Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 vs. Galaxy Watch 6: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 vs. Galaxy Watch 6: Should You Upgrade?

Both watches start at $299.99 and are available in 40mm and 44mm versions. Samsung offers two color options for each size. The small Watch 7 comes in green or cream. The larger variant comes in green or silver. The small Watch 6 comes in graphite or gold and the larger in graphite or silver. You should be able to find the Galaxy Watch 6 at a discount more easily, but we'll give credit to the newer model as we always like upgrades that keep a consistent price. The Galaxy Watch 7 has a five-core Exynos W1000 processor with 2GB memory and 32GB of storage. The Watch 6 uses the Exynos W930 processor with the same 2GB of memory and half the storage at 16GB. Samsung claims the processor on the Watch 7 is three times faster with 30% better power efficiency. The Watch 7 also has an upgraded operating system with Wear OS 5 with Samsung's One UI 6 interface, both one generation above the versions on the Galaxy Watch 6. That said, the Galaxy Watch 6 is still relatively new and should get these software upgrades eventually. Our biggest gripe with the Galaxy Watch 6 is its battery life. In terms of capacity, the Galaxy Watch 7 didn't improve anything. The 44mm Galaxy Watch 7 has a 425mAh battery and the 40mm model has a 300mAh cell, both matching the respective numbers from the Watch 6. Samsung claims that the Watch 6 lasts 40 hours with the always-on display off and 30 hours with it active. Our testing put those numbers at 28 and 20 hours respectively. The more power-efficient processor could improve things on the Watch 7, but we'll need to test it to be sure. The Galaxy Watch 6 and the Galaxy Watch 7 have identical screens. The 44mm models have a 1.5-inch, 480-by-480-pixel Super AMOLED screen. The 40mm versions have a 1.3-inch, 432-by-432-pixel screen. Samsung hasn't specified the brightness on the Watch 7 yet, but it's likely the same as the Watch 6 at 2,000 nits. We'll give the win to the older model here, as you definitely don't want to upgrade just for the screen. The Galaxy Watch 6 is a good smartwatch when it comes to tracking your exercise and monitoring your sleep. The bulk of the improvements to the Galaxy Watch 7 focus on making this area even stronger. Both models monitor heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and body composition and body fat levels through bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), similar to a smart scale. Both track a wide variety of exercises and offer in-depth sleep monitoring including listening for snoring if you have a paired Samsung phone nearby. The Galaxy Watch 7 gained FDA approval to detect sleep apnea. It adds advanced glycation end products (AGEs) index tracking to provide a more detailed picture of your metabolism. Thanks to the new, dual-frequency GPS, the Watch 7 will be better able to follow your workouts and excursions through tall trees and buildings. The Watch 7 gained gesture control, so you can double tap your fingers to take a picture or silence an alarm, similar to the gestures available on recent Apple Watches. Samsung officially added Galaxy AI to its wearable lineup at Unpacked. For the Watch 7, this means it can encapsulate all of its collected fitness and sleep metrics into a holistic Energy Score scaled from 0 to 100 to track how you're doing. It can then take this score and offer personalized Wellness Tips to offer guidance on how to improve the score and feel better as a result. Most of the new features of the Watch 7, including the AI guidance and the gesture controls, are only available to those who have a Samsung phone. Like the Watch 6, the Watch 7 is compatible with the Android platform but reserves some features for the company's hardware. If you have the Watch 6 and a non-Samsung phone, you have less reason to upgrade, but Samsung is offering some nice improvements here that solidify its strengths, especially if those AI insights prove to be insightful. We'll have a detailed review of the Galaxy Watch 7 soon with a final verdict on just how worthwhile it feels as an upgrade. It doesn't appear to be urgent if you're happy with your Galaxy Watch 6, but the Watch 7 does double down on its strengths for the same price if you're shopping for a new model.

