Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic: A Blend of Tradition and Innovation

The best back-to-school deals on smartwatches and fitness trackers

CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. It's back-to-school time, which means that if you head over to Amazon, Best Buy or Samsung, you can discover some serious price-slashing going on. We're talking specifically about popular smartwatches. Whether you're looking for an Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Google Pixel Watch 2, or another popular smartwatch model, any can serve as a feature-packed companion to your smartphone. These smartwatches are powerful communications, productivity, entertainment, health, fitness and safety tools that wrap comfortably around your wrist. Whatever your budget or needs, you can find some great deals on the most popular smartwatches available from Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung. No two ways about it: This is the most popular smartwatch in the world. It's designed to work in conjunction with an Apple iPhone, but if you invest in the GPS + cellular version of the watch, it can work autonomously, too. Even without your phone nearby, you can use the watch to do things like calls, texts, music streaming and talking to Siri. One of the things people love about Apple Watch is that it's so customizable. It comes in two casing sizes -- 41 millimeters or 45 millimeters. You can also choose between an aluminum or stainless steel casing. And there are hundreds of watch band options for the Apple Watch, beyond the several dozen colors and styles offered by Apple directly. Apple Watch is designed to do it all -- help you communicate, stream music, stay up to date on the news, serve as a fitness tracker and health monitoring device, help you stay productiveBut , call for help in an emergency, play games, display your favorite photos and so much more. To learn all about the mega-popular Apple Watch Series 9, check out our full review of the smartwatch, as well as our roundup of the top nine things we love about this smartwatch. Perfect for an iPhone user who's new to a smartwatch, the Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen is the perfect "starter" watch -- and it's extremely inexpensive, too. Right now, you'll find several configurations of the Apple Watch SE on sale for at least 24% off, including this 40-millimeter, GPS-only model that comes with an Apple Sports Band. It's currently priced at just $189. The Apple Watch SE is a scaled-down version of the Apple Watch Series 9. But it still offers all of the most popular features people love about Apple's smartwatch lineup. We highly recommend the GPS + cellular version of this watch for kids (instead of giving them a smartphone) or to help monitor an elderly adult. Without the wearer needing their own iPhone, a parent or caregiver can track the watch's location, plus communicate with the wearer via phone calls or text messages. The Apple Watch SE GPS/cellular version also works autonomously when taking advantage of its safety features, including fall detection, Emergency SOS and crash detection. This version of the Apple Watch runs the same version of the WatchOS operating system and comes with the same collection of preinstalled apps as all other current Apple Watch models. And there's a vast selection of apps, watch faces and watch bands available. Apple Watch Ultra 2 is currently Apple's most powerful and versatile smartwatch. It's designed primarily for outdoor adventurers and features a more rugged design and longer battery life than the Apple Watch Series 9. However, just about anyone can take advantage of its more advanced features. Apple Watch Ultra 2 offers a brighter, always-on display. Its casing is made from durable titanium, and the special watch bands available for it are equally hardy. In addition to more precise GPS navigation, the watch has a built-in emergency siren, plus a slew of other health, fitness and safety features. The watch includes advanced metrics and views in the Workout app, including heart rate displays, custom workouts and cycling workout views. Meanwhile, precision dual-frequency GPS provides incredible accuracy for calculating distance, pace and route maps. The Compass app delivers helpful views and details like elevation, incline, longitude and latitude. Mark your location with Compass Waypoints and then backtrack using GPS to retrace your steps. Apple Watch Ultra 2 is also made for recreational water sports, scuba, and free diving for descents to 40 meters. The Depth app shows the time, current depth, water temperature, duration under water and maximum depth you've reached, while the Oceanic+ app puts a dive computer on your wrist. And that's just a sampling of what the now-discounted Apple Watch Ultra 2 is capable of. Just as the Apple Watch is the ideal companion for Apple iPhone users, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is perfect for Samsung Galaxy or Android smartphone users. The watch runs Google's WearOS operating system, so it's fully compatible with many Android apps