It seems like every other generation, Samsung brings back its iconic rotating bezel. This year, it's there for the square-circle or squircle-shaped Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic. What else does it bring to your wrist for its RM1799 price tag? Find out in our review below.
As mentioned earlier, the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic goes for a square circle or "squircle" look. However, the rather chunky 46mm rounded square chassis inlaid with the ridged round rotating bezel makes the 1.34-inch Super AMOLED display seem a bit smaller than it actually is.
On other wrists, it might look big, but on mine the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic looks a bit small
It also makes it more eye-catching with its shiny, premium metal look and solid stainless steel feel. Controls include 3 buttons on the side. The side top button goes back to the home screen, the middle side Quick Button that looks like a crown can be customised, while the other side button goes back to the previous screen.
The standard hybrid band almost didn't fit my wrist, but it is comfortable and breathable. You can easily swap it out by yourself thanks to the strap buttons on the base of the chassis, which Samsung are calling their Dynamic Lug System.
You can press the buttons on the bottom to change the straps on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic yourself using the Dynamic Lug System
The straps snap on easily on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic with the Dynamic Lug system
Personally, I feel like this design is better since it allows the charging surface to come in contact with the charger more easily. Previously, the curved strap connector design sort of raised it. This meant you had to remove the straps completely if you ever wanted to charge the watch wirelessly with your Samsung smartphone. So, while this means you'll have to get new straps for the Watch 8 Classic, I do like this design better.
Thankfully, the 1.34-inch Super AMOLED panel can reach 3000 nits of peak brightness, so you can easily see the screen under bright sunlight. While the rotating bezel does make for a more satisfying control method, it also protects this screen from accidental bumps and scratches (although this can damage the rotating bezel instead).
This time around, there are 3 buttons on the side of the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic
The speakers on the back of the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic are quite loud
The OneUI 8.0 interface is smooth, zippy and lag-free thanks to the Exynos W1000 chipset. There's also plenty of memory: 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. For context, most smartwatches have less than half of this memory and tend to lag most of the time.
As such, Gemini for Galaxy AI on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic is surprisingly useful. You can not only ask it to summarise your emails but also to answer questions. Turn-by-turn Google Maps also works very well on the Galaxy Watch8 Classic.
The heartbeat sensor on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic
Samsung Health on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic
You can now check for Vascular Load on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic also has a number of smart coaches, including for running and sleeping. For the most part, these aren't that obtrusive and only pop up when you've achieved the targeted steps or hours you've slept.
Other features like Universal gestures allow you to control the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic with taps of your fingertips and flicks of your wrist are still there. Granted, you'll have to memorise what gesture does what, but after a while, you get used to it.
The One UI 8.0 menus for the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic
You can customise what the middle Action button does to a certain degree, but I wish I could do more
There's a whole bunch of different health trackers and checkers now. This includes heartbeat, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, Vascular Load (how are your arteries doing?) and even an Antioxidant Index (are you eating enough fruits and vegetables?). Some features, like blood pressure, may need you to initially calibrate with an external blood pressure monitor.
The speakers on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic are crystal clear and pretty loud with no static on max volume. You can easily listen to and answer calls using the watch. It'd probably also be good for those runners and brisk walkers who absolutely must share their music with everyone else as well, so they don't have to use their phones for that.
You'll need to sleep with the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic for 3 nights to set your baseline if you want to measure Vascular Load
You can track all sorts of things in Samsung Health with the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic
Watch faces are fairly customisable and there's a lot of them to choose from. So, even if you prefer a classic look or like to see all your info on one screen, there's a watch face for you on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic.
While all these features set the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic apart from most smartwatches in terms of functionality, they do take a toll on the battery life. On normal usage, the Galaxy Watch8 Classic only lasts about 2 days and 10 hours. Thankfully, it fast-charges back up to 100% in under an hour.
Battery life on the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic is a respectable 2 days and 10 hours on normal usage
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic is an excellent smartwatch, but it's a bit pricey at RM1799. However, thanks to the powerful hardware, it can check for practically every health measurement you could want. It also performs lag-free, plus the rotating bezel makes it easier to control.
Still, while the battery life is respectable, it pales in comparison to some other smartwatches that can last 14 days to a month on a single charge. Granted, not many can offer the same level of functionality as the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic, but having to charge every 2 days can be a deal-breaker for some people.
What do you think? Are all the features and fast performance enough for you to get the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic? Or is the battery life a deal-breaker for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more tech news and reviews.
Tech Specs and Features
Here are the tech specs and features for the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic:
- Exynos W1000 (3nm) chipset
- 1.34-inch Super AMOLED display (438 x 438 resolution, 3000 nits peak brightness)
- 2GB RAM + 64GB storage
- 46mm size
- Features: BioActive Sensor (Optical Bio-signal, Electrical Heart Signal, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro, Geomagnetic, Light, 5 ATM durability
- Supports: Bluetooth v5.3, Wi-Fi, NFC, Dual-Frequency GPS (L1+L5)
- 445 mAh battery
- Measurements: 46.0 x 46.4 x 10.6 | 63.5g
- Wear OS 6 Powered by Samsung, One UI 8 Watch
- Available in Black, White
Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic
Pros: Rotating Bezel, ultra-bright 3000 nits display, fast hardware and plenty of memory. Tracks almost everything.
Cons: Pricey, only 2 days and a bit more battery life.
Summary: A stylish premium performance smartwatch with a rotating bezel that needs to be charged every 2 days.
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