watch for 3 years climbing with no protection on it and while it got some scratches, it never really got anything on the screen and nothing cracked, it's a pretty durable piece of hardware. The only time it really got in the way of climbing was on the occasional very large sloper where you get an arm on the hold and on crack climbs. I don't wear it anymore because I no longer enjoy smart watches in general, but it was a pretty solid piece of tech in terms of durability.

I use my galaxy watch because I like to listen to music while I climb without having my phone near by. I use a protective screen on the watch. I run through em quickly.

NRC does not require Apple products. Works just fine with my Samsung Galaxy Watch.

My leg day HR today. Matches almost exactly to my oura ring. This metric never excited me either way as it's always pretty consistent as long as I am wearing it properly. Similar readings from all my Galaxy watches going back 5 years. I would need to wear a medical HR monitor to really know if there was any difference.

Yea I used to jog years ago and workout with one of those. I think it was a Polar...anyways, at my age now, I am more interested in HRV , sleep metrics, and ease of use and I love the Galaxy watches and kinda have become somewhat of a collector. I swim 4 days a week and find they work excellent there. I enjoy seeing the advances in tech each generation and since my entire ecosystem is Samsung, I stay true to this brand because of compatability. BP is also VERY accurate but in the US it needs to be side loaded because FDA has never cleared it even though it's been working in most other countries for 5 years. While these wearables aren't perfect, they do keep improving and it really depends what is most important to you as far as features. It seems in your case that HR is at the top of the list which I totally get.

You mention you want to use your watch for hiking I believe you are better with the Galaxy watch. The step count on the galaxy watches is right on the step count on the Oneplus watches is off. I have read this for the Oneplus 2, I experienced it on my Oneplus 2R and the Oneplus 3 has the same processors so I would be concerned. The galaxy watches get the updates the Ticwatches do not. My galaxy watches already have wear 5.0. The other problem with the Oneplus watch is the sleep monitoring. If you take a nap it will link in with your sleep score and you can not remove it. The galaxy watches have a much better sleep monitoring and if you take a nap it is registered separately so you can remove it or keep it. The stress monitoring on the Oneplus watch simply does not work. Galaxy watches win here again. If vibration strength is important to you the Galaxy 5 and 5 pro have the strongest vibration. I could go on and on.

I wear a galaxy watch and it's protected by my glove.

I have a Galaxy watch that I sometimes use. I only really find the heart rate useful and have been looking for an alternative. Refs are inconsistent in my (Sunday) league around the use of watches even if they're covered.

I have Samsung as well. A 4+ yr old galaxy watch and the app on my lg phone lol

I just got the OnePlus Watch 3 and I'm loving it. It's doing everything you mentioned and lasting me something like 4ish days, long enough that I'm kinda losing track. Usually I throw it on the charger when I shower and don't need to actually set aside any other time to charge it. I use it for sleep tracking, workout tracking, Google Wallet payments, all the normal stuff and looks pretty great IMO. I'd definitely recommend it. Like it way better than my Samsung Galaxy Watch that I had before this.... the 6 I think? Maybe 5.

People have been claiming that Google was going to end fitbut over 2 years ago. It's still fine. I tried a galaxy watch, but you have to charge it every day, just like the apple watch. My fitbit goes for days. I just charge it every other day while I shower. I've never run out of battery.

It’s not a fair comparison to an Apple or galaxy watch. It’s great for those of us who wear traditional watches but want something that can help track stats. One big benefit you missed is the sleep tracking. It’s way better than anything Apple watch can offer, and who wants to wear a watch while sleeping?

There's nothing wrong with climbing with a watch on. I do it almost exclusively with my Galaxy watch that I like and tracks pretty much everything you mention. Throw a wristband over it to keep it from getting scratched up and you're good to go. Just make sure to loosen it a notch before your session to allow for muscle contractions.

I have a Galaxy watch now, but it's crap as a fitness tracker. When I want accurate data, I wear my old Garmin. I think it's a Forerunner 235? That may not be in production anymore, but any of the entry-level Garmins would work.

You lost me at #1. I've had the last 4 galaxy watches and the pixel 3 watch blows them all away.... By far.

If you will use the new functions that the watch allows you, it is totally worth the change. If it is only decorative, there are smartwatches with longer battery life at the same price. I went from the Huawei GT Line to the Galaxy, and it was totally worth it. If you have an LTE and you are worried about not being able to call in emergencies, use the "Watch Only" mode, you get up to a week of life and you use it when you need it.

