Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 & Watch 4 Classic Unveiled: Should Apple Be Worried?

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Specifications & Variants

The Galaxy Watch 4 comes sans the signature rotating bezel and will be available in two sizes- 40mm and 44mm circular dials with aluminium cases. The 44mm variant flaunts a 1.4-inch (450 x 450 pixels) Super AMOLED display, while the 40mm variant sports a 1.2-inch (396 x 396 pixels) Super AMOLED screen. The AMOLED displays are protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass.

The 40mm variant runs on a 247mAh battery cell whereas the 44mm version is fuelled by a 361mAh battery. Both these versions support wireless charging and come equipped with 1.5GB RAM + 16GB internal storage. The Galaxy Watch 4 is 5ATM and IP68 rated and has also passed MIL-STD-810G tests to meet durability standards. The Galaxy Watch 4 will be available in Black, Green, Silver and Pink Gold color variants.

 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic Specifications & Variants

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic retains the rotating bezel and comes in two sizes- 46mm and 42mm circular dial in Black and Silver color variants. These slightly expensive Galaxy wearables sport stainless steel cases and flaunt Super AMOLED displays- 1.4-inch (450 x 450 pixels) on the 46mm variant and 1.2-inch (396 x 396 pixels) on the smaller 42mm variant. Similar to the Galaxy Watch 4, the Watch 4 Classic also supports wireless charging and feature 1.5GB RAM + 16GB internal storage.

The battery capacities, the underlying SoC, software version and durability specifications also remain similar. The Galaxy Watch 4 and the Watch 4 Classic are compatible with Android devices running Android 6.0 or higher versions, which mean your old Android handsets can also be paired with these 2021 Galaxy wearables. These watches will be available with Bluetooth and LTE connectivity.

What Makes Galaxy Watch 4-series Smarter Than Previous Generation Galaxy Watches?

The new Galaxy wearables come equipped with Samsung's newly developed BioActive Sensor, which can be considered the heart of all measurement sensors on the wearable. This single-chip controls three sensors- Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, thus allowing you to monitor blood pressure, AFib irregular heartbeat and blood oxygen level.

Importantly, the new sensor also makes it possible to calculate body composition, which analyses your skeletal muscle, basal metabolic rate, body water and body fat percentage. The sensor captures 2,400 data points to give detailed insights into your body's composition. In short, the new Galaxy wearables can calculate your BMI- body mass index in just seconds.

I wish Samsung could have also added a temperature sensor to inform you about any possible viral infection that could spike your body's normal temperature.

Moving on, the Galaxy Watch 4-series can also monitor your sleep, steps taken, distance covered and offers a wide range of guided workouts. These new wearables can also connect to a Samsung smart TV to show important insights (calorie count, heart rate metrics, etc.) on the big screen if you like to work out from home.

What’s Special About The New Wear OS?

Samsung mentions that the new Wear OS focuses on three things- simplicity, ease, and efficiency to enhance your smartwatch experience. Running on the new One UI Watch, these smartwatches will automatically install the compatible apps and other important phone settings when linked to your smartphone. These include- do not disturb hours and blocked callers.

Samsung has also added some intuitive gesture actions. With new Galaxy Watches, you can just move your forearm up and down twice to receive calls and rotate your wrist twice to reject them - or to dismiss notifications and alarms.

Since the new Wear, OS is jointly developed by Google and Samsung, the new Galaxy wearables will support several Google ecosystem apps including- Google Maps, and third-party apps from Google Play Store such as Adidas Running, Calm, Strava, and Spotify. Additionally, you get support for Samsung Pay, SmartThings and Bixby.

Overall, Samsung has upgraded both hardware and software making the new Galaxy Wearables smarter and more powerful than their predecessors. It will be interesting to see how these enhancements translate into real-world performance. However, it is worth mentioning that Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 4-series seems promising and could give Apple Watch series a run for its money in terms of features and hardware.

Pricing and Availability

Samsung hasn't made any official announcement on the availability and pricing of Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic in India. The new wearables are now available for pre-order in select markets with retail availability starting August 27. The Galaxy Watch 4 comes in 40mm and 44mm, starting at $249.99 (Rs. 18,500) for Bluetooth versions and $299.99 (22,300) for LTE models.

The Watch 4 Classic also comes in two versions in two different screen sizes. The price for the Bluetooth-only version starts at $349.99 (Rs. 26,000) and the LTE version starts at $399.99 (Rs. 29,700).

Photo Credits- Samsung