We’re now on our fourth-generation Put on OS-powered Galaxy smartwatch, and by now, everyone knows what to anticipate: a brilliant display, one other smattering of Samsung Well being expansions and watch faces, and a few ineffably incremental {hardware} upgrades. I’ve now worn all 4 generations of those watches, and that is my third 12 months reviewing the “common” model of the Galaxy Watch du jour, which suggests it’s one other 12 months of enjoying Spot the Distinction on knowledgeable mode.
On a spec sheet or an inventory web page, it is onerous to see what justifies the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7‘s existence exterior Samsung needing its improve. Even whereas taking the be careful and setting it up, it looks like a re-run, however put on it for per week, and you may discover one thing fantastic. Or slightly, you will not discover one thing fantastic.
What you will discover as an alternative is a mix of gimmicky AI-powered well being metrics and new gesture controls that are not really new however are nonetheless enjoyable. Effortlessly stealing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6‘s title because the greatest Android smartwatch you should buy right this moment, let’s dig into why you should purchase — however in all probability not improve to — the Galaxy Watch 7.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 evaluate: Specs, worth and availability
Samsung launched the Galaxy Watch 7 on July 24, 2024 in two sizes: a $300 40mm mannequin that is available in Cream (white gold) and Inexperienced (someplace between Hunter Inexperienced and Moss Inexperienced) and a $330 44mm mannequin accessible in Inexperienced and Silver. LTE fashions of the Galaxy Watch 7 can be found for $350 (40mm) and $380 (44mm).
All sizes include the Sport band that matches the colour of the watch’s housing, with a small blue accent on the left aspect and orange on the suitable. The 40mm comes with a S/M by default and the 44mm comes with a M/L by default, however should you purchase the watch by means of Samsung, you’ve gotten the choice to customise it to a distinct band measurement/shade.
| Class | Galaxy Watch 7 40mm | Galaxy Watch 7 44mm |
|---|---|---|
| Show | 1.3-inch Tremendous AMOLED, 432 x 432 decision, sapphire crystal | 1.5-inch Tremendous AMOLED, 480 x 480 decision, sapphire crystal |
| Processor | Exynos W1000 | Exynos W1000 |
| RAM | 2GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 32GB | 32GB |
| Measurement | 40.4 x 40.4 x 9.7 mm* | 44.4 x 44.4 x 9.7 mm* |
| Weight | 28.8g | 33.8g |
| Colours | Inexperienced, Cream | Inexperienced, Silver |
| Battery | 300mAh | 425mAh |
| Charging | Quick charging (WPC-based wi-fi) | Quick charging (WPC-based wi-fi) |
| Software program | One UI Watch 6 (Put on OS 5) | One UI Watch 6 (Put on OS 5) |
| Communications | NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G, Wi-Fi 2.4GHz and 5GHz | NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G, Wi-Fi 2.4GHz and 5GHz |
| Sensors | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Bio-signal sensor+ Electrical Coronary heart Sign + Bioelectrical Impedance Evaluation), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Gentle Sensor | Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Bio-signal sensor+ Electrical Coronary heart Sign + Bioelectrical Impedance Evaluation), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Gentle Sensor |
| Water and mud resistance | 5ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810H | 5ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810H |
| Worth | $299 Wi-Fi/BT, $349 4G LTE | $329 Wi-Fi/BT, $379 4G LTE |
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 evaluate: Design and show
The Galaxy Watch 7 makes use of the very same 1.3 and 1.5-inch 2,000-nit touchscreens because the Galaxy Watch 6, and it is simply as brilliant, crisp, and completely simple to learn in direct daylight. After three years of carrying 40mm Galaxy Watches, the 44mm’s display has been a welcome little improve. It will not show extra parts, however they turn out to be a lot simpler to look at, even the skinny issues on a watch face, and the $30 improve to 44mm appears way more justifiable if it suits your wrist.
Sadly, my wrist is smaller than the lug-to-lug span of the 44mm Watch 7, so I wanted watch bands that might instantly bend again to maintain the watch securely in place on my arm. This made me unable to check the sculpted-at-the-lugs Sport band of the watch totally, nevertheless it’s grippy with out being sticky, and the notches assist the band keep away from slipping round your sweaty wrist on this depressing summer time warmth.
