Apple and Samsung are seen pioneering the smart accessory segment that can be paired with their respective smart devices and showcase an ecosystem of convenience and health that has so far been difficult for other brands to match.
Along with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 foldable devices, Samsung is also seen updating its smartwatch offerings, namely the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic series.
We were given the opportunity to test and review the Galaxy Watch8 Classic model, and here are my thoughts on it.
Design and Specifications
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic
Screen 1.3 Super AMOLED, 438 x 438, 3000 nits
Processor Exynos W1000 (3 nm)
Memory/Storage 2GB RAM + 64GB Storage
Operating System Wear OS 6
Protection 5ATM
IP68
Sensors Optical heart rate scanner, accelerometer sensor, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, electronic compass, barometer sensor, bioelectrical impedance analysis sensor, running posture recognition function
Others GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BDS, QZSS, Bluetooth 5.3, Speaker Microphone, IP68
Battery 445 mAh
Charging 10W
Materials Aluminum frame, Sapphire crystal glass screen, Synthetic leather and rubber strap
Price 46mm – RM1799 (BT) and RM2099 (LTE)
Starting with the design of this watch, it comes with a watch face sized 46mm, and unfortunately for this model, it seems that only one type of watch size is offered. For those of you who have a larger or smaller wrist than what this watch is suitable for, you may want to see first if it is suitable for you or not before buying it.
It also uses a 1.34-inch Super AMOLED Sapphire panel with touch support with a resolution of 438×438 pixels and a brightness value of 3000 nits. This high brightness value is very helpful to allow you to see the watch face even under the scorching sun.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic also has three buttons that allow users to access various functions more quickly, such as the middle button for exercise activities, the top button to return to the main watch face and the bottom button to access the last function used.
The difference in terms of design between the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and the Watch8 Classic is that the Classic model comes with a bezel that also functions as a wheel that can be used as an easy way to access various menus on this watch, even when compared to using the touchscreen.
The silver bezel also gives the Galaxy Watch8 Classic, as the name suggests, a design that is more like a classic watch, but with all the functions of a modern smartwatch.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic smartwatch also comes in only one watch face size, which is 46mm, compared to the 40mm and 44mm on the regular Watch8 model. Depending on your wrist size, it may feel too big, but it was just right for me.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic is powered by a Samsung Exynos W1000 processor chip along with 2GB of memory and 64GB of storage, runs the Wear OS 6 operating system based on the Android 16 operating system, and is combined with the latest Samsung One UI 8 Watch interface, showing a cleaner application interface design and functions than before.
Just like previous Samsung Galaxy Watches, this smartwatch can be removed and replaced with a watch band with different patterns if desired. For the Galaxy Watch8 Classic model, this smartwatch is provided with a watch band made of synthetic leather, maintaining the classic design seen on this watch.
User Experience
As expected, the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic smartwatch has the best support with other Samsung smartphones, especially the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 and other Samsung devices that have been updated with the latest Android 16 and One UI 8 operating system.
Pairing with a Samsung device makes the first use of this smartwatch easy, and when combined with the Samsung Health application, it can be an excellent health tracking device.
With the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic, users can take advantage of functions such as location tracking, heart rate, sleep and app notifications. With this model, it also shows support for ECG tracking, blood pressure, arrythmia, sleep apnea issues, Samsung Pay and more, but these features can only be utilized through the Samsung Health application which is only offered on Samsung smartphones.
In fact, I would say that if you are a Samsung smartphone user, the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic smartwatches are the best smartwatches you can buy. They not only offer health tracking features, but also sports.
If you are just starting to get into the world of sports, especially running, the combination of the Samsung Health and Galaxy Watch8 applications introduces features such as Running Coach that allows you to start training for your first 5KM run, up to a full marathon.
In terms of wearing comfort, the thin design of the watch and the use of synthetic leather watch straps are very comfortable. For me, the Galaxy Watch8 Classic model may be seen as more suitable for everyday use or for formal occasions, but there is nothing wrong if you also want to use it when you do sports or health activities.
When I use this watch for physical leisure purposes such as brisk walking and running, this watch strap does not crack, and this is because the bottom of this watch strap that touches the skin surface is coated with synthetic rubber material that prevents the surface of the watch strap made of leather from absorbing sweat moisture.
As I said before, a number of new features introduced on this device are locked behind the use of Samsung smart devices. Most of them are health features that will also require you to have other equipment such as a blood pressure reader and so on.
The Samsung Health application is well integrated for these tasks. From showing your health details to daily activity and sports details, it also gives you suggestions for what can be done to improve the quality of your daily activities.
In terms of user experience, Samsung has come up with a device interface that in my opinion is easy to understand and also used by users. The bezel part is not only a gimmick, but can be used as a way to scroll through the watch functions tactilely.
In terms of software support, as I said, the combination of the Galaxy Watch8 Classic smartwatch with a Samsung device is also very easy. With this combination, if you download an application on your Samsung device, it will check if there is a companion application that can be downloaded, and will ask you if you want to download it.
However, as I said before, some of these health features are locked behind Samsung's combination of hardware and software ecosystem, if you want to get the most out of them.
If you don't own a Samsung device, this watch is a little difficult for me to recommend you to buy and use, as there are many other smartwatches on the market today that are more suitable for use, depending on your needs.
Apart from that, the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic smartwatch also comes with one very big weakness that comes in two parts.
Battery
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic comes with a 445mAH battery which is the largest battery size among the three Samsung Galaxy Watch8 models currently offered. The 44mm Watch8 model comes with a 435mAH battery, while the 40mm model comes with a 325mAH battery.
During my time with this smartwatch, the battery life with the Always On Display feature installed was around a day and a half, which for me was a huge drawback.
Even if this AOD feature is not installed, it will only add 2-3 hours of additional usage time, which will still force you to charge this smartwatch every day. And here is another big issue I faced with this Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic.
Samsung says that the Galaxy Watch8 watch model comes with 10W fast charging, but to be honest, that fast charging is only for a few moments when the watch starts charging. While charging, my experience is that this watch will usually only charge at a rate of 1-2W.
For a premium class smartwatch launched in 2025 to have a slower charging rate compared to other smartwatch models like the Apple Watch and Oppo Watch X that have been on the market for much longer than it is something that should not happen.
This may not be a problem if you don't mind using this watch as a sleep tracker, as Samsung has also introduced the Samsung Galaxy Ring accessory as a daily biometric tracker, but it is also an additional accessory worth RM2000 that I am not sure is suitable to recommend especially with the plethora of electronic accessories that are already around us.
What's in the Box
This is what is offered in the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic box when you buy it:
1x Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic watch face
1x synthetic leather watch strap
1x magnetic watch charger
Cover
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic in my opinion is a very good smartwatch if you are a Samsung Galaxy smartphone user. With this model, Samsung has improved the usability, offering and software of this smartwatch to allow it to come with many good and useful features for various types of users.
My biggest issue is still with the battery life and also the charging speed of this watch which in my opinion is still far behind when compared to a number of other smartwatch offerings on the market today.
Pros:
Beautiful watch design
Bright display
Excellent integration with Samsung smart devices
Lots of sports and health support features
Durable
Cons:
Many watch functions can only be used with Samsung devices
Some health features require additional accessories such as a blood pressure reader
Battery life is too short
Battery charging takes too long
