Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Stuck in the middle

Greatest Costs In the present day: Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Traditional

The Galaxy Watch 8 Traditional sees Samsung reprise a smartwatch design it selected to place to at least one aspect when it launched the Galaxy Watch Extremely and Galaxy Watch 7 in 2024.

Whether or not it was the response from Traditional followers or it was all the time the plan to carry it again in 2025, the Samsung smartwatch with the favored bodily rotating bezel returns and it’s not simply all in regards to the bezel.

Together with that signature trait, Samsung additionally takes some design inspiration from its 2024 wearables whereas embracing Google’s newest Put on OS software program and its personal One UI additions to make this a formidable bundle.  

Design & Construct

• New ‘cushion’ design
• Bodily rotating bezel
• New strap lug connectors

Earlier than getting onto the bezel, there’s a bit extra to handle with the look of the Galaxy Watch 8 Traditional.

The massive speaking level right here is Samsung’s determination to include the cushion design launched on the Galaxy Watch Extremely that sits behind that attention-grabbing twisty bezel.

Mike Sawh

I favored the transfer to this ‘squircle’ search for the Extremely and having just lately examined the common Watch 8, I feel it really works properly there too.

As for the Traditional, which is available in simply black or white variations, the general aesthetic feels a bit extra jarring. It seems to be like a mix of two concepts – one which’s there to appease and the opposite so as to add some uniformity, and the result’s one thing that’s fairly awkward.

The bezel has been the characteristic that’s largely carried the Traditional look up to now and whereas it’s satisfying as ever, twisting between two fingers to regulate quantity or scroll by way of screens, I’m undecided the mixture of the 2 seems to be actually works – you could disagree, in fact.

Mike Sawh

It’s a watch that you simply undoubtedly know is there always, that’s for certain.

At 63.5g, it’s a contact heavier than the Watch 6 Traditional, with that chrome steel carrying a little bit of heft. In case you desire one thing that sits lighter in your wrist, the Galaxy Watch 8 is perhaps the one for you as a substitute.

Mike Sawh

Samsung retains the 2 massive pusher buttons operating down the correct aspect of the case and takes one other design characteristic from the Galaxy Watch Extremely within the type of its Fast Button.

The tackle Apple’s Motion button provides you one-button entry to options just like the onboard stopwatch, digicam controller, torch or you’ll be able to merely disable it. In case you disable it, then it’s principally a button that may’t be used for the rest.

Flip the watch over and also you’ll discover Samsung’s BioActive sensor array and the buttons used to launch every finish of the watch strap. The strap makes use of a brand new lug system designed to enhance consolation and make it simple to swap out the watch strap.

I’d truly say the strap can truly be fairly difficult to launch, set inside this new case design. I can’t say I actually seen that it added something on the consolation entrance both.

Display & Audio 

• 1.3-inch Tremendous AMOLED show
• As much as 3,000 nits brightness 
• Wi-Fi and 4G fashions

The Watch 8 Traditional packs a 1.3-inch, 438 x 438 decision show, in order that’s truly a downgrade in dimension and backbone in comparison with the Watch 6 Traditional’s high-resolution, 1.5-inch show.

It does appear that introducing that cushion design, regardless of being a 46mm physique, has impacted the quantity of display screen you now get to faucet and prod at. This isn’t excellent id you’re on the lookout for a mix of rotating bezel and large display screen.

Mike Sawh

It’s a great show nonetheless. Samsung hardly ever places a nasty one in its smartwatches. It’s good and vivid with a most brightness of 3000 nits. There may be the choice to make use of an adaptive brightness mode and which ensures the display screen is at its brightest when it’s most wanted.

You even have the choice to set to always-on show mode, whilst you moreover get the choice to get up the show utilizing the rotating bezel, ensuring it’s properly built-in into your each day interactions.

Mike Sawh

There’s a 4G model of the Watch 8 Traditional, which would require extra of your cash. In return, you’ll be capable of make calls, stream music and obtain apps while not having your telephone close by.

The onboard microphone and speaker array don’t equal what I’d name a stellar efficiency. It’s not the clearest, nor the loudest to make use of for calls or to take heed to audio.

Software program & Options 

• Runs on Put on OS 6.0 
• Google Gemini AI onboard
• 64GB storage

The Watch 8 Traditional options Samsung Exynos W1000 3nm processor from the Galaxy Watch 7 to care for efficiency.

You’re additionally getting 64GB of storage which is double the Galaxy Watch 8 and 4 instances that of its predecessor.

Of the storage, 49GB of it’s out there to take in with apps, watch faces and music. The software program fortunately runs slick and doesn’t depart you ready achingly lengthy as well up apps.