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The blue-orange accents pop with out being cheesy, although I want they have been completely different colours for every colorway — and that the Watch 7’s house button had a distinct rim shade. The orange stands out higher in opposition to the Watch 7’s colorways in comparison with the pink seen on earlier watches, however orange does not go together with the whole lot in addition to Samsung thinks.
Exterior the brand new band types, the one exterior distinction to the Galaxy Watch 7 is the brand new BIA well being sensor array. The dome of the array curves larger, making the watch sit larger on lanky wrists like mine, however for thicker wrists, you should not discover a lot of a distinction. We’ll get into the enhancements of the brand new sensors in a bit, however I do very very similar to the look of the dome and the brand new HR sensors. Not that you will be trying on the backside of your watch all that usually, however the eight dots white really feel cleaner than the gray, partially-clipped ring on earlier generations.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 evaluate: Software program and efficiency
One UI 6 Watch, the model of Put on OS working right here on the Galaxy Watch 7, might be coming to the Galaxy Watch 6, 5, and 4 sequence, nevertheless it will get to point out off on the 7 first earlier than rolling out all over the place else within the coming months. A lot of the adjustments Put on OS 5 is bringing are under-the-hood, require updates from app builders, or each, however an important function on the Watch 7 is not unique to the brand new OS; it is the growth and surfacing of the Accessibility-based gesture controls with double-pinch and knock-knock shortcuts.
Double-pinch gestures are constructed into many apps and system instruments, permitting you to shortly silence timers, flip off alarms, play/pause music, pause/restart exercises, and dismiss notifications. When two watch features that may use double-pinch are open on the identical time, it pops up a window to decide on which one you needed, however that takes away the purpose of doing it one-handed.
The knock-on shortcut hasn’t gotten the play that the “zOMG, they copied the Apple Watch” pinch gestures, and it may well admittedly do fewer issues. It is only a shortcut, be it to your favourite app, exercise type, or the flashlight. Yeah, I overlook these watches have a flashlight, too, half the time, however boy, howdy does it come in useful. Granted, you need to twist your wrist up like some Energy Ranger or Ben 10 wannabe to have it shine in entrance of you slightly than to the aspect or straight up, nevertheless it’s a hands-free flashlight with none verbal instructions. The display has to already be on, however that is what tilt-to-wake is for.
It has been nice when it really works, however admittedly it misses my pinches and knocks about 30% of the time. Whether or not that is a failure within the detection software program, a difficulty stemming from how bony and skinny my wrist is, or person error stays to be seen, however at most, I can endure 3-5 seconds of pinching at midair like a shadow puppeteer to close my watch up whereas I am carrying one thing or typing away like a madwoman.
Samsung proclaimed the Exynos W1000 as virtually 3x quicker than the Galaxy Watch 6, however I am not seeing it. Do not get me flawed, that is the zippiest smartwatch I’ve ever used, nevertheless it’s not magnitudes quicker, not less than throughout on a regular basis actions. That further pace seemingly turns out to be useful extra throughout offline GPS-tracked exercises and different intensive exercise types, however within the day-to-day, it is quicker, however not noticeably.
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A brand new era of Galaxy Watch means new watch faces, and Samsung’s new Extremely Information Board watch face permits us a peek into the way forward for Put on OS 5’s Flavors. Flavors enable builders to make presets inside their watch faces with completely different types and even completely different preset issues. Among the many varied flavors of the Extremely Information Board, we’ve swimming, mountaineering, and working alongside the general well being model. I am hoping Samsung will enable us to avoid wasting personally edited Flavors among the many presets in the future, nevertheless it’s a helpful little growth with big implications for watch face builders.
The opposite two new watch faces are… okay? Easy Digital is a bit of too easy, for my part, and whereas Spatial Quantity is unquestionably distinctive, it feels awkward to have a balloon-ish numeral for the hour, analog fingers for hours and minutes, after which a background gradient sweeper for seconds. Choose a lane, Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 evaluate: Well being monitoring and health
The spotlight of the Watch 7’s {hardware} upgrades its new well being sensor array, multiplying the LEDs that observe coronary heart fee and blood oxygen to assist enhance monitoring accuracy throughout high-intensity exercises. The readings really feel extra responsive than earlier generations, however I’ve had fewer exercises up to now than earlier watches as a result of the identical day my Watch 7 arrived, COVID signs started to flood my sinuses and suck out my power like a cartoon vampire.
