With the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung has presented a smartwatch that I no longer expected. A really well-equipped smartwatch that can work perfectly with an Android smartphone. There are good reasons for me to switch. An analysis by Peter Hryciuk.

Samsung Electronics

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: There are many reasons to buy

I currently still own the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. A really nice smartwatch that I like to wear every day. I can use it to track my bike tours, measure my blood pressure and even record an EKG. Tizen as an operating system always felt a bit artificial. With Wear OS 3.0 that changes. The new Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 becomes an Android smartwatch and with it perfect in conjunction with an Android mobile phone. But there are more reasons why I will change:

  1. Price-performance ratio: With a price of 269 euros or more, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is surprisingly “cheap”. I had now expected prices from 400 euros. Correspondingly more for the larger version. But the Galaxy Watch 4 with 44 mm and LTE costs 349 euros (look at Amazon) not too much in my opinion. Those who pre-order even get a Samsung Pay credit of 150 euros. An unbeatable offer. Over time, however, the price will fall. The drop in prices for Samsung products is extremely high. So if you wait, you can save.
  2. Design: I think the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is simply beautiful. I was particularly impressed by the green version. I used to have a Samsung Gear S3 with a rotating bezel. But it was always too bulky for me, so I came to appreciate the smaller and more restrained Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. I also like the new bracelet that closes the area between the watch case and bracelet. Beautiful without frills. I like that.
  3. Android ecosystem: As already mentioned at the beginning, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 now runs with Wear OS 3.0 and thus Android. Google and Samsung developed the operating system together. If you have an Android smartphone, smartwatch apps are automatically installed on the watch when you install the mobile phone app. Provided there is a smartwatch app available. But the notifications and the interaction just get better. If you still have a Samsung mobile phone, the settings of the One UI are even adopted.
  4. Google services: Accordingly, you also have access to all Google services – at least almost. The Google Assistant is not finished yet, but is still to come. Bixby is installed as an alternative. YouTube Music is coming soon too. Google Pay is already here and so is Google Maps. Everything I know about the Galaxy Watch Active 2 is already here or is coming soon.
  5. Developers wake up: The collaboration between Samsung and Google is making the Wear OS app developers wake up. Spotify, for example, finally offers an offline function. I am sure that there will be many more apps that are missing so far.
  6. BioActive sensor: With the BioActive sensor, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has a new function that can measure body composition. All the new health functions of smartwatches inspire me and this one, just like measuring blood pressure and EKGs, is really practical.

in the Video we introduce you to the new Samsung watches:

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: What speaks against the purchase

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 works only with Android smartphones that support Google services. So if you have a Huawei phone with Android but no Google services, you cannot use the watch. This also excludes the iPhone. It should be very rare that an iPhone user has a Samsung smartwatch.

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