Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Traditional is on preorder, beginning at $449, with the LTE mannequin priced at $499.
- The bodily rotating bezel is clean, One UI incorporates new well being metrics, and the cushion design is elegant.
- The show shrunk to 1.34 inches, it is slightly costly, and the bands are powerful to safe in place.
Each different yr Samsung rolls out a brand new Galaxy Watch with a bodily rotating bezel. This yr, we have the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, with a sexy analog aesthetic, cushion design, and the identical Fast Button we first noticed on the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Along with some new {hardware} adjustments, the Watch 8 Traditional is loaded with AI — the primary new Google Put on OS watch to launch with Google Gemini, alongside Samsung’s Galaxy AI.
Additionally: I tested the best Android smartwatches of 2025 – these are my favorites
The watch offers you with well being insights that contribute to your Vitality Rating, in addition to new AI coaches that will help you obtain your working and sleep targets. Antioxidant ranges, vascular load, ECG, sleep apnea detection, physique composition, and extra all assist make the Galaxy Watch 8 Traditional your private well being and wellness advisor.
One function of the Google Pixel Watch 3 that I used to be very enthusiastic about is the superior help for working. After practically per week of working with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, it’s now my favourite watch to run with, and in contrast to Google, Samsung doesn’t cost a payment for the superior Working Coach performance.
To begin your journey with the Working Coach, it’s essential carry out a working take a look at that consists of a brief heat up, 12 minutes of extra intense working, and a brief settle down. Samsung Well being will information you thru the working take a look at so join your Bluetooth headphones and hit the street.
On the conclusion of the working take a look at, Samsung Well being will present you your present working degree: mine was 5 out of 10. After accepting the outcomes, it is going to current you with a weekly working plan. As you full every exercise, a compliance rating will probably be awarded and you will have to move to maneuver on within the coaching program.
Exercises embrace jogging, intervals, tempo runs, fartleks, and extra. Observe-up checks are assigned as you full a sure variety of exercises in your degree and then you definitely transfer on up. I am undecided what occurs should you full all exercises at degree 10, however I am going to attempt to work my means there and determine that out.
Along with Working Coach, Samsung Well being works with the Galaxy Watch 8 Traditional to function a sleep coach that guides you thru a training program to enhance your sleep outcomes. I am presently a penguin sleeper and have a 3 week program underway. Sleep monitoring appears correct when in comparison with different wearables, and the Watch 8 Traditional even helps sleep apnea indication monitoring.
The Watch 8 Traditional helps the antioxidant index via measurements taken together with your thumb on the again of the watch. I have been within the low area for the previous week, with some normal steerage to eat extra greens. Samsung representatives confirmed how extra particular steerage will probably be offered, resembling “eat 10 blueberries”, because the Watch 8 Traditional learns extra about your each day routine.
Additionally: I used every Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Series model – and my favorite isn’t the Ultra
I like the look of the Watch 8 Traditional {hardware} with a clean rotating bezel on the cushion design body, however the show is a bit smaller than the Galaxy Watch 7 and I am unable to hand over the large show and lengthy battery lifetime of the Watch Extremely. The UI is flawless and clean, nevertheless, particularly as you spin the bezel.
Samsung designed a brand new dynamic lug system for the watch bands, and admittedly I hate it. I perceive it was applied to enhance the reliability and accuracy of well being metrics, however to this point I discover it tough to take away and insert the bands into the luges even with the detailed written directions included within the bundle.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
I bounce round between plenty of completely different smartwatches as a part of my real-world testing right here at ZDNET, however given the implausible new Working Coach function on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, it will likely be my each day driver for a while.
If you’re a runner or an individual who may be very focused on all of particulars round your well being and wellness then it’s powerful to beat the most recent Samsung Galaxy Watch with all of those metrics without spending a dime.