The great thing about being exhausted from the second you get up is you get to essentially work out the sleep monitoring and the brand new Galaxy AI-powered Vitality rating. The sleep teaching has been very hands-off this time round, however the monitoring itself has been fairly good. Blood oxygen readings have method fewer holes in them than on my Watch 6, and each the temperature and coronary heart fee charts are much less vulnerable to sudden dropouts or spikes.
Sleep monitoring on the Watch 7 consists of your common respiratory fee, even when you do not have the flamboyant sleep apnea testing working from Samsung Well being Monitor. Sure, the sleep apnea monitoring is unique to Samsung Galaxy telephones, similar to the electrocardiogram ECG readings have been for the reason that Galaxy Watch 4 days. Sure, I am nonetheless mad about it; should you pay $300 for a watch that advertises sleep apnea monitoring or irregular heartbeat detection, you should not should spend one other $300-$1300 on a Galaxy telephone to truly use it.
Though it isn’t particular to the watch, I am grateful for Samsung’s Medicines minder. You may scan the bottles to place every sort within the listing slightly than having to sort out the identify — although most of my prescription meds have been simple sufficient to search out by way of autocomplete — set reminders for meds at sure occasions of day, and even have a look at doable drug interactions you won’t have identified about.
Stay up for extra on this area as I end my COVID restoration and totally put the exercise monitoring — and the brand new dual-band GPS — of the Watch 7 by means of its paces. To date, although, it and Samsung Well being work fairly effectively with out at all times throwing themselves in my face like another watches do. And Samsung stays one of many solely sensible watches that does not ultimately want a health subscription.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 evaluate: Battery and charging
Battery life varies broadly on a smartwatch — particularly as soon as you are taking it exterior or undertake any prolonged exercises — so right here have been my testing components. That is my first 44mm Galaxy Watch — my 4, 5, and 6 have been all 40mm to higher match my small wrist — and I switched off between two watch faces: the brand new Extremely Information Board watch face with a static background) and Pictures with animated gif backgrounds. Google Assistant was turned on however hotword detection was not enabled.
Whereas the efficiency improve of the Exynos W1000 appeared negligible, its improved effectivity helps the batter shine regardless of being the identical measurement as its predecessor. With AOD (always-on show) disabled, steady HR monitoring, and in a single day sleep monitoring, the Galaxy Watch 7 lasted two days on my wrist earlier than needing a charger on days I didn’t work out. On outdoor-heavy days and after I might handle a light-weight exercise, the battery life dropped to 33-36 hours.
General, battery life is a bit higher, however the charging expertise suffers from the Galaxy Watch 7’s solely design change. The brand new coronary heart fee sensor and curvature of the well being sensor array push the charging coils just some millimeters additional away when it sits on a flat charging pad — particularly, a Galaxy S smartphone with reverse wi-fi charging just like the Galaxy S24 Extremely — breaking the very best backup charger a smartwatch might ask for.
Samsung calls it Wi-fi PowerShare; you’d flip it on, set your telephone down face-down, and set your Galaxy Watch on high of it face-up. Supplied your watch band wasn’t too inflexibly curved, the watch might then recharge itself off your telephone’s battery, providing you with sufficient juice to final a number of extra hours till you get house. That is now not an possibility, that means that should you lose or break your charger, you will should go purchase one other charging puck. This is not the tip of the world by any means, nevertheless it’s a small bummer value mentioning for the forgetful of us on the market who may’ve relied on this function.
Additionally, in case you have a cutesy little stand that your present Galaxy Watch charger is settled into, it won’t fairly sit correctly with the Galaxy Watch 7’s charger and its deeper profile. (Farewell, candy TPU digicam stand; I am going to miss you.) I’ve confirmed that the Watch 7 will cost on the Watch 6 charger, although, so not less than you may maintain your previous one should you improve.