running on your phone. This watch is also a powerful communications, productivity, health/fitness, entertainment and safety tool that's worn around your wrist. As you'd expect, Galaxy Watch 6 is chock full of sensors that monitor everything from your movement and sleep patterns, to your heart rate, activities, exercises and more. The watch comes in a handful of casing colors and has a wide selection of bands available for it. The watch faces are customizable and optional apps can be downloaded from the app store. Plus, when the watch is close to your phone, you handle calls and text via the watch. Right now, most configurations of the Galaxy Watch 6 are on sale. Keep in mind, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 series was recently released, so a more advanced model (now with some AI capabilities and features) is now available, too. If you're an Android user, you probably know that the Android operating system was designed by Google, and that many of the features built into the Android OS play well with Google apps and services. The same is true with Google's WearOS smartwatch operating system. So, it makes sense that if you want a smartwatch designed by that same company, the Google Pixel Watch 2 is the way to go. Right now, Amazon has the GPS + Cellular version of this watch on sale for 5% off. And since Google now owns Fitbit, all of the health and fitness tools that come in Fitbit trackers are incorporated into the Google Pixel Watch 2. It too is a powerful and versatile communications, productivity, entertainment, health/fitness and safety tool that takes the form of a wristwatch. (It also does a nice job telling time, by the way.) The watch comes in eight colors, each with a matching band. You also get up to a 24-hour battery life and a bright, always-on display. The Google Pixel Watch is a slightly older version, compared to the Pixel Watch 2, but both models run the latest version of the WatchOS operating system, come with the same collection of preinstalled apps and have a vast selection of optional apps available from Google's app store. This configuration of the Pixel Watch includes GPS and cellular LTE capabilities, so on its own, it can make and receive calls, send and receive text messages, stream music, provide access to Google Assistant and more -- even when your Android phone isn't nearby. (A nominal monthly charge, usually around $10 per month, from your phone's cellular company will apply.) The watch comes in a variety of stylish casing and band colors. Just in time for back to school, most of the Google Pixel Watch configurations with cellular capabilities are on sale, with pricing starting at just $230. Yes, you have options beyond Apple, Samsung and Google -- smartwatches from lesser known companies and that work with both an iPhone or Android phone. The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro is a feature-packed smartwatch with an AMOLED display and that has cellular and Bluetooth capabilities. Built into the watch are more than 150 sports and fitness modes, along with sensors that monitor heart rate, SpO2 levels, location, elevation, breathing patterns, stress level, sleep patterns and more. And you get all this for around $90 -- which is less than what Apple charges for some of its Apple Watch bands. Other notable features include an extended battery life (up to 12 days) and the ability to store up to 470 songs locally, so you can listen to music without your phone or an internet connection. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is Samsung's answer to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, but it's designed to work with Android smartphones, particularly those in the Galaxy ecosystem. For a limited time, Samsung is offering an extra generous trade in credit -- up to $350 -- if you have an older smartwatch or eligible device to trade in. This smartwatch is made with an ultra-durable titanium casing and has a normal battery life up to 60 hours. However, using Power Saving mode, this can be extended up to 100 hours. Notable features include enhanced GPS navigation, an upgraded heart rate monitor, IP68 water resistance, and integrated apps for tracking numerous specialized sports and activities. This is also a powerful sleep monitor and sleep coach. Galaxy Watch Ultra is designed for outdoor adventurers and athletes. The watch pairs with your Android smartphone and shares data with the Samsung Health app, which in turn provides valuable analysis and feedback about many aspects of your health, fitness and sleep. