Google's Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
3 Min Read
The Galaxy Watch 4 is a Samsung and Google attempt to merge their efforts and challenge Apple's smartwatch, with almost 20% left to get there.
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The Watch 4 is a collaborative effort by Samsung and Google
The Android wristwatch is available in two styles and four sizes, with prices beginning at £249 ($250) for the Watch 4 and £349 ($350) for the Watch 4 Classic (as tested). They are the successors to the £269 Watch Active 2 and £399 Watch 3.
How is it different?
It is noteworthy that the two designs have the same features, chips, and screen sizes, however, the stainless steel Classic includes Samsung's jog-dial-like spinning bezel controller, but the regular aluminum Watch 4 has a touch-sensitive ring instead.
The watches are smaller and have a little more flair than the previous ones. With its classic silicone strap, the 42mm Classic is incredibly pleasant to wear and does not make you sweat.
The AMOLED screen is fantastic: brilliant, pin-sharp, and always on if you want it to be. The screen is scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass DX+, and the watch is water-resistant to a depth of 50 meters, so it should last a long time.
Specs
Screen: 1.2in or 1.4in AMOLED (~467/455 ppi)
Case size: 40/44mm or 42/46mm depending on the version
Case thickness: 9.8 or 11/11.2mm
Band size: standard 20mm
Weight: 25.9/30.3 or 46.5/52g
Processor: Samsung Exynos W920
RAM: 1.5GB
Storage: 16GB
Operating system: One UI 3/Wear OS 3 (Android 11)
Water resistance: 50 metres (5ATM)/IP68
Sensors: barometer, gyro, HR, ECG, bioelectrical impedance, microphone, speaker, NFC, location, compass
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5, wifi n, NFC
Sustainability
A power-saving option can increase the battery life by a few hours, while a “watch only” setting disables everything but the watch face, allowing it to survive for more than nine days. Using the included magnetic puck and a typical 2.4A USB power adapter, it takes 82 minutes to fully charge, with 70% completed in 50 minutes. There is no power adapter supplied.
Samsung has not specified the life expectancy for the Watch 4's battery, although it does offer a one-year guarantee. For at least 500 full charge cycles, batteries in comparable devices generally keep at least 80% of their initial capacity.
Though it is a Google Wear OS watch, Samsung provides the majority of the apps and services. Google Maps and Google Pay are significant additions, but Google Assistant is not yet available.
