The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Is The Biggest Test For Google’s Wear OS

Despite all of Android’s strengths, there are aspects of the ecosystem where it pales in comparison to Apple, and wearables is one of them. The Android Wear OS has always had a weak showing, leading to fragmentation in the wearables space for Android users.

Thus, it came as a surprise when Samsung and Google decided to finally combine powers to make a smartwatch worthy to be added to the Android family. In a move that made Samsung drop Tizen OS, its own watch OS, both companies are now collaborating to unveil the first Wear OS 3 smartwatch, in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic.

If anything, it’s a step in the right direction though we’re not sure if it’ll stem the flow of users hopping over to iOS and the Apple Watch.

What is clear is that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has sports enthusiasts in mind when designing the brand new watch.

With Samsung’s BioActive sensor, both watches are able to measure heart rate, skeletal muscle, fat mass, and body fat, all at the touch of a button. While Samsung’s Galaxy Watches have been excellent in terms of tech, the software side of things has always been lacking. Now with Google fully onboard, the aim here is to ensure seamless integration across any fitness app a user prefers. 

Google Fit will be fully supported by both Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 devices so this partnership is off to a strong start. In our exclusive hands-on, the UI feels quick and snappy which makes navigating the myriad of menus on such a small watch face a breeze.

Hardware wise, both Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 devices have the Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18Ghz processor, with 1.5GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. The defining difference between the two Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic devices are the size of the watch faces, and a control dial that can only be found on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Anyone opting for a more sporty look will feel more at home with the Watch 4, as the Watch 4 Classic looks more clean cut. Price-wise, the base Bluetooth Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 starts from S$398, and the range tops off with the LTE Galaxy Watch 4 Classic at S$798 which is a rather wide variance.

Anyone who has used a Samsung Galaxy Watch device would swear by the control dial feature, and the combination of this with Google’s Wear OS is a dream come through Guess. Here’s hoping we might finally see how far Samsung and Google will be able to take the fight to Apple, and be a true contender in the wearables space.

Preorders are now live via Lazada and Shopee.

Model	Samsung Galaxy Watch 4	Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
OS	Wear OS Powered by Samsung	Wear OS Powered by Samsung
UI	One UI Watch 3	One UI Watch 3
Processor	Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18GHz (5nm Processor)	Exynos W920 Dual Core 1.18GHz (5nm Processor)
Memory	1.5GB RAM	1.5GB RAM
Storage	16GB	16GB
Display	44mm: 1.4″ (34.6mm) 450×450 Super AMOLED, Full Colour Always On Display, Corning Gorilla Glass with DX+ 40mm: 1.2″ (30.4mm) 396×396 Super AMOLED, Full Colour Always On Display, Corning Gorilla Glass with DX+	46mm: 1.4″ (35mm) 450×450 Super AMOLED, Full Colour Always On Display, Corning Gorilla Glass with DX 42mm: 1.2″ (30mm) 396×396 Super AMOLED, Full Colour Always ON Display, Corning Gorilla Glass with DX
Connectivity	LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo	LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo
Battery	44mm/46mm: 361mAh, 40mm/42mm: 247mAh (typical) WPC-based wireless charging	44mm/46mm: 361mAh, 40mm/42mm: 247mAh (typical) WPC-based wireless charging
Sensors	Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor	Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor
Price (SGD, including GST)	Galaxy Watch4 44mm – $448 (Bluetooth) / $548 (LTE) Galaxy Watch4 40mm – $398 (Bluetooth) / $498 (LTE)	Galaxy Watch4 Classic 46mm – $598 (Bluetooth) / S$748 (LTE) Galaxy Watch4 Classic 42mm – $548 (Bluetooth) / $698 (LTE)
Availability (Singapore)	2 September 2021	2 September 2021