I'm not buying a Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and neither should you | Digital Trends

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us? Hoo boy, wasn't that a great Galaxy Unpacked? The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 are two devices that still seem futuristic despite being around for over half a decade now. The Galaxy Ring brings smart jewelry to the masses and is the subscription-free competition the Oura Ring needs. And what about the Galaxy Watch Ultra? Samsung's answer to the Apple Watch Ultra 2 may be derivative, but it's clear that Samsung is throwing absolutely everything at it. Contents Seriously, what happened with the Galaxy Watch 7?The Samsung smartwatch I'm buying instead What a show. What an incredible showcase of new technology and new ideas. What do you mean I've forgotten something? Oh, you're right. I forgot about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. I guess Samsung and I have that in common. Recommended Videos Seriously, what happened with the Galaxy Watch 7? To say the Galaxy Watch 7 was overshadowed at Galaxy Unpacked is understating it. A lot. The Galaxy Watch Ultra was highlighted at the start, alongside the new Galaxy Ring, and it was the second product to be launched on stage. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is a big, beautiful new step for Samsung. Yes, Samsung has copied a lot from the Apple Watch Ultra 2, including the hyper-sporty band, but it would be a lie to say it's not impressive. The new Samsung smartwatch has a huge battery, a super-rugged case, and can even detect sleep apnea. It's a big leap for the Android smartwatch world, and it will be exciting to see what Samsung does with it. At the end of that presentation, Samsung said something to the effect of, "Oh yeah, there's a Galaxy Watch 7, too. Moving on." It was a mention, a casual aside. I'm not even joking; I was watching the live stream and phased out for a second -- and when I looked up, the Galaxy Watch 7 was on the screen. Then it was gone, barely to be mentioned again. But to be fair to Samsung, I can see why the company didn't bother talking about it all that much. And it's not because it's a bad watch. It's likely to be a very good smartwatch -- and I can say that with some certainty because the Galaxy Watch 6 is a good smartwatch. But the Galaxy Watch 7 reeks of low effort. Samsung took the Galaxy Watch 6 and added the Energy Score made for the Galaxy Ring, as well as the Exynos W1000 made for the Watch Ultra, squished in Galaxy AI, and called it a day. Recycled features from other products are as far as Samsung could be bothered to go with its flagship smartwatch range this year, and that's pretty poor. Oh, wait, sorry, it's not identical. For some unknown reason, the Galaxy Watch 7 is larger than the Galaxy Watch 6, but doesn't add a large display or battery to make up for it. So, really, it's actually worse than last year's watch if you want a small, subtle smartwatch. Honestly, I'm a little baffled that they bothered to release the Galaxy Watch 7 at all. I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually find out Samsung intended the Ultra to be this year's big release and realized late into the process that it would be too expensive to ship out as a baseline Galaxy Watch and scrambled to throw together the Watch 7. The Galaxy Watch 7 is really the "Galaxy Watch 6 Plus", and it doesn't even add that much. Thankfully, there's an alternative. The Samsung smartwatch I'm buying instead The Classic model has been my go-to for Samsung's smartwatch range since it debuted with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, and while it clearly won't be releasing a new version every year, last year's Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is still good enough to buy in 2024. Just think about it: The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has most of the same features, the same excellent exercise tracking, and it packs that into a much more desirable watch-like design, with a rotating bezel that can be used instead of the touchscreen. For me, there's no doubt the Watch 6 Classic is the better buy when it comes to a standard Samsung smartwatch, and it's probably the reason Samsung has kept it around. Sure, it doesn't have the new Exynos W1000 processor, but who cares? It's counting steps, not rendering Assassin's Creed. Samsung isn't offering any sort of discount on the Watch 6 Classic, even now that the Watch 7 is out, which feels like it should be against some sort of international law. New product comes out, old product gets cheaper -- even Apple gets that. But even that lends credence to my argument; Samsung clearly sees the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic as an equal product to the Galaxy Watch 7. It's close enough and still really good, so why not keep charging the same price? But regardless of how salty I get about discounts, the facts of the matter don't change: The Galaxy Watch 7 is a Galaxy Watch 6, but with a few borrowed features. It's lazy. Don't buy it. Buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic instead, you won't regret it.