Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is one of the most expensive Wear OS watches available in 2025, but it's also one of the best. It looks incredible, the rotating bezel is magical, and One UI 8 Watch is a killer piece of software. As long as the price doesn't scare you, the Watch 8 Classic is tough to beat.
At first glance, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic looks like a smartwatch so many of us have been waiting for. It’s a Samsung watch with a reasonably-sized design, a bright display, tons of health features, and — most importantly — a rotating bezel. Paired with a massive software update and a big battery, it seems to check just about every box.
But does it all hold up in the real world? I spent a little over two weeks wearing the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic to find out, and for the most part, I think it does.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is Samsung’s smartwatch hardware at its best
Joe Maring / Android Authority
The rotating bezel is probably one of the main reasons you’re interested in the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, so let’s start there. Simply put, it’s terrific.
Compared to the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic’s bezel has noticeably thicker indents and a chunkier feel when rotated. In practice, I think these changes work out for the better. You can still freely spin the bezel to quickly scroll, but it’s also easy to be precise and slowly turn it. It’s such a satisfying thing to interact with, both for navigating the interface and also to fiddle with as a fidget toy throughout the day.
The rotating bezel is one of the main reasons to buy the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic — it's terrific.
The rotating bezel may not be a new concept for Samsung in 2025, but it remains one of my favorite smartwatch features of all time. It’s so fun, so unique, and such a great feature to have back after its baffling absence on the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
The bezel is also more pronounced than it was on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, thanks to its round shape sitting atop a squircle body. There has already been a lot of debate surrounding the Galaxy Watch 8’s squircle aesthetic, and while I understand it won’t be for everybody, I think it works well here.
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