Samsung’s Galaxy Watches have looked almost identical since the brand returned to Wear OS with the Galaxy Watch 4 in 2021, with the exception of last year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra. Now the rest of the Galaxy Watch line-up is changing to match their Ultra cousin with a new shape and strap mechanism that makes the Watch 8 series the biggest redesign in Samsung’s wearable history. I had some brief hands-on time with the Galaxy Watch 8 and 8 Classic, and they could be Samsung’s best, despite the quirky looks.
Galaxy Watch 8 design
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
The Galaxy Watch 8 has adopted a similar design to the Watch Ultra, placing the circular display within a squircle frame. It’s certainly a divisive move, but I think it looks great in person — far better than it looks in any of Samsung’s press images. Samsung says the design change was made to make the watch more comfortable, and I have to agree. The Watch 8 is thinner than its predecessors, and the wider footprint makes it sit on my wrist without the curve of the housing digging into my skin.
The metal lugs that the strap attaches to are gone, replaced with the same mechanism that’s used for the watch bands on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, as you can see illustrated by the side-by-side with my Galaxy Watch 6. The upside is the increased comfort I already mentioned, and what Samsung says is a big improvement in health sensor accuracy, thanks to the watch sitting more evenly on your wrist. The downside, of course, is that the watch bands from old Galaxy Watches and all the standard 20mm bands on Amazon won’t work here — you’ll need to buy straps designed to use Samsung’s new system.
The Watch 8 comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes in either silver or graphite, with either Wi-Fi/Bluetooth only or an LTE variants available.
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic design
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
The Classic model returns this year, also with the new design, and I’m pleased to report that it returns that rotating bezel from previous models. Unlike the regular Galaxy Watch 8, which is made of Armor Aluminum, the Classic is made from stainless steel, and it looks fantastic. The rotating bezel feels solid and satisfying, thanks to a mechanical click with each degree of rotation. Sure, it’s the same functionality as the touch bezel on the non-Classic models, but this is more satisfying to use.
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
The Classic differentiates itself with more than just a rotating bezel and larger size (46mm) this year, thanks to a hand-me-down from the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The Quick Button sits between the buttons we’re used to, and can be remapped to a plethora of different functions, like starting a specific workout, a timer, water lock mode, and more.
The specs
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
The specs table below shows just how similar these two watches are, with the only real differences being display/battery sizes, materials used for the body, and the storage, which is doubled for the Watch 8 Classic.
Galaxy Watch 8 Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Dimensions and weight
Galaxy Watch 8 40mm: 40.4 x 42.7 x 8.6mm
30 g
44mm: 43.7 x 46 x 8.6mm
34 g
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic 46mm: 46.4mm x 46mm x 10.6t
63.5g
Materials
Galaxy Watch 8 Case: Aluminum Armor
Front: Sapphire Crystal
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Case: Aluminum Armor
Front: Sapphire Crystal
Display
Galaxy Watch 8 40mm: 1.34-inch
Super AMOLED, Full color, Always On Display
438 x 438 resolution
44mm: 1.47-inch
Super AMOLED, Full color, Always On Display
480×480 resolution
3,000 nits peak
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic 1.34-inch
Super AMOLED, Full color, Always On Display
438×438 resolution
3,000 nits peak
Processor
Galaxy Watch 8 Exynos W1000
5 cores
3nm process
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Exynos W1000
5 cores
3nm process
RAM
Galaxy Watch 8 2GB
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic 2GB
Storage
Galaxy Watch 8 32GB
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic 64GB
Battery
Galaxy Watch 8 40mm: 325mAh
44mm: 435mAh
WPC-based wireless charging
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic 445mAh
WPC-based wireless charging
Connectivity
Galaxy Watch 8 Bluetooth 5.3
LTE
Wi-Fi (2.4 & 5GHz)
NFC
GPS dual frequency (L1+L5)
Glonass
Beidou
Galileo
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Bluetooth 5.3
LTE
Wi-Fi (2.4 & 5GHz)
NFC
GPS dual frequency (L1+L5)
Glonass
Beidou
Galileo
OS
Galaxy Watch 8 Wear OS 6
One UI 8 Watch
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Wear OS 6
One UI 8 Watch
Sensors
Galaxy Watch 8 Samsung BioActive sensor (Optical Bio-signal sensor, Electrical Heart Signal, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis)
Temperature sensor
Accelerometer
Barometer
Gyro sensor
Geomagnetic sensor
Light sensor
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Samsung BioActive sensor (Optical Bio-signal sensor, Electrical Heart Signal, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis)
Temperature sensor
Accelerometer
Barometer
Gyro sensor
Geomagnetic sensor
Light sensor
Durability
Galaxy Watch 8 5ATM
IP68
MID-STD-810H
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic 5ATM
IP68
MID-STD-810H
Compatibility
Galaxy Watch 8 Compatible with Android 12.0 or later with more than 1.5GB of memory
No iOS support
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Compatible with Android 12.0 or later with more than 1.5GB of memory
No iOS support
Colors
Galaxy Watch 8 Graphite, Silver
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Black, White
Software and features
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
If you’re familiar with the One UI 8 Watch beta for the Galaxy Watch 7 family, there isn’t much more to see here. One UI 8 Watch is here out of the box for the Watch 8 series, and there’s a lot to like. The app drawer is easier to parse and has a new list mode, tiles can be arranged in multiple lists for better organisation, and the Now Bar from Samsung’s One UI 7 for phones makes an appearance and is easily the highlight of this version.
New features for the Watch 8 series are health-focused. Sleep Apnea tracking is coming to the UK and EU with the Watch 8 series, and later, older models back to the Galaxy Watch 4, something I look forward to testing as someone who suffers from the condition.
The Galaxy Watch 8 and 8 Classic are all about fitness and health tracking, with almost no other features to talk about
Sleep tracking is enhanced by the ability to measure vascular load, which will allow the Watch 8 to determine how hard your heart is working while you sleep.
Finally, there’s the antioxidant index. By holding your finger to the same sensor that performs the body composition scan, the Watch 8 and 8 Classic can tell you what your antioxidant levels are and how to increase them. How useful this and other new health metrics are remains to be seen, as does their accuracy.
Are they any good?
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
I could only spend about half an hour with these watches, so performance and battery life metrics will have to wait until our full review. What I can say is that they feel like watches I want to upgrade to from my Watch 6. The new design may look weird in a photo, but in person, it looks fantastic and feels even better when you wear it. The thinner profile makes them less likely to snag on anything, and the squircle metal frame will take the brunt of any impacts that do occur instead of the display.
The wider footprint felt good to me, but that might not be the case for those with smaller wrists, and the new strap mechanism, while cool, does mean we lose out on the vast watch band ecosystem that’s been built up over the last few years.
Overall, these feel like a solid step forward for Samsung’s wearables, and fans are sure to be glad to see the return of the Classic model in all its rotating bezel glory.