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is new for 2024 and is Samsung's most powerful and durable smartwatch yet. The latest iteration of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 takes advantage of Galaxy AI and a more powerful processor to provide new ways to use the watch. Normally, this smartwatch has a starting price of $350, but Samsung has it on sale for an introductory price of just $300. Plus, you can get up to $250 instant trade-in credit if you have an eligible smartwatch or device to trade in. Choose between three band styles and multiple casing and band colors. Compared to the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, this latest version is lighter, has a more powerful processor, a slightly larger display, enhanced sensors, the addition to a body temperature sensor, plus the new AI functionality. Ideal for first-time smartwatch users and people who want more of a fitness tracker than full smartwatch functionality, the Galaxy Watch FE is a low-cost option. It's currently priced at just $200, but Samsung is offering up to $100 in instant trade-in credit if you have an eligible smartwatch or device. Available in three colors (black, pink and silver), the Galaxy Watch FE is sleek and lightweight. A wide range of band color and styles are available, so you can personalize the appearance of the watch and then add a customized watch face. All of the health and fitness data that the Galaxy Watch FE collects can seamlessly be shared with the Samsung Health app on your Galaxy smartphone. And with the help of Galaxy AI, the watch provides all sorts of health-, fitness- and sleep-related insight. The watch face is 40 millimeters and uses a durable sapphire crystal over the display. The watch itself has an IP68 rating and it works in conjunction with all other devices in Samsung's Galaxy eco-system, including Galaxy Buds earbuds, the Galaxy Ring and all Galaxy smartphones. Right now, depending on the Apple Watch model, color and configuration you choose, you can save between $179 and $239 if you purchase a certified refurbished model from Best Buy. These discounts are for some older versions of the Apple Watch, including the Apple Watch Series 5, Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch Series 7 and Apple Watch Series 8. Keep in mind, not all configurations or colors of these watches are available and inventory is very limited. As a bonus, all discounted Apple Watches come with a four month trail subscription to the Apple Fitness+ service.

Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra is great, but it's not for everyone

Samsung fans are probably sick of hearing it, but you can't deny that the company's brand-new Galaxy Watch Ultra has a lot in common with the Apple Watch Ultra smartwatches. But is this (arguably) copycat device Samsung's best and boldest answer to Apple's domination of the wrist? To its credit, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is the very best smartwatch Samsung has ever made if you care about specs. That doesn't mean it's the best smartwatch for you. If you don't have a Samsung smartphone, you'll probably want to consider whether the watch is worth the loss of features: a daily "Energy Score" that uses your phone's AI capabilities to give you a one-stop summation of your health, an ECG that helps detect atrial fibrillation, and sleep apnea detection. More importantly, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is large enough that you'll want to check it out in person before plunking down $650 for the 47mm device (and deciding which of the three bands you want). I've mainlined an original Apple Watch Ultra since it came out, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra feels bigger and clunkier. If you can get past these two hurdles, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is at least a worthy contender for your wrist, even if it's not the big winner. Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 8/ 10 Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra is its best yet, but its size, specs, and price make it a tougher sell than Samsung's "lesser" Galaxy Watch 7. For most people, the cheaper watch is going to be the better buy. ProsA large, gorgeous display (though no rotating bezel)Quick-access button for launching exercise trackingThe most health-focused smartwatch Samsung makesDecently useful body-composition measurementsHuge battery lasts around two days-ish ConsBulky size can feel awkward and clunky on your wristNot safe for divingLacks "wow" factor over a Galaxy Watch 7Health metrics can be hard to decipher $650 at Samsung$650 at Amazon$650 at Best Buy Price, availability, and specs Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra only comes in one size, 47mm, but you get three color options: titanium gray, white, or silver. You can pair each with one of three watch bands -- Marine, Trail, or Peakform -- which come in either four (Marine), three (Peakform), or two (Trail) colors. All the bands are sized medium/large on Samsung's site, and it's unclear whether the company will offer smaller versions. (If your wrist is tiny, this watch will look absolutely huge on you.) Samsung's single watch version sells for $650 and supports Wi-Fi and 4G LTE connectivity. You'll need a plan with your mobile carrier for that and supported U.S. carriers include the Big Three (Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile) and UScellular. Specifications Case size 47 mm Case Material Titanium Display 1.5" 480 x 480 AMOLED CPU Samsung Exynos W1000 RAM 2 GB Storage 32 GB Battery 590 mAh Cellular connectivity LTE (optional) Wi-Fi