Samsung’s latest offering, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, has hit the market with a mix of old and new features that aim to impress. With its stylish design and all-day comfort, it stands out as a top choice for Android users. The watch brings back the beloved rotating bezel, offering both functionality and protection for the screen.

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic isn’t just about looks; it packs comprehensive health and fitness tracking capabilities. However, it’s not without its flaws. Issues like spotty notification reliability and less-than-stellar performance in some areas have been noted. Despite these drawbacks, the watch’s overall package makes it a strong contender in the smartwatch arena.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic Worth the Upgrade?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic builds upon the success of its predecessors, offering a refined smartwatch experience with a classic design aesthetic. Here’s a breakdown of its key features, pros, and cons to help you decide if it’s the right smartwatch for you.

Key Features

• Classic Design: Stainless steel case, rotating bezel, and traditional watch-like appearance.
• Comprehensive Health Tracking: Heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, ECG, fall detection, and body composition analysis.
• Wear OS 3.5: Smooth and intuitive user interface with access to a wide range of apps.
• LTE Connectivity (Optional): Make calls and send messages without your phone nearby.

Pros

• Premium Build Quality: Feels durable and looks elegant.
• Excellent Health Features: Offers in-depth health metrics.
• Wear OS Experience: Smooth performance and app compatibility.
• Rotating Bezel: Convenient and satisfying way to navigate.

Cons

• Expensive: One of the pricier smartwatches on the market.
• Limited Battery Life: Typically lasts about a day and a half on a single charge.
• Bulky for Small Wrists: The 47mm case size might be too large for some.

Specifications

Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic?

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is an excellent smartwatch for Android users seeking a premium and stylish device with advanced health tracking features. If you prioritize build quality, a traditional watch design, and top-notch health features, the Watch 6 Classic could be a great choice. However, consider your budget and wrist size before making the final decision.

Key Takeaways

• The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic combines style and functionality, offering a premium design with its durable stainless steel body and comfortable straps, making it suitable for all-day wear.
• It reintroduces the rotating bezel, enhancing user interaction by providing an easy and intuitive way to navigate through menus and apps, a feature highly appreciated by users for its practicality.
• The watch is equipped with comprehensive health and fitness tracking features, including over 100 activity profiles and sleep pattern analysis, positioning it as a valuable tool for individuals focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
• Despite its strengths, it suffers from less-than-ideal battery life and performance issues, particularly in wet conditions where touchscreen responsiveness is significantly reduced.
• Users should be aware of software limitations within Wear OS and the performance of third-party apps, which may affect the overall user experience of the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.
• While the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic offers notable improvements and personalization options, potential buyers might weigh its innovative features against the drawbacks related to battery life, moisture sensitivity, and third-party app performance before making a decision.

Design and Build Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic boasts a sleek and sophisticated look that catches the eye. It’s clear from the get-go that Samsung didn’t cut corners on the watch’s design or the materials used. The body of the watch is made from high-quality stainless steel, giving it a premium feel that’s both durable and lightweight. What really sets it apart, though, is the return of the rotating bezel, a feature fans have missed. This bezel isn’t just for show; it allows users to navigate the interface easily, making the smartwatch experience smoother and more intuitive.

The watch comes in two sizes, 40mm and 44mm, allowing users to choose what fits best on their wrist. Both sizes maintain a slim profile, ensuring they don’t feel bulky or uncomfortable even when worn all day. The attention to comfort is further evident in the straps that Samsung offers. They’re made from a soft, flexible material that adjusts easily to various wrist sizes, ensuring a snug and secure fit. Whether you’re at the office or out for a run, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic stays comfortably in place.

Samsung’s choice of display for this watch is another highlight. The screen is larger and more vibrant than its predecessor, showing off bold colors and crisp details that make everything from reading notifications to tracking fitness stats a pleasure. It’s worth noting, though, that this improved display likely contributes to the reduced battery life mentioned earlier. But for many, the trade-off for better visibility in various lighting conditions is well worth it.

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic’s design and build quality are indicative of Samsung’s commitment to merging style with functionality. From the rotating bezel to the customizable straps, each element is thoughtfully chosen to enhance the user experience.

Rotating Bezel Functionality

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic brings back a fan-favorite feature: the rotating bezel. It’s an essential part of the watch that makes it stand out. This bezel allows users to navigate through menus and apps with ease. It’s a physical way to interact with the watch, different from tapping on a screen. The feel of turning the bezel is satisfying. It gives a clear feedback with each move, which users find helpful.

Samsung made this bezel with users in mind. It’s easy to grip, thanks to its serrated edges. This design choice is smart. It means you can use the watch comfortably, even with gloves on. That’s a big deal for people in colder climates or those who exercise outdoors.

The bezel’s functions go beyond just navigation. It can control music volume or search within the device. This makes it more than just a way to move around the watch’s software. It becomes a tool for controlling certain features without diving into menus. But it’s not just about what it does now. There’s potential for more. Samsung could update the watch to let the bezel do things like fast forwarding songs or skipping tracks. This would make the bezel even more useful.

Aside from the bezel, the watch has two other buttons. These buttons are clicky and responsive. Samsung allows users to customize these buttons to a certain extent. This means you can make the watch work how you want it to work. Whether it’s the pressure of the buttons or the turn of the bezel, Samsung focuses on making the watch easy and enjoyable to use.

