- The Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 classic were just announced by Samsung.
- There’s a lot of emphasis on health aspects, including a new body composition index.
- They’re also the first to use the new software that Samsung and Google collaborated on.
With its new Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatches, Samsung is doubling down on health with features like body composition analysis and more robust sleep tracking. The watch will be available in two models, starting at $250, and will be available on August 27.
The Galaxy Watch 4 is also the first wristwatch to run on Google and Samsung’s new Wear OS wearable operating system. In May, the firms introduced their new unified smartwatch platform, which aims to improve the Android wristwatch experience by improving performance and app integrations.
Samsung may be able to catch up to Apple, the global market leader in smartwatch shipments, with the additional health functions and other general upgrades. The introduction is also a hint that firms like Samsung, Apple, and Google are still putting a lot of emphasis on health and fitness in their wearables. In the fall, Apple, for example, aims to add new functions to the Apple Watch, such as sleeping respiration rate.
What are the costs for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic?
The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic costs $350 and the Galaxy Watch 4 starts at $250. The regular model is the follow-up to Samsung’s more affordable Galaxy Watch Active 2. The Classic variant, on the other hand, is more luxurious, with a stainless steel case and rotating bezel.
Both watches will be available in two sizes and will be LTE-compatible for an additional $50. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic will be available in 42mm and 46mm sizes, while the Galaxy Watch 4 will be available in 40mm and 44mm sizes.
What is the release date for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic?
Both watches will be available for preorder beginning August 11 and will be released on August 27. Those who preorder between August 11 and August 26 will receive a $50 credit from Samsung.
What’s new with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4?
The Galaxy Watch 4 lineup improves on the Galaxy Watch 3 in a number of areas, the most notable of which is increased health tracking. Samsung’s new bioactive sensor is more compact, allowing for more thorough health tracking without increasing the watch’s size, according to the company.
The most major new health function coming to the Galaxy Watch 4 is body composition analysis. The watches, according to Samsung, employ bioelectrical impedance analysis, a commonly used approach for determining body composition that involves sending a painless electrical current throughout the body. The watch, according to Samsung, can collect 2,400 data points in 15 seconds and track parameters including body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, and basal metabolic rate.
This is in addition to other health-related capabilities including the ability to detect indicators of abnormal heartbeats and measure blood pressure that were previously available on the Galaxy Watch 3 and Active 2. Those functionalities, however, are only available in a few markets.
Samsung isn’t the only tech company looking into using wearables to track body composition. The Halo app from Amazon utilizes machine learning algorithms to estimate body fat percentage from photographs taken with your phone’s camera.
Other health features include blood oxygen saturation readings while sleeping, a Sleep Score that analyzes sleep quality, and the ability to detect snoring from your smartphone. Samsung also claims that the watch’s calorie counter will be more accurate, and that the new watches will recognize exercise more quickly. While watching fitness videos on Samsung smart TVs, you’ll be able to see stats like calories burned and heart rate, similar to how Apple Fitness Plus displays information from the Apple Watch on the screen.
Although health appears to be the primary focus, Samsung is also improving the functionality of its watches as smartphone companions. The Galaxy Watch 4 boasts a redesigned user interface that more closely mirrors Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone software, and it can also sync settings between your phone and watch. Because the software was created jointly by Samsung and Google, it has stronger interaction with Google apps like Google Maps and support for other popular third-party apps like Strava and Spotify.
It isn’t just the software that has been updated. Samsung also claims that this is the company’s first watch to feature a five-nanometer processor for speedier performance, as well as a higher-resolution display and a 40-hour battery life over its predecessor.
Should you get the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4?
Without initially evaluating the Galaxy Watch 4 range, it’s tough to suggest it. However, if the new watches live up to Samsung’s boasts, they could be appealing options for Android users looking for a health-focused smartwatch with plenty of smart features and connectivity.
The new software, which was developed in partnership by Google and Samsung, should make accessing apps and managing accessories from your wrist feel faster and more convenient. Because Google’s prior Wear OS software was criticized for its unstable performance and unreliability, this is noteworthy. Samsung also appears to have addressed some of our concerns regarding the accuracy of the Galaxy Watch 3’s sleep and workout recognition, which we are eager to test.
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