New smartwatches: Samsung presents Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic
Samsung has made its new smartwatches thinner, faster and smarter. Google Gemini also has its place in them.
Galaxy Watch Ultra, Watch8 and Watch8 Classic
(Image: Steffen Herget/heise medien)
Samsung has left hardly a stone unturned with the Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic and has made extensive improvements to the smartwatches. For the Galaxy Watch Ultra, there was only a memory upgrade and a new color.
Samsung has made the case of the minimalist Galaxy Watch 8 11 percent thinner than the Watch 7. This also required a new strap mount, so existing watch straps are incompatible. The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic looks less minimalist with its rotating bezel, the third button on the side, and an additional plastic element. Both watches have OLED displays, which, according to Samsung, achieve a maximum brightness of 3000 cd/m². The previous generation only managed half that.
Samsung has installed its own five-core Exynos W1000 processor in both watches, which is manufactured with a structure width of 3 nanometers. It replaces the old dual-core chip and should make the watches noticeably faster. The RAM is 2 GB, the Galaxy Watch 8 has 32 GB of memory, while the Classic has twice as much. At 445 mAh, the Classic has the more powerful battery, while the Watch 8 has 325 or 435 mAh, depending on the size.
Both watches run One UI 8 Watch, which is based on Wear OS 6. Google Gemini is integrated into it, so the AI assistant is now also on your wrist. It is also available when you don't have your smartphone in your pocket and processes voice commands such as “Plan a 30-minute run” or “Start a 300-calorie circuit workout”. The watch automatically starts workouts in the Samsung Health app. The “Now Bar” familiar from smartphones is also included in the watch's operating system.
The new health functions of the smartwatches include sleep monitoring, including measurement of the circadian rhythm. The Galaxy Watch 8 uses this to suggest the best time to go to bed - you just have to count sheep yourself. The watch also monitors the stress on the vascular system during sleep. It also keeps an eye on the antioxidant index, and the carotenoid value is checked every five seconds. With the new running coach, the watch is designed to create individual training plans and provide feedback on performance in real time.
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 und Watch8 Classic in Bildern (9 Bilder)
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 1
Steffen Herget/heise medien
)LTE costs 50 euros more
The Bluetooth version of the Galaxy Watch 8 with a diameter of 40 millimetres costs 379 euros, while the 44-millimetre case costs 409 euros. If you want the LTE-capable model, you pay 50 euros more in each case. The Watch 8 is available in graphite and silver. The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, available in black and white, is only available with a 46-millimeter diameter and costs 529 euros without LTE and 579 euros with LTE.
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Samsung is keeping the Galaxy Watch Ultra at the current state of the art for at least another year. The smartwatch has only received a memory upgrade; it now has 64 GB instead of 32 GB. There is also a new color variant, Titanium Blue.
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