connectivity 2.4 GHz; 5 GHz Bluetooth 5.3 Software One UI 6 Watch; Wear OS 5 Health sensors Optical bio-signal; electrical heart signal; bioelectrical impedance; temperature Dimensions 47.4 x 47.4 x 12.1 mm Weight 60.5 g IP Rating IP68 Colors Titanium Silver; Titanium Gray; Titanium White Price From $650 Expand What I like about the Galaxy Watch Ultra Big, gorgeous, responsive display Close The sheer size of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is its Achilles' heel. More on that later, but if you've already decided it's a fit for you, you'll love the look of the watch's bright, AMOLED display. Its 480x480 resolution makes all on-screen elements look crisp on your wrist, and it's as bright as an Apple Watch Ultra 2 for everyday use -- easy to see on the run under the sun, thanks in part to its maximum brightness of 3,000 nits. Samsung slaps a circular watch face into a rounded-square case, which gives the watch a much larger size than is actually usable. The watch's face is just 1.5 inches in diameter; the (non-rotating) bezel and case comprise about three millimeters of width and two more millimeters of depth than an Apple Watch Ultra 2. Though the square-ish Galaxy Watch Ultra might have a height two millimeters less than Apple's watch, the entire device feels much larger. Heavier, too, clocking in at a weight of around 2.3 ounces, or just around 0.15 ounces more than Apple's watch. These small differences in millimeters and ounces might not sound like much, but in everyday use, Samsung's watch feels bulkier and thicker. Manipulating the display is easy, and it supports all the standard swipe gestures you'd be used to if you previously owned any modern smartwatch. Though the bezel doesn't rotate (sigh), you can perform a handy circular swipe gesture around its edge to quickly flip through the watch's apps and features. At least it's a nice little homage to the rotating bezel. The Galaxy Watch Ultra doesn't have a rotating crown; instead, it has three buttons on one side. The two standard gray buttons are for warping back to the watch's "home" or standard face and going back one menu from wherever you happen to be. Both can be customized a bit in Samsung's Wearables app, which is useful for those who really want to fine-tune the buttons' actions. The third button, sandwiched between them, initially launches the watch's exercise-tracking feature with a tap. (Hold it down for five seconds, and you'll automatically launch the watch's piercing alarm after a brief countdown.) You can also adjust it to launch the watch's built-in flashlight, stopwatch, or water-locking feature instead -- but you can't fire up any old app. Lots of health information, for better or worse I mainly use smartwatches to track my fitness activity, and Samsung's watch covers all the basics well. You can pick from various exercise modes to track or even come up with your own custom exercises or workout routines. Once you're done, you get the typical litany of information about how you did: calories burned, maximum and average heart rates, how long you spent in your various heart rate zones, et cetera. All this information and more contribute to what Samsung calls your "Energy Score," which you get if you use a compatible Samsung smartphone with your watch. Admittedly, it's a useful way to see how you're doing across a variety of metrics all at once, including how much you're sleeping and what your heart is doing while you're out. I wouldn't make it the end-all, be-all measurement of your fitness and overall health, but it's handy. You can also drill down into your sleep characteristics with a supplemental "Sleep score," which provides all sorts of metrics like your estimated sleep zones, blood oxygen levels, and any detected snoring. Close If that's not enough, you can also get a measurement of your "advanced glycation end products," otherwise known as AGEs. This, presumably, is an indicator of your metabolic health, but you'll have to do some research and introspection to determine whether this number has any real meaning for you. I don't honestly know what this metric means, nor do I have a ton of faith that whatever the watch is doing to assess the "protein and fat molecules" that are being "oxidized by sugar molecules" daily. It sounded a little "goop" to me, more a special measurement Samsung can point to when claiming its watches are even more feature-packed than the competition than a metric I'll find myself caring about regularly. The same is true for the auto-calculated "stress" metric, which Samsung automatically creates through several measurements it doesn't specify. My time with the watch consistently had me at the least stressed value it could produce. I appreciate the good thoughts, but I wouldn't say I was cool as a cucumber -- physically or mentally -- the entire time I reviewed the watch. Again, it's a fun metric to glance at, but probably not one I'd put much stock in. The same is true for the watch's "sleep apnea tracking" feature. It said I don't have it (yay), but it also said that it's not a true medical diagnosis, so... that's