Health and Fitness Features

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic packs an impressive array of health and fitness tools. It’s not just about telling time; it’s like having a personal trainer and health expert right on your wrist. This watch has everything you need to keep track of your fitness journey and health status.

First off, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic offers over 100 different activity profiles. That means whether you’re into yoga, hiking, swimming, or even something less common, this watch has you covered. You can track practically any exercise with ease. Plus, the option to create custom workouts adds a personal touch to your fitness routine, letting you tailor activities to match your goals perfectly.

But it’s not all about exercise. The Classic takes a deep dive into health monitoring. It measures your skin temperature overnight and gives insights into your sleep patterns. This feature can help you understand how restful your sleep is and what you can do to improve it. For those who are serious about getting fit, these insights are gold. They offer a deeper understanding of how exercise and rest work together to improve overall health.

During workouts, the watch automatically detects certain activities like walking, running, or swimming. However, it’s important to note that it may briefly lag in catching rapid heart rate changes. This slight delay is something to keep in mind if instant feedback during high-intensity exercises is crucial for you.

Despite this, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic excels in providing a comprehensive view of your fitness and health. With its broad range of tracking capabilities and the convenience of having this technology on your wrist, it serves as an invaluable companion on your health journey. Whether you’re a fitness newbie or a seasoned athlete, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has something to offer.

Notable Issues

One problem users might face with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is its battery life. Samsung says the watch can last up to 30 hours with the screen always on or 40 hours with it turned off. However, in real use, getting to these numbers is tough. For example, with the screen always on, getting phone notifications, doing a 30-minute workout with GPS, and tracking sleep, the watch only reached 27 hours before needing a charge. And if you use it more, like streaming music or doing a longer GPS workout, it might only last about 24 hours. Adding LTE to the mix could make the battery drain even faster.

Charging isn’t super quick either. It takes over an hour to charge the watch from zero to full with the USB-C charger. There is an option to charge it with a Galaxy phone using reverse wireless charging, but this might not be convenient for everyone.

Another issue is the touchscreen’s performance in wet conditions. If it’s raining or if you’re sweating a lot, using the touchscreen can be almost impossible. This is a stark contrast to some other smartwatches that handle wet screens better. There was an instance where the screen wouldn’t respond after a rainy outing. The user had to blow on the screen to get it to recognize an input, which is hardly an ideal solution.

Lastly, while the display is larger and brighter than previous models, this could be why the battery life isn’t as good. Even with a bigger battery than its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch 6 doesn’t last as long as expected. This step back in battery performance might disappoint users, especially since both Apple and Samsung had been making progress in extending the battery life of their smartwatches before.

Overall Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic enters the market as a solid contender among smartwatches. It shines with its health and fitness tracking features. Users can keep tabs on their skin temperature and sleep patterns, a plus for those focused on health. Yet, the watch doesn’t quite hit the mark in some areas. With a battery life of around 27 hours under typical use, it falls short of Samsung’s claims. This might be due to its larger and brighter display which, while impressive, likely increases power consumption.

Further, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic struggles with touchscreen functionality in wet situations. Whether it’s rain or sweat, users might find it hard to navigate the watch’s features. This issue is notable compared to competitors like Garmin, which generally offer better performance in similar conditions. It’s peculiar to notice that, in desperate situations, unconventional methods like blowing on the screen could work to trigger certain functions.

Navigating the watch’s interface introduces its share of convenience and challenges. Features like returning to the watch face or the most recently used app require simple button presses or swipes. The ability to customize button actions, such as launching a preferred app or activating Google Assistant with a long press, adds a layer of personalization. However, navigating through these settings and options might be less intuitive for some users.

Software quirks add another layer of complexity. Wear OS, despite improvements, comes with its own annoyances that can detract from the user experience. The performance of third-party apps, such as the YouTube Music app, exemplifies the software hurdles users might encounter. These issues, mostly outside Samsung’s control, affect the overall usability of the watch.

In the competitive landscape of smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic boasts commendable features and customization options. However, its battery life and issues with moisture sensitivity and software could give potential buyers pause.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic stands out for its advanced health tracking and customization options. Yet, it’s not without its drawbacks. The battery life may disappoint some users and the touchscreen’s performance in wet conditions could be better. Additionally, navigating the software and dealing with third-party app compatibility issues might frustrate tech-savvy users. Despite these concerns, the watch’s robust features make it a strong contender in the smartwatch market. For those prioritizing health tracking and style, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic could still be a worthwhile investment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic measure blood pressure?

Yes, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is equipped with blood pressure monitoring capabilities. However, it requires initial calibration with a traditional cuff, and users need to recalibrate every month for accurate readings.

Can the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic track sleep patterns effectively?

Absolutely, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic shines in health and sleep pattern tracking, providing detailed insights into sleep stages and overall sleep quality to help users improve their sleeping habits.

Is the touchscreen functionality of the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic affected by water?

Yes, operating the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic’s touchscreen becomes a challenge when wet. This sensitivity to moisture can hinder its usability in conditions like swimming or rain.

How does the battery life of the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic compare to its claims?

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic’s battery life lasts around 27 hours on a single charge, falling short of Samsung’s claimed battery duration, possibly due to its larger display consuming more power.

Are there any software issues with the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic?

Yes, users may experience some software quirks and third-party app compatibility issues with Wear OS on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, affecting the overall user experience.