Samsung Galaxy Watch hands-on, first impressions video

Samsung recently launched their newest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch, along with the Galaxy Note9, during the Unpacked event in New York. We got our hands on one so check out our initial thoughts about the new wearable below.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch is in a way the successor of the Samsung Gear S3 due to its similar design and structure, sans the “Gear” name. It comes in two sizes, 42mm and 46mm, and a stainless steel steel frame and silicone rubber strap. The 42mm watch sports a 1.2-inch Circular Super AMOLED display with 360 x 360 resolution while the larger 46mm has 1.3-inch with a 360 x 360 resolution. The touchscreen is covered with a Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ which should strong enough to withstand minor scratches and bumps.

There are two physical buttons that are found on the right side. The top button is used for Home and Back while the bottom is used for App Selection. Just below them is the microphone for voice activities. The buttons are clicky, tactile, and easy to press which is a plus.

Aside from the touch screen, the Galaxy Watch also features a rotating bezel just like the previous Gear smartwatches. It’s smooth and responsive and helps you navigate the Watch’s interface more easily.

On the wrist, the Galaxy Watch feels like any other digital watch or smartwatch that we’ve handled before. It has a decent heft, yet relatively light that it’s not distracting to any of your physical activities.

The Galaxy Watch is powered by an Exynos 9110 Dual-Core processor with 1.5GB RAM (LTE variant) or 768MB RAM (Bluetooth variant) and 4GB internal storage. Running the OS is Tizen OS 4.0 which should be familiar to Gear users. Apps like Spotify, Samsung Health, SmartThings, Samsung Knox, Samsung Pay, and Bixby are present. It is simple, organized, and responsive which is always a plus for us.

Other features include the Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Barometer, Heart-Rate Monitor, Sleep monitor, and 5ATM + IP68 rating which means that users can take it for a swim without worrying about water damage.

The Galaxy Watch carries a 472mAh battery for the 46mm variant while a 270mAh battery is equipped in the 42mm. We’ve yet tested its battery life but we’re expecting the wearable to last at least 3-5 days without charging.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Watch proves to be very useful especially for users who are health-conscious thanks to its fitness tracker (calories burnt, heart rate, distance, speed and pace, exercise time). It could potentially be a good upgrade from the Galaxy Gear S3 so we’re excited to test them out in real time. In the meantime, stay tuned as we will be taking this for a full spin in the coming days.

Samsung Galaxy Watch specifications:

• 1.3″/1.2″ Circular Super AMOLED display @ 360x360px
• Full Color Always On Display
• Corning Gorilla DX+
• Exynos 9110 1.15GHz dual-core processor
• 1.5GB/768MB RAM
• 4GB internal storage
• 3G/LTE
• Bluetooth 4.2
• Wi-Fi b/g/n
• NFC
• A-GPS/GLONASS
• 5ATM + IP68 resistance
• Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Barometer, Heart-Rate Monitor, Ambient Light
• Tizen Based Wearable OS 4.0
• 472mAh/270mAh with WPC based wireless charging
• 46 x 49 x 13mm / 41.9 x 45.7 x 12.7mm
• 63g/49g (without strap)
• Onyx Black, Deep Ocean Blue, and Basalt Grey (46mm)
• Onyx Black, Lunar Grey, Terracotta Red, Lime Yellow, Cosmo Purple, Pink Beige, Cloud Grey, Natural Brown (42mm)