Built in speaker and microphone is compelling I won't lie.

That's fair. I've used my Galaxy Watch to answer calls before though so I'll choose this model for that feature.

Just a tidbit, a test with just 1 person as the source is never going to be a "scientific" test. My personal testing had both mess up the health tracking but the step count was better on galaxy.

Yup. I've never scratched a watch in my life but my Pixel Watch 2 scratched all the time, even rubbing against my sheets when I slept. Luckily I was able to get it replaced later on under warranty but ever since I've used screen protectors to prevent scratching. I've owned three generations of Galaxy Watch and never scratched a single one so it's definitely not me but the Pixel Watch itself.

My three year old galaxy watch lasts 4 days. I use it for GPS tracking every day too. Less than 2 day battery life is terrible, idk why people find it acceptable. Garmin watches are similar or better than my galaxy watch too.

Galaxy watches don't play nice with Strava. I used a Galaxy watch previously & liked it, except that I lost data several times & it would stop talking to Strava and I'd have to reset it. I'm not the only one. I eventually gave up and got a Garmin.

just joined from galaxy watch, and MAN I feel the exact same 😭

It's like Apples to Oranges. Galaxy Watch has better watch faces and more customization but the apple watch has more third party apps and the heart rate tracking was always better for me on the Apple Watch. Also Samsung health gives you far more insights than apple health app

I've got both. I'd say they're about the same but Samsung health is better than Fitbit. The pixel watch keeps my heart rate more accurate than the galaxy watch though but not by much

I trashed one Galaxy Watch by wearing it in a dry sauna for 20 minutes and then immediately swimming laps in a cold pool. Since then, I don't chance it with my new watch. It's sits safely in a locker with my phone and ear buds, while I'm in the sauna.

I've used them all, not sure I agree that the aw is better, galaxy has some really important (for me) things that aw doesn't. Also, I like round for watches, the aw is basically a tiny iPad! If you are really into watches though, Garmin is miles ahead of both. Expensive but worth it, if you're an enthusiast.

As someone with a coros pace pro, Fenix 8 and Galaxy watch. Just stick to your apple watch unless you want to sacrifice a lot of smart features for battery life. If battery life is what you want go for the coros pace pro. Garmins are unnecessarily expensive.

Bad exp ko sa Galaxy watch mabagal and madali malowbat after a year. Limited na din support sa iOS. :(

Just to piggyback on this a bit, any trackers work well for steps for sqaush? My Galaxy watch really struggles. 

Galaxy Watch probably has the most of what a WearOS watch can offer but a fair bit of features are Samsung exclusive. Pixel Watches I believe offer mostly the same with a little less bells and whistles than a galaxy watch but with better health features with fitbit integration that isn't locked to pixels. Also looks more fashionable IMO. Blends with my outfits when using a stylish watch band. Just looks like a watch instead of a smart watch. One plus I don't know too much about other than it has actual battery life that lasts days. I feel like it would be the defacto best one but I haven't heard many people speak on it.

Don't get Samsung Galaxy watch if you want to connect with H365. I just got it recently. The step sync with H365 is always less by atleast ~1000 steps. Doesn't sync sleep hrs and MVPA at all. I'm losing the points because of this. I tried to change some settings from online reviews and also tried reconnecting with app/watch etc. Still same. Checked with both Samsung and H365 customer service. Both useless and don't have a solution for this. Both sides blaming the other for this issue. I can't return the watch because the 14 day return period is over. I don't like it but still using because no choice. My previous apple watch and Garmin was great. Everything sync perfectly.

What is it like on workout detection? My Samsung Galaxy does a far better job than my Ticwatch pro 5, but the battery on the galaxy watch is terrible in comparison so I end up swapping watches depending on what I'm doing. Even on a treadmill with both watches on, the galaxy tracks better despite the treadmill being made by Mobvoi! It would be nice to have a watch that does both.

Yeah, especially because it supports the qwerty KB - probably the one thing I'll miss coming from my galaxy watch

I'm in the two watch gang, Galaxy Watch on the right as a tracker and my watch du jour on the left.

Bought my mother (83 yo) a FR265 to monitor her heart rate while cycling and to use the live track feature in case she has an accident while out riding. Garmin decided to put live track behind a subscription, so there's no way I'd recommend it anymore. Samsung galaxy watch has some useful health tracking data, but battery isn't as good as Garmin's. When they do, I'm off Garmin.

Samsung Galaxy watch and arccos

For the first part, no, galaxy watches are kind of shit for health and fitness tracking tbh. They gave the sensing hardware, but their algorithms and health app are crap.

