Galaxy Watch 8 Review: Samsung Is Back In Form With Its Best Smartwatch In Years

If comfort (hello there cushion design) is a priority (literally forgetting the fact that you’re wearing a smartwatch) and you want tracking done just right (and you aren’t an athlete and need all those extra metrics), plus you’re okay with missing out on the physical rotating bezel and are on the Andorid side of things, the Galaxy Watch 8 from Samsung is the one to get.

I’ve now worn the Galaxy Watch for a few weeks, and this is a smartwatch that I’d personally buy.

Early Hiccups

When I first got my Galaxy Watch 8 and unboxed it, I was excited to go out for a run and test it out. Lo and behold, the battery life didn’t even last eight hours on one of the days I was testing all of the features and pushing it to the limits. I suspected it was just an issue with my review unit. A few days later, after the heavy rains subsided, I was provided with a replacement unit. I was entirely right. The battery life was much better the second time around.

The Most Comfortable Smartwatch

Before the Galaxy Watch 8, I was reviewing a smartwatch from a company called Amazfit. Amazfit produces some amazing smartwatches, and some of them are quite affordable and accessible to everyone. Even though I loved the Amazfit Active 2 Square, it wasn’t the most comfortable. The strap would, at times, eat into my skin, and that wasn’t a pleasant experience. The Galaxy Watch 8, on the other hand, doesn’t at all dig into my skin. It’s got the controversial squircle shape, but I’m all for it. It’s a “cushion” design, as the circular screen rests on a squircle aluminium chassis. Thanks to this new design language, the Watch 8 is now thinner, measuring 8.6mm in thickness and weighing just 30 grams for the 40mm variant. At times, you do really forget you’re wearing a smartwatch. The new Dynamic Lug band helps in this respect, as it allows the watch to sit flush on the wrist. This is crucial, especially for those who don’t like to wear a smartwatch to sleep.

I say crucial, because sleep tracking is necessary to get proper health data. Specifically, your energy score.

The only downside to the entire design language is that the buttons feel depressed. They sit so far inside that there is hardly any tactile feedback.

That Gorgeous Display

Samsung has done justice to the Galaxy Watch 8 by upgrading the display this time around. The new display has an impressive 3,000 nits of brightness. That means that there is no more problem using the watch in the outdoor sun. Visibility in all conditions is top-notch. Furthermore, colours are vibrant and text is crisp.

While the Galaxy Watch 8 misses out on the physical rotating bezel, it does get a digital equivalent. This device features haptic feedback, enabling you to navigate with ease. One UI 8 (backed by Wear OS 6) helps make the smartwatch feel that much better to use daily. From smoother animations to better notification handling and stackable tiles (my favourite feature), this smartwatch has come a long way. It’s very polished now.

What Else Do I Like about the Galaxy Watch 8?

Let’s talk fitness. The Galaxy Watch 8 has upgraded its fitness features in two key areas. First, the accuracy of its heart rate monitoring has far improved thanks to it having the BioActive sensor (which debuted with the Watch Ultra). The BioActive sensor, combined with the Dynamic Lug system, means better overall health tracking. Second, the GPS distance and route mapping issues of the past few Galaxy Watch models have been resolved. I had absolutely no issues tracking my GPS on all my walks and jogs during my testing.

The Galaxy Watch 8 can track your steps, sleep, heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen, body composition, heart rate zones and skin temperature. One of the standout features of the Galaxy Watch 8 is its robust workout tracking capabilities. It can detect a wide range of exercises and activities with relative ease and track them accurately. Some professional athletes might find the smartwatch lacking in accuracy, but that’s only for a few activities.

Sleep tracking was far better thanks to the new design language. The Galaxy Watch 8 can detect different sleep stages and even detect snoring. There’s a sleep coach to help improve rest quality, but for the most part, it didn’t really help me improve my sleep. It simply nudged me in the right direction. There’s also sleep apnea detection this time around, but I couldn’t thoroughly test that out.

As mentioned above, Energy Score is another handy feature. It provides a snapshot of your overall wellness and health. It gives a score out of 100 every day, using combined data points from sleep tracking, activity tracking, step count, and other metrics. It basically estimates your energy reserves and tells you what you should prioritise for the day ahead.

Use the smartwatch for a couple of weeks, and the suggestions for improving your Energy Score become pretty useful.

How’s the battery life?

A mixed bag. As I mentioned earlier, once I received my new review unit, the battery life was fantastic. The Galaxy Watch 8 features a larger 325mAh battery.

I had the Always-On-Display (AOD) switched off. I performed daily workouts, monitored my heart rate continuously,

Samsung estimates that the Watch 8 should last 30 hours with the AOD enabled and 40 hours with it disabled. In my testing, the Galaxy Watch 8 proved to be a smartwatch that required charging twice a day.

Yes, with the AOD disabled, I was able to get through a full day, starting at 9 AM, with a couple of workouts, and through the night, with sleep tracking, all the way to breakfast. It reached the 32-33 hour mark before I had to charge it. That’s slightly disappointing, as I had AOD disabled, and below Samsung’s estimates.

To be worry-free, I had it on the charger for 30 minutes, twice a day. Once, just as I woke up and read through all my notifications/energy score, and once when I returned home from my day outside. The smartwatch can juice up from 0-100 percent in just 80 minutes, which isn’t incredibly fast, but fairly quick.

Should you Buy the Galaxy Watch 8?

The Galaxy Watch 8’s refreshed look may not stand out like a revolutionary upgrade, but its comfort, thinner case, and brighter display make it worthwhile. Some sleek new software features, such as the stackable tiles, make the Galaxy Watch 8 a pleasure to use. It’s smart, intuitive, and you even forget you’re wearing it at times.

So, to answer the ultimate question, yes. If you’re just getting started with fitness, don’t want to constantly glance at your smartphone, and need something lightweight and with a subtle yet practical design, the Galaxy Watch 8 is for you. Couple that with improved battery life (though less than the estimates) and more accurate tracking, and this smartwatch is a winner.

Sure, battery life is a weak point, as you still have to charge it twice a day, and charging is slow. Some of the key health features are exclusive to Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners. There’s also no physical rotating bezel or quick button, and it doesn’t have an IP rating (though it will survive daily showers).

Still, at Rs 32,999, the Galaxy Watch 8 is one of the best entry-level Wear OS smartwatches out there. I’m telling you, it’s the most comfortable smartwatch I’ve worn in a long time, and that’s its USP.