Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 - Galaxy Class(ic)?

If you’ve been following this blog for a bit, you’ll know that I recently moved back to using an Android phone after over a decade safely ensconced in the embrace of Apple. This move has been a lot less problematic than I’d feared, and yes, a blog post on that topic is in the works. However, this move also meant that I would have to say goodbye to my trusty Apple Watch 4. Now, to be honest, a replacement of that particular watch would have had to happen anyway, since it was five years old and, as I wrote in my notes for this review, absolutely beat to hell. But the change of platform forced the issue.

The only question now was which smart watch to go for, and this quickly turned into a two-horse race between the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and the Google Pixel Watch 2. Both have their pros and cons, and I’d ideally have preferred a product directly from the company that also produces the underlying OS, which in the case of WearOS would be Google’s Pixel Watch 2. However, in the end, I opted to complement my Samsung flip phone with a smart watch from the same manufacturer, which was significantly larger than its Google counterpart, available in local retail stores such as Brown Thomas and, most importantly, noticeably cheaper than the Pixel Watch 2.

Hardware

There’s no denying it, the Galaxy Watch 6 is a sleek device. Mine came in silver with a light grey watch strap. The contrast between the silver armor aluminum (there’s that thing again) frame and the black “puck” housing the display gives the watch an interesting optical contrast and the round frame makes for a nice break from the square postage stamp of the Apple Watch. That Display is an absolute highlight, as you would expect from a company with such a strong reputation for excellent displays. On my 44mm Galaxy Watch 6, the 37.3mm Super AMOLED display is bright, the colours are satisfyingly vibrant, while the blacks are as deep as you want them to be. In addition, the Galaxy Watch 6 has an Always-On Display, which is a first for me.

The display is also the main way you interact with the watch, since it only sports two buttons on the outside and completely omits the digital crown that you get on many other watches. Having said that, this software-based smart bezel actually works really well for me, especially since it means that a southpaw like me doesn’t have to reach across the display quite as often as I had to on the Cupertino clock. The rest is par for the course for a modern smartwatch. The bottom is dominated by a large sensor module that houses an optical heart rate sensor and a skin temperature sensor, both of which drive the watch’s myriad of health features. This is surrounded by a wireless charging coil that also gives you the option to charge it using your Samsung smartphone using wireless power sharing. 

All of this is housed in a robust sapphire crystal and armour aluminum casing that can handle abuse surprisingly well. I’ve accidentally bumped the watch into walls more than once in the three months I’ve owned it without leaving so much as a scratch. The watch also has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, the latter of which is especially helpful here in Ireland. All in all, it’s a pretty standard package for a modern smart watch.

Software

The three-wide app menu is a much sleeker way to display apps than the chaotic "cloud" that the Apple Watch sports.

In news that will come as a shock to precisely no one, the Galaxy Watch runs a heavily customised version of WearOS 4 that Samsung calls OneUI 5 for Watch. Catchy, I know. And yes, there is a very clear visual resemblance between the interface on my watch and on my Flip 5. While out of the box, this is undoubtedly a competent system, it lacks that certain something that WatchOS has. The good news is that, since WearOS is just a fork of Android, everything is modular. On the flip side, everything is modular. This means that you may have to trawl through the Play Store on the watch to find apps that you might need for your use. For me, that meant most Google apps, including Google Wallet, since Samsung Pay is effectively useless here in Ireland. However, Google Photos, my new preferred photo management app, is strangely AWOL on WearOS. The bigger problem is that the cavalcade of scamware apps that have been a major problem ever since Google Play originally launched is also present on the Watch store, so keep your eyes peeled.

Everyday Use

Okay, let’s get to the meat of this blog post. How does the Galaxy Watch 6 fare in everyday use? Well, after three months of daily use, I can definitely say that it’s different. In general, it holds up well, even under intense daily use which in my case included a work trip to New York. The watch handles everyday tasks such as keeping track of your emails or messages, checking your agenda or controlling Spotify, Audible, etc. with aplomb, with few to any issues that stand out. Battery life generally varies between good and excellent, averaging between one and a half to two days of usage for me. In the few situations where I got caught short by the battery draining quicker than expected, the wireless power sharing feature on my Flip 5 came in to save the day, allowing me to top up my watch using my phone.

