Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Review: The Best Android Watch Gets Better

Smartwatches are getting the same treatment as every other kind of tech — the AI treatment. Google's Gemini is the headline addition to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series, but the device also happens to be packed with great health-tracking features, and it's one of the first to come loaded with Google's Wear OS 6 operating system.

The Galaxy Watch series has long been a great option for Android users, and the Galaxy Watch 8 series — including the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic that I have — is perhaps the most high-tech yet. But the device also has tough competition — including from the likes of the Google Pixel Watch 3, which gets that sweet first-party advantage. Is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic worth buying?

As mentioned, I'm reviewing the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, which is the more rugged sibling to the standard Galaxy Watch 8. It's essentially designed to be a little more rugged and stylized than the standard Galaxy Watch 8, though you'll have to pay more for it.

Unlike the standard Galaxy Watch 8, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic only comes in one size — 46mm — and two colors. I have the black model, but the only thing about it that's black is a little plastic piece that extends across the three buttons on the side. Apart from that, the black and white models are the same silver stainless steel color.

Out of the box, the device comes with a black leather strap that feels quality and looks stylish. The straps are easy to attach and detach from the body of the watch, so you can swap them out if you prefer something different.

The watch is thicker and bulkier than the standard Galaxy Watch 8, but I quite like the look. It has the circular-display-on-squircle-body look from the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and while I didn't initially love it on the Watch Ultra last year, I've gotten used to it and don't mind it now. The device has 5ATM water resistance, so you won't have to worry about getting it wet.

Apart from the look, what sets the Classic apart from the standard model is the rotating bezel, which controls aspects of the software and feels clicky and tactile. It's a neat way to interact with the software without having to touch the screen itself. On the right side, you'll also find the usual buttons, including a top button, a crown (which is basically just a button and doesn't rotate), and a bottom button.

The display on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is great. It's a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 480 x 480 resolution, and it has a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. That means it's easily visible even when you're outdoors in direct sunlight.

Colors are vibrant and text is crisp. Whether you're checking notifications, navigating through apps with the rotating bezel, or tracking a workout, you won't have any problems with the display. It's simply a great-looking screen that does everything you'd want it to do.

Battery life on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic isn't bad, though it's not groundbreaking either. Samsung rates it at up to 40 hours with always-on display turned off, or 30 hours with it on. In reality, your mileage will vary depending on how you use the watch, how often you use fitness tracking, and so on. The watch charges with the included wireless charging puck, which works perfectly fine.

Under the hood, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is powered by Samsung's Exynos W1000 processor, coupled with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. That's plenty of power for a smartwatch, and the device performed well during my testing. I didn't experience any lag or struggle to keep up, even when switching between apps or using more demanding features. Everything felt smooth and responsive.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (along with the standard Galaxy Watch 8) is designed to be a comprehensive fitness-tracking device that supports a range of workouts and even some new tracking metrics. Even the basics are improved.

The watch can monitor heart rate, blood oxygen levels, stress levels, and a range of other health metrics. Samsung says the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic offers improved heart rate monitoring thanks to a new lug system that's supposed to keep the sensors closer to your skin, even as you move around. The idea is that the watch maintains better contact with your wrist throughout different types of movement, which should lead to more accurate readings. The watch also has dual-frequency GPS for more precise location tracking, whether you're running through city streets or hiking on trails.

The watch is good at picking up on workouts automatically, which is handy when you forget to manually start a session. In my testing, the stats were similar to what I got from the Apple Watch Ultra 2, though that doesn't necessarily mean that either of them are ultra-accurate. You can track a wide range of different workouts, from running and cycling to swimming and strength training. The watch also offers personalized heart rate zones to help optimize your training intensity.

One feature I particularly like is the Energy Score, which takes things like workouts, sleep quality, stress levels, and other factors into account to give you an overall picture of how ready you are for the day. It's a useful way to understand whether you should push hard in a workout or take it easy.

Sleep tracking is comprehensive and detailed. The watch tracks sleep cycles, respiration, skin temperature, and blood oxygen levels throughout the night. It can even use your phone's microphone to monitor for snoring. The watch can also detect signs of sleep apnea, though given that I don't have sleep apnea, it's hard to tell how accurate this is. The sleep data is presented in an easy-to-understand format, with insights about how to improve your rest.

The big new feature for this year is the Antioxidant Index, which the watch can track when you press your thumb on the optical sensor for a few seconds. You have to take the watch off to do this, which is a bit inconvenient, but the process is quick. It measures carotenoid levels, which is only one category of antioxidants, so it's not necessarily medical-grade or comprehensive. My score was "Very Low," and while it's impossible to judge just how accurate it is, after a week or two of not the best eating habits, I'm not surprised that it came back low. It's an interesting addition that might encourage better dietary choices, though you'll have to remember to use it regularly.

Overall, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is a well-rounded health and fitness tracking watch. It has all the basics, plus some features that competitors like Apple don't offer.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is one of the first watches to ship with Wear OS 6, and the software experience is solid. The big change is that Google's Gemini is now available on smartwatches. As long as you're connected to Wi-Fi or LTE, you can talk to Gemini without needing to be connected to your phone. It works perfectly well and was reasonably responsive in my testing. Having a powerful AI assistant right on your wrist definitely makes the watch feel more capable and useful.

Everything else is more or less where you would expect it to be. You can swipe through tiles for information from the main watch face, and swipe down to access quick settings. It's responsive, feature-rich, and easy to use. The addition of Gemini is a nice touch that adds real functionality to the watch, though you'll have to remember to actually use it.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series in general represents a solid step forward. There's nothing ground-breakingly different here, but extra features like access to Gemini, the new Antioxidant Index tracker, and so on, are interesting improvements. You'll have to decide for yourself if you want the standard Galaxy Watch 8 or the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, but no matter which device you get, you'll find yourself with the same set of features and sensors.

The competition

In the Android wearable space, there are a few competitors. The Pixel Watch 3 is pretty different in design, but you should still expect it to get big software updates early, even if Samsung seems to be getting them first these days. The Samsung device also has a few extra fitness-tracking features. Note, the Pixel Watch 4 will likely be released sometime soon.

Other big competitors come from the likes of OnePlus, in the form of the OnePlus Watch 3. Ultimately, the Galaxy Watch 8 offers more features, and is generally a better buy.

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic?

Yes. The Galaxy Watch 8 devices are the best Android smartwatches you can get right now.