In early August, at its Unpacked 2018 event in NYC where the Galaxy
Note 9 was officially unveiled,
Samsung took the opportunity to showcase its latest high-end wearable device as well, the new
Galaxy Watch. Although the
wearables market as a whole hasn’t quite lived up to initial predictions, Samsung has persevered and steadily iterated and improved upon its initial designs. As a result, the company now has a relatively extensive line-up of wearable products, targeting a wide array of lifestyles.
The new Galaxy Watch is the polished, jack-of-all-trades of the family. It has the aesthetics and styling of a high-end sports watch, with all of the sensors and capabilities of a specialized sports / fitness targeted wearable, in addition to a number of features that reduce the need to be constantly reaching for your smartphone. And thanks to Samsung’s tenure in the wearable space, the Galaxy Watch also benefits from a comprehensive selections of apps, utilities, games, and watch-faces that are available in Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable app store.
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Samsung Galaxy Watch |
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Specifications & Features
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| Processor / SoC |
Exynos 9110 Dual core 1.15GHz |
| Operating System |
Tizen Based Wearable OS 4.0 |
| Memory |
LTE: 1.5GB RAM + 4GB Internal Memory, Bluetooth: 768MB RAM + 4GB Internal Memory |
| Battery |
472 mAh / 270 mAh |
| Connectivity |
3G/LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi b/g/n, NFC, A-GPS/Glonass |
| Sensors |
Accelerometer, Gyro, Barometer, HRM, Ambient Light |
| Charge |
WPC based wireless charging |
| Durability |
5 ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810G |
| Compatibility |
Samsung, other Android: Android 5.0 or higher & RAM 1.5GB above, iPhone: iPhone 5 and above, iOS 9.0 or above |
| Dimensions & Weight |
Galaxy Watch (46 mm), 46 x 49 x 13 mm, 63 g (without strap) / Galaxy Watch (42 mm), 41.9 x 45.7 x 12.7 mm, 49 g (without strap) |
| Display |
1.3” (33 mm), Circular Super AMOLED (360 x 360), Full Color Always On Display, Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ 1.2” (30 mm), Circular Super AMOLED (360 x 360) |
| Strap |
22 mm (Interchangeable) / 20 mm (Interchangeable) |
There are multiple versions of the Galaxy Watch already available or coming down the pipeline. What we’ll be showing you here today is the 46mm Bluetooth / WiFi variant, but there is also a smaller 42mm model available, and they’ll be offered in three colors as well. In addition to the Bluetooth / WiFi models, however,
LTE connected versions are also in the works, but save for T-Mobile they haven’t begun shipping just yet. When the LTE enabled models do ship later this year, Samsung tells us they will be available in over 15 countries and be offered by over 30 carriers.
All of the Samsung Galaxy Watch models share many similarities. They are all powered by an
Exynos 9110 dual-core processor, clocked at up to 1.15GHz, that’s paired to 768MB (Bluetooth / WiFi) or 1.5GB (LTE) of memory, and 4GB of internal storage. The Galaxy Watch, which runs
Tizen OS 4.0, also has an accelerometer, gyro, barometer, heart rate monitor, and ambient light sensor on board, along with support for WPC-based wireless charging. A built-in microphone and speaker also allow the Galaxy Watch to makes calls, Dick Tracy style, though the Bluetooth / WiFi model will need to be paired to a phone to do so. However, the LTE model will be able to function as a standalone device and doesn’t need pairing to make calls.
Where the 46mm and 42mm models differ is in regard to screen size and battery capacity. The 46mm
Galaxy Watch is packing a 472mAh battery that Samsung claims can last up to 4 days on a single charge and 1.3” screen, whereas the smaller 42mm model has a 270mAh battery and 1.2” screen – both screens employ Samsung's Super AMOLED display technology and have the same 360x360 resolution, however.
Before we dig in a little deeper, we should probably mention what comes included with Galaxy Watch. Along with the device itself, Samsung throws in a charger and micro-USB cable (which connects to the wireless charging base), along with a simple lit-pack. It’s kind of strange to see a brand new device shipping with micro-USB in late 2018, but since the cable will remain attached to the wireless charging base and not the Watch at all times, the connector doesn’t really matter.
