The new Samsung Galaxy foldable smartphones might have been the center of attention during the 2023 Galaxy Unpacked event. But, there’s one device that was launched there that we were definitely excited about – the new Galaxy Watch 6 Series.
Why the smartwatch you ask? Because Samsung finally brought back one of the most popular and beloved features of the Galaxy Watch series, the rotating bezel following its absence on the Galaxy Watch 5.
Interestingly, the rotating bezel is only available on the new Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, which we will be checking out in this review, and it is not available on the standard Galaxy Watch 6. But still, it seems Samsung has listened to the demands of fans and brought it back for their latest smartwatch.
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Design and Construction
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is available in two sizes – 43mm and 47mm. If you’re used to watches with smaller bezels, you might be surprised how big it will be on your wrist. Our review unit is the 47mm unit, and it does feel rather big even for some like me with big wrists. While it is big in diameter, it’s not too thick. Personally, I’m used to wearing 40mm and 41mm watches, so this one did take a while to get used to.
With the black strap included in our review unit, it looks great. If you want your Galaxy Watch to stand out, more colors are available. And there are a bunch of official straps available from the Samsung store. It’s also easier to change the straps thanks to Samsung’s new strap mechanism that features a quick-release button.
In terms of construction, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is made out of stainless steel. For reference, the standard Galaxy Watch 6 is made of aluminum. Like before, it’s 5ATM rated, meaning you can bring it for a dip in the water. You also get two physical buttons for various use. One of them allows you to go back while the other brings you to the home screen.
Like before, there’s a loudspeaker and mic if allowing you to have a proper call. You can even use the watch to listen to music, but the speaker is not the best.
With the pre-supplied strap, the watch felt comfortable on my wrist. It appears made out of hybrid synthetic leather and plastic materials. Although there is a full plastic strap and full fabric strap available. I didn’t feel the need to remove it when I was eating lunch or when I writing scripts and reviews for work. In fact, I’m wearing it as I’m writing this review.
Display
On the 47mm Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, you also get the largest display available – a 1.5-inch AMOLED screen. The display is framed by the rotating bezel, which isn’t that thick. The screen is also very bright, rated at a maximum of 2000 nits. This makes it easy to use even under the direct sunlight.
The display is nice and smooth, making it enjoyable going through the menu and apps already installed in the smartwatch. There’s also a neat always-on function, which is also quite bright.
Performance and Features
The majority of the features and functions of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is related to activity and health tracking. This makes it perfect if you’re a health buff or just someone that wants to keep track of their fitness goals.
Some of the pre-installed apps already include a step counter, calories burned, heart rate monitor, blood oxygen, and more. There’s even a skin temperature which is can be helpful to check if you have a fever or about to have a heat stroke given the heat wave lately. If you want to keep track of weight loss goals, the watch can even measure body mass index and set targets.
Perhaps the best feature available on the Watch 6 Classic, which is also available on the rest of the Watch 6 series, is fall detection. For those that have a hard time sleeping, there’s even sleep tracking and sleep coaching available.
Software and Apps
Out of the box, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic runs on One UI 5.0 Watch based on Wear OS 4. It’s nice and easy to use, plus the interface is smooth too. If you’ve ever worn a Samsung smartwatch before, you’ll feel right at home.
There’s also new support for Gmail, Calendar, Assistant, and more. You can even download more apps through the Google Play store. There’s even a Spotify app on the Watch 6 Classic that can control the app on your phone. It’s not a simple one too with play and next songs. You can even select which playlist you want, and more.
Interestingly, you can even type on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic when using Google Play. A QWERTY keyboard pops up, or you can draw the letters you want.
Battery Life
Most smartwatches don’t have a good battery life, usually running out of juice within a day. But from my experience with the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, it does last more than a day without needing to charge.
The 47mm model uses a 425mAh batter size, and Samsung claims it can last up to 40 hours with always-on disabled. But from my experience, the watch does last around 23 hours before going into battery-saving mode with the always-on function turned on. Although if you use the functions throughout the day either for workouts or health monitoring, do expect the battery to drop even faster.
All things considered, it’s not bad but it could have been better. If you want to extend battery life, you can just turn off the always-on function. Interestingly, the battery on the Watch 6 Classic is not as big as the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s 590mAh battery.
When you do have to recharge the Watch 6 Classic, it does so rather quickly. From 20% it only needed 1 hour and 15 minutes to fully recharge the smartwatch.
Conclusion
No doubt the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is an excellent smartwatch in terms of both design and useability. You have a really nice-looking smartwatch together with the functionality of One UI Watch 5 and all of its features. Not to mention Samsung listened to what people wanted by bringing back the rotating bezel.
However, if you compare it to the Galaxy Watch 5 series, the changes aren’t as big. Aside from the return of the rotating bezel, most of the upgrades are a larger screen and a newer OS. The majority of the features available on the Watch 6 Classic are carried over from its predecessor too.
That said, it’s relatively expensive, particularly the 47mm Watch 6 Classic we have. It starts at PHP 24,990, which is a lot of money for a smartwatch. Even the smaller 43mm Watch 6 Classic retails for PHP 22,990.
With that, it’s hard to recommend the Watch 6 Classic if you currently have the Watch 5 Series. But we won’t stop you from upgrading if you really want that rotating bezel. It might be the main reason I’m considering one myself.
But what do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic? Will it be your next smartwatch? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
What we liked:
The rotating bezel is back
Bright and beautiful display
Relatively lightweight
What we didn’t like:
Expensive for what it is
Relatively small changes from Galaxy Watch 5
