It isn’t any sort of secret that Samsung’s been main the cost within the Put on OS renaissance we’re at present experiencing: as once-prominent gamers sit idle (Fossil is reportedly getting out of the Put on OS sport altogether), Samsung’s Put on OS watches have rapidly develop into our go-to suggestions. Samsung’s smartwatches might not have modified a lot since its Galaxy Watch 4 collection debuted the reinvigorated Put on OS 3 in 2021, besides, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is Android Police’s favourite wearable of 2023.
Samsung’s new releases throughout product classes have been notably samey year-over-year for some time now, and that is as true of its smartwatches as it’s anything. The newest Galaxy Watch 6 is simply somewhat higher than the Galaxy Watch 5 that got here earlier than it, and the Watch 5 was solely a bit higher than the Watch 4, Samsung’s first wearable to run Put on OS. However the Galaxy Watch 4 collection was an amazing place to begin, and two generations of iterative enhancements have resulted in a reliable, polished smartwatch, provided at a value that almost makes some other Put on OS watch laborious to advocate: the 40mm Watch 6 retails for $300 and is recurrently out there at reductions of $50 or extra.
After all, $300 remains to be rather a lot to spend on a wearable; finances choices working proprietary software program may be had for $100 or much less, to say nothing of easier health trackers. However the Watch 6 punches above its weight in comparison with different gadgets in its section: Samsung’s $300 watch has a brighter show and higher battery life than the $350 Pixel Watch 2, and the Apple Watch Sequence 9 — at present going through an import ban amid an ongoing authorized dispute — has retailed for $399.
With nice efficiency courtesy of its Exynos W930 chipset, comfy all-day battery life, and a 60Hz OLED show that may attain a peak brightness of two,000 nits (a match for the Watch Sequence 9 and much brighter than the Pixel Watch 2), the Galaxy Watch 6 has nearly all the pieces you would need in a Put on OS watch right now. The one actual draw back is that sure performance — most notably, the flexibility to take EKG measurements — is simply out there when the watch is paired with a Samsung cellphone. However that will not matter to most individuals, and workarounds do exist (although they might be somewhat superior for anybody apart from sure Android ethusiasts). Every little thing else — exercise and sleep monitoring, app entry, watch face choice, you title it — is similar no matter which Android cellphone you are utilizing.
At or close to its MSRP, the Galaxy Watch 6 is not a vital improve for anybody utilizing a Galaxy Watch 5. However for anybody else searching for a top-tier Put on OS watch at an affordable value, Samsung’s newest watches are the default suggestion right now. For my cash, the usual Watch 6 is the higher purchase; the $400 Galaxy Watch 6 Basic presents extra conventional styling and a rotating bezel for scrolling by the UI, however that is all the additional $100 will get you. Every little thing else, from show specs to efficiency to battery life, is equivalent between the usual and Basic variations.
Our runner-up choose for the yr, the Pixel Watch 2, may be very practically nearly as good a watch because the Galaxy Watch 6, and in some methods — its distinctive styling and its superior mutli-path coronary heart fee sensor, to call a pair — it is even higher. However for most individuals, at $350, Google’s newest watch will probably be laborious to justify in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. Should you’re shopping for a Put on OS watch right now, it ought to in all probability be this one.
-
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
With glorious efficiency, long-lasting battery life, and a vivid, colourful show, all provided at a value that undercuts a lot of the competitors, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Basic is Android Police’s favourite smartwatch of 2023.
-
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Basic
$330 $400 Save $70
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Basic is considerably pricier than the usual Watch 6, however when you’re searching for extra conventional styling or you may’t reside with out the Basic’s clicky, rotating bezel, the 6 Basic is likely to be the higher look ahead to you.