I use my samsung Galaxy Watch together with my iphone, I can use music controls, get notifications and keeps track of my steps, how lazy i have been and even how much sleep i get.. Yes i am a lazy person :p

I just went into the app store and installed the samsung galaxy watch (Gear S) (i dont have the gear s but in the app u can choose the right wearable) I just hate the square apple watches cuz square, galaxy watch gives me the feeling i am wearing a watch

Aside from navigation, a dedicated bike computer will give all information you need on your handlebar. Like what the OP asked, real cyclists need to see the information when they need to as looking at your wrist while biking isn't ideal. Also, my experience with using my Galaxy watch which biking isn't that great as it drains the battery really quickly.

You will be back to Garmin lol. I've tried apple watch ultra, Samsung Galaxy watches and ultra, and pixel watch 3. Nothing compares to the metrics Garmin provides. Plus the battery life is incredible. Don't have to think about charging at all. Everything is built into Garmin. You don't have to pay for other apps to get similar functionality. I'm a golfer and it's so nice to have the golf features built into the watch versus having to pay extra for them. Morning report is amazing. Body battery. Now evening report too. Plus the watch is very reliable. I can't go back. I love my Fenix 8 too much. And the flashlight is chefs kiss.

Its very dependent on your budget, what phone you have, battery life you want, and actual features you want it to have. If you have a samsung phone, you can get either a Galaxy Watch (high on features, but only 2 day battery) or a Galaxy fit (very limited features but 7 day battery life) If you have an iPhone, obviously the Apple Watch works best, but battery life is abysmal. If youre ok with a 3rd party watch that has its own app to sync, the Huawei Watch Fit 4 Pro is pretty hard to beat. 10-15 day battery life. Has built in GPS, dive computer, and looks sleek as hell.

Yeah--that is helpful. However, the Afib check is what I liked from my Galaxy watch.

I love pixel watch faces, but for full features, I would choose galaxy watch

I used my Samsung Galaxy watch with it all the time and it's fine.

I never realized I should be worried about my watch battery dying on longer runs. I have a Galaxy watch and have to charge it twice as often as my partner with their apple watch. However, I use a lot of my smartwatch features, I wonder if eventually be worth it to just have 2 watches. I hate having to use battery saving on my watch, it makes it frustrating to use.

What phone do you have? You'll be happier if you stay in that ecosystem. I am in the Pixel ecosystem and love it. My sister is in the Galaxy ecosystem and she loves it. The Pixel Watch is great and works best with Pixel phones. The Galaxy watch is also great and works best with Galaxy phones. They each have features that are exclusive to their ecosystem, and you may miss out if you get a Galaxy watch but have a Pixel phone and vice versa.

How's there Samsung handle replying to text messages? I had a galaxy watch years ago and that could be hit or miss. My pw3 was hit or miss last year but seems like updates fixed it and it's reliable

Love my Galaxy watch. I would say consider what phone you're going to pair it with, if it's a Samsung considered Galaxy if it's a pixel consider pixel watch Etc

I did. And 2 days later went back to galaxy watch lol

My galaxy watch got really bad during the end of its life. Couldn't rely on any of its data and battery only lasted 2 days max. My charge6 is less than a year old, so I'm planning on letting this one ride for a couple to a few years and see how the chips fall

Considering that it tracks steps/heart rate, I dont think it can really provide any useful information when doing curls or benching or etc. Do other watches provide any unique metrics there?

Ahh, I usually only track cardio with the watch. It looks like you can actually add custom workouts on the Samsung Health app. It can track specified data like Sets/Rest or calories burned. You can select free weights/machine etc Looks like you can also create routines. Shit, I might use this

But you can track a row machine on the galaxy watch...

Currently, Galaxy Watches and Pixel Watches

Samsung nerfs its watches if you don't use them with Galaxy phones? I didn't know that.

I put my Galaxy watch on my ankle and it tracks it brilliantly!

You can obviously use swimming activity outdoors but it's more designed to be used indoors where you can set the length of the pool you're in. Galaxy watches eg. Have "Outdoor swimming" exercise which tracks your GPS and calculates rates based on that

Mate, I was pretty frustrated with my old Samsung Galaxy watch for swimming. It had inaccurate lap counting and then attempting to stop using a touch screen with wet hands. 😅 No watch used for swimming should have a touch screen! My Garmin 255 music is great. Accurate and has never messed up with laps and...no touch screen, just buttons that work.