The unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: What you need to know

Following our recent anticipation of Samsung’s Unpacked event, the tech giant has now officially launched its new line of wearables. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic are here, boasting sleek designs and improved screens.

New line of wearables

Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event was a grand affair, with the unveiling of new foldable phones, tablets, and wearables. For us, the Galaxy Watch 6 and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic were the stars of the show, continuing Samsung’s tradition of producing top-notch smartwatches.

The Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic come with similar internals and 1.4 GHz Exynos W930 chip, but they differ in design and sizes. The watches run on the next generation of Google’s operating system and offer access to popular apps such as WhatsApp, Gmail, Peloton, and more. They also feature a wealth of health and fitness tracking capabilities.

The Galaxy Watch 6, available in 40mm and 44mm sizes, boasts a slim and sleek design, while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, available in 43mm and 47mm sizes, presents a more sturdy appearance with a physical rotating bezel.

Both models feature screens that are 20% larger than their predecessors, offering improved peak brightness of 2,000 nits. The Galaxy Watch 6 further enhances its sleekness with a bezel that’s been slimmed down by 30% compared to the predecessor generation. The rotating bezel on Watch 6 Classic is 15% thinner than before.

Additionally, Samsung has introduced a new one-click mechanism for effortless band swapping. This adds to the convenience and customisation of these watches.

Software and Features

Both timepiece ranges run on Google’s new Wear OS 4 with Samsung’s One UI 5 Watch. This combination provides users with enhanced performance, improved battery life, and a more user-friendly interface. It also improves integration with Android smartphones for easier access to apps and services. Unfortunately, no iPhone compatibility here. But these watches are the first to run on wearOS 4.

Advanced Sensor Technology

As you’d expect, the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic are equipped with Samsung’s BioActive Sensor. This innovative technology combines an Optical Heart Rate sensor, an Electrical Heart Signal sensor, and a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis sensor. These sensors work together to provide comprehensive health monitoring. Additionally, both watches feature a Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Barometer and Light Sensor. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic also includes a 3D Hall sensor.

Health and Fitness Tracking

Samsung’s new wearables are not just about telling time; they’re about promoting a healthier lifestyle. The watches’ health and fitness tracking capabilities are extensive. They monitor heart rate, track sleep, and record workouts with automatic exercise recognition. The watches also offer stress tracking and guided meditation exercises to help users maintain their mental well-being.

The Galaxy Watch 6 goes a step further with its unique ability to check water temperature, making it a perfect companion for swimmers. It can also monitor body composition, providing insights into metrics like skeletal muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, body water, and body fat percentage.

These advanced health and fitness tracking features, combined with the watches’ sleek designs and easy customisation, make the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic more than just timepieces. They’re personal health and wellness companions, designed to help users lead healthier, more balanced lives.

Battery life

The Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic come equipped with either 300mAh or 425mAh batteries, depending on the model size. This represents a nice upgrade from generation 5. Along with the new energy-efficient processor, Samsung promises enhanced battery longevity.

Both the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic and Galaxy Watch 6 offer up to 40 hours of battery life without the Always On Display (AOD) function, and up to 30 hours with AOD enabled. Furthermore, the Watch 6 series introduces 10W fast charging for both models. Impressively, a brief 8-minute fast charge can provide an additional eight hours of battery life, sufficient for a full night of sleep tracking.

Pricing and availability

The Galaxy Watch 6 starts at $299.99 for the 40mm and $329.99 for the 44mm. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic starts at $399.99 for the 43mm and $429.99 for the 47mm. All of these can be picked up from Samsung’s website.

Here’s a table that outlines the pricing for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic:

Technical specs

Here’s a table that outlines the technical specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic:

The missing smart ring

While the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic undoubtedly stole the show at the Galaxy Unpacked event, it’s important to address a missing wearable. Prior to the event, there was significant buzz around the potential unveiling of a Samsung smart ring, a wearable tech product that could have marked a new direction for the company.

Essential reading: Best fitness trackers and health gadgets

However, the event concluded without a mention of this device. It could be that Samsung is still perfecting the technology, or perhaps the company has chosen to focus on enhancing its established line of wearables before branching out. Regardless, the absence of the smart ring at the event was a noticeable detail for those closely following Samsung’s foray into wearable technology.

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