Mike Sawh

Essentially the most noticeable modifications lie with the software program the place you’re getting a mix of Put on OS 6 and Samsung’s personal One UI 8 Watch laid on prime.

This brings consumer interface tweaks like the power to view comparable Tiles (widgets) on a single display screen as a stream. So, all of the health-focused options may be seen in a single place. Once you’ve bought an app operating and it’s not on the forefront of your consideration, Samsung has introduced over the Now bar from its telephones to your watch face display screen to present you faster entry.

These modifications have made an enormous distinction and are what Put on OS has wanted.

Mike Sawh

Swipe by way of the principle app display screen and also you’ll see some acquainted suspects by way of staple smartwatch options. From a Samsung viewpoint, there’s Bixby, devoted apps for the music participant and media controls and a SmartThings app.

On the Google aspect, you’ve bought entry to the Google Play Retailer, a well-optimised Google Maps app and also you now get Google Gemini which little question you’ll use 100 instances greater than Bixby.

Gemini is the massive story. Out goes Google Assistant and as a substitute an AI-powered sensible assistant that immediately feels extra helpful. In contrast to earlier assistant assist, whether or not Google or Samsung’s, the power for Gemini to deal with extra superior queries immediately makes it a extra helpful assistant.

I requested about the whole lot from issues I ought to put on for the day based mostly on the climate, to what I could make for dinner with some leftover pastry and spinach. The responses have been truly helpful. The issue is that Gemini isn’t going to be distinctive to Samsung’s smartwatches and shortly you’ll discover it cheaper watches just like the Google Pixel Watch 4.

What hasn’t modified is that you actually need three completely different apps in your telephone to place all the Watch 8 Traditional’s options to good use. That’s Samsung Put on, Samsung Well being and the Samsung Well being Monitor app for these with Samsung smartphones.

Health & Well being Monitoring 

• Antioxidant index characteristic
• Personalised operating coach
• New bedtime steerage

Whether or not you wish to observe exercises, hold a better eye in your well being or just wish to be informed in case you’ve had a great evening’s sleep, the Watch 8 Traditional ought to have a characteristic right here for you.

Mike Sawh

As a health tracker, it’ll depend your steps, and lots of the onboard watch faces can show your progress. The automated exercise monitoring can decide up whenever you’re out for a stroll amongst different actions, and show animations to remind you to remain lively.

Evaluating each day step counts with different trackers and the 8 Traditional generated step totals in the identical ballpark. They by no means felt overly excessive or low as compared. I’d say, so far as motivating me to maneuver extra, Samsung doesn’t actually do something massively completely different from different smartwatches.

For sleep monitoring, it’s a fairly complete expertise and in addition a richer one in case you personal a Samsung smartphone. For any Android consumer, you’ll be capable of see sleep stats like sleep scores, sleep phases, together with the REM sleep stage and in addition monitor blood oxygen, pores and skin temperature and coronary heart fee.

I’ve been sporting it alongside the Oura Ring 4 and each offered comparable sleep instances and sleep scores. Digging into the sleep phases knowledge and the Samsung tended to report barely shorter instances spent in that essential REM stage that’s tied to reminiscence and studying. Info like common coronary heart fee was often 1-2bpm out from the Oura as properly.

Past that, now you can get steerage on when to fall asleep, as soon as the watch has captured a number of nights of sleep, it’ll counsel a bedtime window. These home windows by no means felt wildly beneficiant with these home windows and for some dangerous sleepers could possibly be helpful.

Mike Sawh

You’re additionally getting Samsung’s just lately launched sleep apnea detection characteristic, which like Samsung’s nice ECG and blood stress options, can solely be accessed and used on a Samsung Galaxy telephone through the Samsung Well being Monitor app.

You may select to allow or disable the sleep apnea characteristic and it’ll use the rear watch sensor to trace blood oxygen ranges after monitoring over two nights of sleep. Simply be conscious that turning it on does have an effect on battery life.

That’s not the top of the well being options. A brand new vascular load metric will let you know extra in regards to the stress put in your vascular system – that’s the system accountable for the transportation of blood all through the physique.

If the load is excessive, that could possibly be an indication of potential well being points. Fortunately, mine remained regular with the baseline it’s worthwhile to set by taking your watch to mattress for 3 nights.

Mike Sawh

One other new characteristic is the Antioxidant Index, which needs to be sure to’re getting sufficient of these antioxidants that may be related to the slowing down of ageing and usually residing a more healthy life.

Capturing a studying is completed whenever you take the watch off and place your thumb on the Bioactive sensor on the again of the look ahead to a measurement that simply takes a number of seconds. You’ll then be scored between 0-100.