useful, I suppose, in that nothing obvious was found. Still, it wouldn't be enough to keep me from a doctor's visit if I suspected I was having some sleep issues. On the watch itself, not any corresponding apps, you can trigger a Body Composition measurement by placing two fingers on the watch's home and back buttons. It's the same process you'd undertake on a smart scale, offering a look into metrics like your muscle percentage, fat mass, basal metabolic rate (BMR), et cetera. It's tough to assess the accuracy of the watch's measurements, from fitness to health, without having a perfect source as a point of comparison. I can say that I've seen plenty of variance between my OTBeat Burn band I wear at Orangetheory workouts, my original Apple Watch Ultra , and the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. Nothing was severe enough to make me question the capabilities of Samsung's watch, and easier metrics to assess (like "distance ran") were a lot closer together between Samsung and Apple's watches than more esoteric measurements, like "calories burnt" or my calculated BMR. Read our review Apple Watch Ultra review: Why non-athletes can love it, too You don't have to be a marathon runner to benefit from Apple's chunky, flagship watch The Galaxy Watch Ultra can automatically detect when you've started a workout based on movement patterns. Strangely, the option to detect a walk and run defaulted to off initially -- presumably to avoid annoying "ARE YOU WORKING OUT?" prompts whenever you get out of your desk chair to get a snack. Still, having some way to toggle these on after the first walk/run was detected would have been preferred; I didn't realize I had to do so myself until days into my time with the watch. Goes for days Wearing the watch around like one normally would, without going to any workouts, netted me just around two days and nights of uptime before I had to charge it. As you start adding more battery-draining features into the mix, such as automatic "stress" tracking measurements, lots of fitness-tracking, GPS navigation, or the watch's always-on display, your need to charge will go up a bit. But even when I was actively using the watch more than normal, I felt I could easily make it through anywhere from a day to a day and a half without getting battery nervous. That's after I installed the latest watch updates that presumably addressed some early issues owners were having with battery life. I appreciate that the Galaxy Watch Ultra gives you estimates, to the minute, of how much time you have left before its battery dies. It's as accurate as the watch's charging estimates, which said it would take one hour and 40 minutes to completely charge the watch from nothing (connecting the watch's charger to a self-provided 30W adapter). That was right on the nose, give or take a few minutes; charging for 50 minutes gave me a half-full watch, or just about enough for one day of use. What I don't like about the Galaxy Watch Ultra It's too big Close I realize that the size of one's watch is a personal preference, but I believe the Galaxy Watch Ultra is too big for most people to enjoy. As mentioned, I've worn an Apple Watch Ultra since it came out -- a big enough smartwatch, I've found -- and the Galaxy Watch Ultra feels even larger. I'm 6'5 with reasonably sized arms, and the watch looks huge on my wrist. I notice its heft more than my Apple Watch Ultra when working out, especially when swaying my arms back and forth during a run. The incredibly thick case looks almost silly on one's wrist. I'm still not quite sure if it's the (meh) Marine band I used for this watch's review or just the sheer size of Samsung's device, but it felt like I could never get a tight, firm "seal" between the watch's bottom -- home to its various biometric sensors -- and my wrist. The watch always felt like it was flopping around a bit, and going just one or two links tighter on the band dug it way too hard into my wrist. The Marine band was so unpleasant to wear I'd probably recommend a Trail band sight unseen. After all that, the watch isn't even very water-friendly. You can take it into saltwater for about ten minutes and freshwater for about 30 minutes (up to 1.5 meters), but Samsung itself notes that the watch shouldn't be used for diving. That's a bummer, as that's one activity where having a big, chunky device might be useful. What's so Ultra about it? Samsung's much-less-expensive Galaxy Watch 7 comes in two sizes (40 and 44mm), two colors, and three official Samsung bands (across two sizes). You can also save a little cash if you don't need 4G LTE connectivity, as Samsung offers both Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi+Cellular versions. The two watches have the same processor, memory, and storage, the same biometric sensors, the same display sizes and types, and the same connectivity (minus the cellular add-on). You get double the water resistance on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, that extra "Quick Button," a titanium instead of an aluminum case, and a bigger battery. Read our review