While Apple Watch continues to dominate the smartwatch market, the Galaxy Watch is a force to reckon with and is clearly the most popular and best watch for android users. Last year, Samsung seemed to have deviated from the norm with the introduction of a Galaxy Watch 5 Pro that lacked a physical rotating bezel. However, the clamor for the return of the physical rotating bezel has seen Samsung make a u-return back to the normal tradition. Last week, the tech giant released a geeky Galaxy Watch 5 and a classic Galaxy Watch 6 classic, and in this post, we’ll be looking at what’s new in the Galaxy Watch 6 series to help you understand what has changed and of course, decide if upgrading is a worthy decision.
Galaxy Watch 6 Series – Top 5 New Features
- Physical rotating bezel is back
- Galaxy watch 6 has a new chip
- Galaxy watch 6 is slimmer
- Galaxy watch 6 has a slimmer bezel and bigger display
- Galaxy watch 6 has a bigger battery capacity
Physical rotating bezel has become a very important feature on the Galaxy Watches but last year Samsung decided to ditch it on the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. However, the physical rotating bezel is back on Galaxy Watch 6 Classic just like you have it on Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Watch, and even down to the Gear series. Interestingly, the physical rotating bezel on the Galaxy Watch 6 classic is even slimmer. Meanwhile, the fashion-focused Galaxy Watch 6 doesn’t have a physical rotating bezel what it has is a digital rotating bezel. This has always been the norm for the fashionable variant of Galaxy Watches.
When Samsung returned back to the Wear OS platform, critics were worried a laggy Wear OS won’t do any good but that wasn’t the case. Wear OS has actually received significant improvements, and my experience interacting with the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic was very smooth and flawless. Last year, Samsung equipped the Galaxy Watch 5 series with a 5nm Exynos W920 chip that boasts up to 1.18GHz, this year, the Galaxy Watch 6 series ship with a 5nm Exynos W930 chip with up to 1.4Ghz, that’s a slight bump in the speed of the clock. And in addition, the Galaxy Watch 6 series have 2GB of RAM, unlike its predecessors with 1.5GB RAM.
An increase in memory and a faster chip is clearly a significant leap forward which means that while my Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has always responded promptly to every request, the Galaxy Watch 6 series will respond even faster.
The slimmer the build the sleeker and classier the appearance. And Samsung has done pretty well in this aspect. It is not surprising to see that the Galaxy Watch 6 is leaner than the Galaxy Watch 5 but what’s actually surprising is that despite having a slightly bigger battery capacity, the Galaxy Watch 6 is 0.8mm slimmer than its predecessor. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is 0.3mm slimmer than the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. This is actually a ground-breaking improvement for me.
Another significant change is that the Galaxy Watch 6 has a slightly bigger display than its predecessor. The Galaxy Watch 6 44mm unit has a 1.5 inches display while the smaller 40mm unit has a 1.3 inches display. This is despite having a slightly smaller frame and slimmer build. Moreover, the Galaxy Watch 6 has a slimmer bezel than its predecessor, which actually makes it more attractive and elegant.
On the other hand, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic’s 47mm unit has a 1.5 inches display while the 43mm unit has a 1.3 inches display. In contrast, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic had 1.4 inches and 1.2 inches for the 46mm and 42mm units respectively.
Finally, another significant change is that the Galaxy Watch 6 has a slightly bigger battery capacity. While the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has the biggest battery capacity of all Galaxy Watches yet, the Galaxy Watch 6 series are packed with a bigger battery capacity. Though considering the bigger display sizes, the increase in battery capacity might not really lead to longer battery life. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to see those bigger batteries in the Galaxy Watch 6.
Beyond these new changes, the Galaxy Watch 6 will ship with Wear OS 4 which is the latest version of the Google-powered operating system. The Galaxy Watch 6 will also ship with Samsung’s One UI 5 Watch, the latest skin for Galaxy watches that boasts of many new features. Interestingly, the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 series which are currently on Wear 3.5 and One UI 4.5 will also welcome Wear OS 4 and One UI 5 Watch in the feature. So there won’t be any difference in the operating system and user interface between Galaxy Watch 6 and older Galaxy 4 and 5. The only change here is based on aesthetics which is a highly welcomed development for me.
Galaxy Watch 6 Prices
The prices of the Galaxy Watch 6 series are still budget-friendly, the 40mm unit of the Galaxy Watch 6 retails for $300 while the 44mm unit retails for $330. Meanwhile, the sturdier Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 43mm unit has a $400 price tag while the bigger 47mm unit has a $430 price point. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Watch 6 series will be released on the 11th of August. Preorder is currently going on in major stores around the world.
Galaxy Watch 6 Classic vs Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
While the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic succeeds the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic it still falls short behind the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Though it has a bigger display, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro with its big 590mAh battery capacity has a longer battery life. The build quality also differs. While the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic like its predecessor has a stainless steel frame, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a more premium and durable titanium build.
Nonetheless, the presence of a physical rotating bezel on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic makes it a viable contender for the best Samsung watch.