Wireless Power Sharing, modelled here by my Z Flip 5 & Galaxy Watch 6, has saved my skin on several occasions.

I waxed lyrical about the display before, but it really is the star of the show on the Galaxy Watch 6, as you would expect on a Samsung device. Even the supremely chaotic image of New York’s Grand Central Station, which has become one of my favourite images from that trio, is crystal clear and razor sharp, while the colours absolutely pop. Also, the virtual bezel that I mentioned earlier is unexpectedly delightful, especially for a left-handed person like me. I was never a fan of having to reach across the watch face on my Apple Watch in order to get to the digital crown, something that I always found to be at odds with Apple’s self-proclaimed focus on inclusion and accessibility. So well done to Samsung on this one.

From Graz's Schlossberg...

...to New York's Grand Central Station, the display is just as rich and crisp as you'd expect from a company like Samsung.

On the other hand, I’ve found notifications to be a surprising stumbling block. In my experience, the watch delivers about 80-90% of all notifications promptly. However, every so often, the watch will simply refuse to pass them on. That’s regardless of which app generated the notification, be it Revolut, Instagram, Messages or Outlook. The fact that there’s no clear pattern discernible for me makes it a lot harder to trust the watch, let alone isolate the issue for troubleshooting purposes. It’s a minor issue, but an annoying one, nonetheless.

I rarely have to resort to the app switcher, but it's good to know it's there.

With the watch also serving as a remote viewfinder & shutter for my Flip 5, I just HAD to go down this particular rabbit hole...

Another issue is all the more frustrating, and that’s the implementation of mobile payments on the watch. As mentioned earlier, I use Google Wallet for most of my everyday transactions, which requires a separate download from the Play Store. So far, so normal. However, even after setting Wallet as my default payment solution, the watch takes a second or two for Wallet to actually load the card and activate the NFC chip. It’s only a small delay, but if you’re like me and used to having ApplePay respond instantly when summoned, you’ll get failed payment after failed payment, which is more than frustrating for such a core feature of a smartwatch.

All kinds of third-party apps, such as Google Keep, are available from the Play Store directly on the watch.

As for the activity tracking, that has honestly never been a feature that I paid much attention to. Having said that, I’ve found the Galaxy Watch 6 to be quite a bit more sensitive than its Cupertino counterpart. It tends to pick up more activity than the Apple Watch did, resulting in what I believe to be some exaggerated daily calorie and activity counts. Granted, the default goals on the watch are also higher, possibly to compensate for that, but it’s still something that was pretty noticeable from the start. Ironically, it is this increased sensitivity, which carries over to the sleep tracking functionality, that has caused the results of that sleep tracker to be more in line with my subjective sleep experience. Granted, it doesn’t make getting out of bed any more pleasant, but I don’t think that is something that can be attained with any currently available technology. I’m just not a morning person. On a final note regarding the health functionality, in my experience, there is quite a bit of light leakage from the sensors at the bottom of the watch, which is particularly noticeable at night. It’s not a big thing in the grand scheme of things, but if you’re like me and wear your watch for sleep tracking purposes, you really don’t want a bright green flash close to your eyes while you’re trying to fall asleep.

Closing Thoughts

Reading through the above, it may seem like I’m not a fan of the Galaxy Watch 6, however, that would be incorrect. I really like it and believe that it is a useful, well-designed smartwatch. Granted, it’s not quite as polished as Apple’s offerings in the wearable space, and some design choices with regards to OneUI are just as questionable on the watch as they are on Samsung’s phones, but in general, it does its job well. Also, we should not forget that it runs on WearOS, a platform that hasn’t been treated too well by Google over the years and at times seemed destined for the “Killed by Google” graveyard. There’s a very good reason Samsung and other manufacturers developed platforms like Tizen for their own smartwatches. 

Despite some little hiccups, I haven’t regretted my decision to go with Samsung over Google. The Galaxy Watch 6 is, the odd rough patch aside, a very good and competent smartwatch that does what I need it to do without issues. If you can get it at a decent price, I can definitely recommend it.