I have been an early adopter of smartwatches, reviewing wearable devices since 2013 and using one since 2015. My current wearable is the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro, which I wear it to bed to track my sleep as well as alarm. When I go out, I wear the Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch. The reason is that the S3 is too heavy for me to wear to sleep. Thanks to Samsung, I get to review the Galaxy Watch4 (44mm) retailing at S$448, and compared to my current wearables, the Watch4 has so much to offer.
Benefits of Galaxy Watch4
One of the major benefits of the Watch4 is its weight – only 30 grams (the Gear S3 weighs 63 grams and the predecessor model, Watch3, is 54 grams). The bezel is so thin, in fact, there is no bezel, as the entire watch glass surface is fitted to the edge, just like the smartphone. However, like the predecessor, you can swirl the edges of the glass to simulate the bezel movement and scroll the on-screen pages.
I did not have a chance to review other Samsung smartwatches between the Gear S3 and the Watch4, but the improvements are massive, naturally. For a smartwatch, what really matters to me is the battery life, and the Watch4 pushes towards the 2-day battery life limit with all the features enabled, like periodic heart-rate monitor, sleep tracking. I might be able to squeeze more hours by cutting down some apps, but that would deprive me of the benefits of the Watch4.
The silicone watch strap might not look stylish, but you can easily swap the strap into something more dressy. I love the large screen and weight, and I wear it to sleep every night comfortably.
The list of health tracking apps impress me. Besides heart-rate, the watch can measure body composition, stress level, blood oxygen, and even detect snoring. During workouts, it can measure running strides and the symmetry of the steps. What’s more, it also broadcasts the workout status through the smartphone into any wireless earbuds you are wearing.
Customising Watch4
Most of the watch customisation can be done from the smartphones, like re-ordering the apps, adding tiles, quick panel buttons, watch faces, define key actions. One of the most used app on the Watch4 is the Timer app. I like that it comes with a list of preset values so that I can quickly pick and start the countdown without manually setting the timer. I use this to wake me up from a quick nap.
Verdict
The Galaxy Watch4 offers a great balance of functionality and design. It can take the form of a classic timepiece or a sporty wristband, both in features and in looks. Choose from a massive library of watch faces to suit all occasions, swap the band easily with any strap in the watch marketplace.
Would I buy it? Well, my existing smartwatches work well and already meet my basic needs, so I’ll not be upgrading. But in time to come, the Watch4 will be in my shopping list.
Visit the official Samsung Galaxy Watch4 product site here.
