The Watch4 is better looking than the Apple Watch with a more traditional-looking round shape and offers some intriguing health features. The watch’s new sensors allow it to detect snores and measure body fat percentages. I’ve been toying with the idea of replacing my Apple Watch even though it does a great job with what it does. The design of Apple’s wearable is getting stale, and I’d love to have even more health monitoring abilities. The specs of the Watch4 make it look like the best alternative to the Apple Watch on the market.
Super Unsize Me
Pandemic lockdowns and time away from the gym have not been kind to my waistline. I’m planning a tech-infused fitness kick in the coming months, and the Galaxy 4 looks like it could be a good motivator. The Watch4 includes a bunch of new health features. Like the previous model, the Watch4 monitors heart rate, blood oxygen, and electrocardiogram. But snore detection now works using the paired Android phone’s microphone, and the blood oxygen checks now run continuously once a minute overnight or as occasional checks during the day. Better yet, the measurements of snores plus blood oxygen level are combined to give you “Sleep Scores,” so you can keep an eye on how much rest you are getting.
Sharper Image
The design of the new lineup follows the same formula of previous iterations of Samsung watches. There’s a slimmer, cheaper Watch4 with a sporty, pared-down look starting at $250 for the aluminum 40mm model. The more interesting one, for me, is the Watch4 Classic which has a rotating outer bezel and looks more like a non-smartwatch with leather straps. The Classic starts at $350 for the stainless steel 42mm model. There’s also a larger option for an extra $30, and you can add LTE data compatibility for $50. Samsung says Watch4’s new processor has a 20% faster CPU and 50% faster GPU than the previous model and more RAM to make launching apps faster. The Watch4’s Super AMOLED display is also sharper. The 1.2-inch 42 and 40mm models boast a 396x396-pixel resolution, while the 1.4-inch 44 and 46mm models are 450x450.
Software Matters
But the real difference with the Watch4 is in the software. The Galaxy Watch4 is one of the first smartwatches to get Google’s new Wear OS 3 software. Samsung claims the new OS will have better notifications, calls, phone controls, and syncing. The use of Wear OS 3 means you’ll be able to download apps from Google Play and also take advantage of updated versions of YouTube, Google Maps, Google Pay, and Messages apps. Many third-party fitness app developers are coming out with updates for Wear OS 3, including Calm, Komoot, MyFitnessPal, Period Tracker, Sleep Cycle, Spotify, and Strava. I’ve been underwhelmed with the integration of some of these apps on the Apple Watch, so I’m hoping that the Galaxy4 will offer a boost in usefulness. Battery life also should get a boost. Samsung claims the latest models will give you about two days of use with a full charge. The watches can also quick charge, supposedly getting 10 hours of battery life on a 30-minute charge. I have yet to test out the new Samsung watches, but on paper, they seem to offer a lot more features than my current Apple Watch Series 6. I’d love to have the ability to track snoring, and continuous blood oxygen monitoring seems like a helpful feature. The claimed battery life on the Samsung also handily beats my Apple Watch. As an Apple user, the major sticking point is that the Watch4 isn’t compatible with iOS. But with so many new features available on the Samsung models, I’m tempted to switch to Android just to try it out.