In case you’re hitting a excessive rating, that’s good. If it’s under 75, you’re not hitting the WHO’s each day advisable quantity of fruit and greens. My rating was repeatedly within the 50 vary, which meant my degree was low and The Verge identified it may be ‘fooled’ with a Cheeze-It, so take it with a pinch of salt. Having to take the watch off to do the measurements rapidly turned tedious.

Mike Sawh

On the sports activities monitoring entrance, Samsung serves up loads of sports activities modes and does supply the fascinating dual-band GPS. That’s designed to present outside monitoring an accuracy enhance. You’re now getting a brand new personalised operating coach that can develop into extra personalised when you’ve accomplished a check to run so far as you’ll be able to in 12 minutes.

After that, you’ll be advised an achievable operating plan based mostly on that check. I’m a fairly skilled runner and the plans advisable to me didn’t actually align with my present operating skill in any respect, which is worrying.

The GPS efficiency isn’t what I’d take into account notably excellent both. Notably when in comparison with different sports activities watches from Garmin and even an Apple Watch. It’s the same story for coronary heart fee monitoring the place most coronary heart fee readings, even for much less intense exercises, trended larger than a dependable chest strap coronary heart fee monitor.

That private operating coach is tagged as a beta characteristic, whereas the Antioxidant Index, vascular load and just lately launched AGEs index are options which can be thought of experimental. Which means they’re not formally launched options suggests you shouldn’t completely belief the whole lot they’re telling you proper now.

Battery Life & Charging

• As much as 40 hours battery life
• As much as 30 hours in always-on show mode 
• Energy saving mode out there 

The Watch 8 Traditional strikes to a barely bigger 445mAh capability battery in comparison with the 425mAh one used on the 6 Traditional.

That small improve in battery dimension provides you a way of what you’ll be able to anticipate from the battery life. It’s not massively completely different and rivals just like the OnePlus Watch 3 nonetheless outpace it.

Mike Sawh

The truth is, Samsung quotes the identical as much as 40 hours utilizing the raise-to-wake mode, or 30 hours with the display screen on always. In case you plan to maintain that display screen vivid and use options just like the sleep apnea one in a single day, these are the sorts of issues that put better pressure on battery life.

Once I used it with the raise-to-wake mode, the battery was just below two days. With the display screen on always, it was nearer to 1-1.5 days. Samsung does embrace some extra modes to push issues additional, and present you options to disable to push issues additional.

In Put on OS phrases, it’s not the most effective you’re going to get and is zero enchancment on the final Traditional, which is a disgrace contemplating the two-year hole between them.

Once you’re utilizing the GPS, the battery drop after half-hour of operating was 8%. That roughly works out to about 5-6 hours of GPS battery life. You could find cheaper smartwatches that supply much more by way of GPS battery.

Worth & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Traditional was introduced in July 2025 and is available for purchase now with pricing beginning at £449/$499 for the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi model. That jumps to £499/$549 if you wish to add in LTE connectivity.

You should buy it from Samsung, Amazon and different retailers.

Taking a look at issues from a Samsung smartwatch perspective, the 8 Traditional is roughly £150/$150 cheaper than the Galaxy Watch Extremely and £150/$150 costlier than the Galaxy Watch 8. The Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional launched at £369/$3999, in order that’s fairly a worth hike.

In comparison with different Put on OS smartwatches, the Google Pixel Watch 3 prices from £349/$349. The OnePlus Watch 3 is even cheaper at £319/$349. Principally, they’re are cheaper and higher Put on OS choices on the market.

Try our record of the most effective smartwatches for our present prime 10 selections.

Mike Sawh

Do you have to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Traditional?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Traditional is a fairly good smartwatch that improved on the Galaxy Watch 6 Traditional in a lot of methods.

The change in design, nevertheless, isn’t going to be to everybody’s liking and I’m undecided it really works in addition to it does on the Extremely or common Watch 8. 

Within the context of different Put on OS and Android smartwatches, this isn’t a standout one by way of battery life, or elements like sports activities monitoring and half-baked options with points you wouldn’t anticipate to come across from a Samsung watch on the worth.

It’s a great showcase for Gemini and the newest Put on, although different smartwatches just like the Pixel Watch 4 will be capable of supply that quickly as properly.

I’d say choosing the cheaper Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 can be the sensible alternative. These on the lookout for extra battery life can take a look at the likes of the OnePlus Watch 3 and the TicWatch Professional collection.

Total, it’s a uncommon misstep from Samsung within the wearable recreation.

Specs

• Put on OS 6 with One UI 8 Watch
• 1.3-inch AMOLED display screen
• 46mm case
• Chrome steel case
• ECG, blood stress and sleep apnea monitoring 
• 64GB storage
• 2GB reminiscence
• Bluetooth and LTE fashions
• Twin-frequency GPS
• 5ATM waterproof ranking 
• As much as 40 hours battery life
• Launch colors: Black and white