Though, should you personal a Galaxy Watch 6, there is no actual motive to try this.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 evaluate: Competitors
The most important impediment for Samsung’s latest watch is not the {hardware} or the software program: it is the utter lack of motive to improve to it. If you happen to’re nonetheless rocking a Galaxy Watch 4, then sure, your time has come — assuming your battery even held out this lengthy — however even the leap from Galaxy Watch 5 to 7 appears superfluous except you have had poor outcomes with the ECG or coronary heart fee sensor on it. Even then, the ECG readings are solely marginally improved, not less than for my fingers and coronary heart or simply should have a 2,000 nit display as an alternative of a 2,000 mAh one.
As for the Galaxy Watch 6, the one actual change is the guts fee sensor, and that sensor array is a double-edged sword: it improves coronary heart fee monitoring, particularly throughout exercises, nevertheless it additionally makes the watch thicker, sitting barely larger in your wrist. Put on OS 5 needs to be arriving on the Galaxy Watch 6 in weeks, so simply sit tight, save your cash, and perhaps purchase a brand new watch band as an alternative to make it really feel new.
There’s additionally the $200 Galaxy Watch FE should you’re in search of virtually the identical options for two-thirds of the worth. Nonetheless, you will nonetheless be caught with the older processor and chunkier bezels on the display.
The Galaxy Watch 7 at $300/$330 and this excessive construct high quality and software program consistency assist it simply maintain its personal in opposition to most present Put on OS watches available on the market. Granted, the Google Pixel Watch 2 nonetheless seems to be barely prettier with the recessed bands and the rounded design, however these bands are proprietary, it is dearer, and after six months, you will have to pay for Fitbit Premium for numerous the health metrics.
I am going to want time to totally take a look at the exercise and GPS monitoring with the Watch 7 earlier than claiming it a Garmin-killer, however Samsung’s extra targeted on smarts whereas Garmin’s 100% targeted on health, so that call goes to return all the way down to how effectively you may stay with out Samsung or Google’s apps and companies in your watch.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 evaluate: Must you purchase one?
You should purchase the Galaxy Watch 7 if…
- You’re new to smartwatches and wish essentially the most constant expertise with out being compelled right into a subscription.
- You’ve got had points with previous Galaxy Watches not monitoring you correctly and are prepared to present it one other attempt.
- You are already invested in Google and/or Samsung’s ecosystem and desire a watch that integrates with them.
- You desire a smartwatch that does not require a subscription.
You should not purchase the Galaxy Watch 7 if…
- You already personal a Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 or 6.
- You completely, positively should have all of the bells and whistles of the newest mannequin. (If you happen to do, you will wish to go have a look at the Galaxy Watch Extremely.)
- You like a extra flashy or weighty watch in your wrist.
Samsung’s insistence on Galaxy AI’s greatness and classy options hides the core monitoring and efficiency enhance given by Put on OS 5, a brand new processor, and the upgraded well being sensors. And I am okay with Samsung specializing in the tangible right here, particularly when the proof of those upgrades isn’t having lag or monitoring inaccuracies. In any case, if Samsung’s executed its job proper, you will assume Samsung hasn’t executed something in any respect and that the Galaxy Watch has at all times been this easy and secure.
When this mixture of flashy and understated provides as much as a quick smartwatch with a brilliant display, the decked-out function toolbox of One UI 6 Watch, and virtually 2 days of battery life, it is simple to advocate the Galaxy Watch 7 to new smartwatch patrons and older ones trying to get again within the sport. We could not have the flamboyant new watch band system or overhauled design that the Galaxy Watch Extremely does, nevertheless it’s half the worth and half the load. (And it nonetheless makes use of customary 20mm bands, so you are not caught with costly, proprietary watch bands.)
I would closely recommend buying and selling in an previous smartwatch to knock the worth for nevertheless lengthy Samsung is providing “any smartwatch, any situation” $100 trade-in, which makes this a $200 watch and a no brainer improve for anybody who can dig that previous LG Watch or Pebble out of your junk drawer. However even when you need to purchase at listing worth, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 earns its maintain higher than every other sub-$500 watch on the Android stage.
Do not sleep on this improve
The Galaxy Watch 7 could not look any completely different, nevertheless it’s received the upgrades the place they depend, fixing sensor wonk of years previous and tightening up an already easy system. The growth of gesture controls helps this watch really feel like one thing new after two years of minor updates and prefer it really deserves its throne atop the Android smartwatch mountain.