The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is still the best ecosystem smartwatch on Android Iterative? Only compared to the last Galaxy Watch 6 While the Galaxy Watch Ultra has a few extra tracking mechanisms for fitness, including better support for multi-activity workouts (like a triathlon) and Functioning Threshold Power estimates for cyclists, I'd argue that the Galaxy Watch 7 is probably a better fit for most people. It fixes the Galaxy Watch Ultra's biggest hurdle -- its ridiculous size -- for a reasonable trade-off of adding an extra few taps to launch fitness tracking. Sure, you have less battery life, but I don't think it's much of a hindrance to charge your watch once per day or so. Health needs a doctor Samsung's Health app is a bit of a mess, which is unfortunate given how central it is to most people's need for a smartwatch to begin with. And to be clear, the Watch's Health app is fine: It gives you a quick look at your metrics, including useful medication, food, and water tracking, blood oxygen levels, and all your daily activity/exercising. There's also a lot of information in one place, which means you'll be doing quite a bit of scrolling, depending on how judicious you're tracking your lifestyle on your watch. And you can't edit what sections appear or their order just by looking at your wrist. You have to use the Health app on your connected phone for that. This app, however, is way too cluttered. This starts with the home screen, which will prompt you with annoying Samsung promotions (like "Discover the breathtaking natural beauty of South Korea") and occasionally useful (but not really) insights from what I presume is Samsung's AI implementation scouring your metrics. As I write this, the app is prompting me to learn about the value of checking my heart rate regularly, which is front-and-center across the watch and phone's health apps. I don't miss it; trust me. Close The app's "Together" section for health tracking is a great way to stay motivated with a team of friends (or everyone else). The phone's implementation of that feature is read-only: You can watch your friend leaderboard and see what challenges you're facing, but all other actions have to be done on your phone. Similarly, the watch is great for daily stats-tracking, but if you want to expand to a larger view of your various activities -- how you're doing calorically for the week, for example -- it's back to the phone. This isn't dissimilar from other watches requiring a tethered phone app to view nearly everything health-related, especially your trends. I think my frustration stems from the fact that you need a Samsung device to have the fullest Health experience with your watch. Even then, the metrics you get aren't entirely useful, and they're jam-packed alongside analyses that are also meh. It can be a little unclear where to look for various settings and features, and you're typically bumped from your watch to your connected Health app to customize whatever health-related thing you're trying to do. It's not a terrible experience; it just feels clunky sometimes -- though not stress-inducing, since my watch still notes that I'm perfectly in the green after thinking about this for the last hour. Should you buy it? Why not get a more customizable watch? Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra isn't bad, not at all. It's the most feature-packed Samsung smartwatch you can get right now, with beefy battery life and comprehensive health-tracking features that rival what all your Apple-loving friends have enjoyed for a few years. If you're already rocking a Samsung smartphone and don't care about how big a watch might look on your wrist, or how heavy it might feel, there's no reason not to get the Galaxy Watch Ultra. It's as easy as that. But these are critical components of owning and wearing a watch for most people. And given just how much you can save and customize on Samsung's "lesser" Galaxy Watch 7, with battery life being the only trade-off most people would notice, it's hard to make a strong recommendation for the Galaxy Watch Ultra. You're getting nearly every bit as good of a watch for much less, and you can size it perfectly to fit your wrist rather than feeling like you're lugging around a Pip-Boy-like monstrosity during your weekly runs. Of course, plenty of people said the same thing when the Apple Watch Ultra debuted, and many have become accustomed to its larger dimensions. I suspect the Galaxy Watch Ultra could grow on you, too, if you gave it time, but I still think I'd rather have a Galaxy Watch 7. The Ultra experience never seemed fancy enough to justify the watch's cost -- or heft. Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 8/ 10 Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra is its best yet, but its size, specs, and price make it a tougher sell compared to Samsung's "lesser" Galaxy Watch 7. For most people, the cheaper watch is going to be the better buy. $650 at Samsung$650 at Amazon$650 at Best Buy Related Best smartwatches for Android in 2024 The best watches for your Android phone