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Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic were officially announced today at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul. They’re the company’s latest smartwatches in the Galaxy Watch series and bring back some notable and beloved features, while also introducing some new stuff to keep things interesting. Samsung announced both watches alongside its new Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Galaxy Tab S9.
With the new watch series, Samsung is changing some things. But there’s a lot that users of past devices in the series will find familiar here. And on that same token, a lot that users will end up loving. As we’ve said before, Samsung is taking the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach here. With all of that said, we’ll use this guide to break down everything there is to know about Samsung’s newest watches. Should you be considering buying the Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, you’ll find all the necessary details here to help you make that purchase.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6/Galaxy Watch 6 Classic specs
Both the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic are powered by Samsung’s newest smartwatch chip. The Exynos W930. This is a dual-core processor that clocks in at 1.4GHz. It also has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage for apps and music. Each watch comes in two sizes. The Galaxy Watch 6 comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes. The Classic model meanwhile comes in 43mm and 47mm sizes.
This plays an important role in both the larger screen sizes this year and the batteries. Normally, Samsung has slightly different batteries for each watch. But the company has kind of standardized things here across both watch models for battery capacity and battery life. In the 40mm and 43mm watches, you’ll find a battery with a 300mAh capacity. The larger versions of each watch will house a battery with a capacity of 425mAh. As for battery life, both watches, regardless of size it seems, will last around the same amounts.
Samsung says users should expect up to 40 hours with the Always-On Display off, and up to 30 hours if it’s on. If that battery life ends up not being enough for you, well not to worry because both watch models support Fast Charging. For displays, you’re looking at Super AMOLED full color displays with Sapphire Crystal glass for protection. As for display sizes, the 40mm and 43mm come with a 1.3-inch display (432×432), and the 44mm and 47mm come with a 1.5-inch display (480×480).
Both watches run on Wear OS 4 out of the box with Samsung’s One UI 5 Watch software for the UI, and both watches are 5ATM + IP687 rated, as well as MIL-STD-810H certified.
Dimensions & weight
The weight will slightly change based on which bands you may use. But going off of Samsung’s specs, here’s what you’re looking at for the size and weight. Worth noting is that this is based on the Watch 6 with the Armor Aluminum case and the sport band, and the Watch 6 Classic with a Stainless Steel case and the Hybrid Eco-Leather band. For the Watch 6, the 40mm measures 38.8 x 40.4 x 9.0 mm, and weighs 28.7g. The 44mm measures 42.8 x 44.4 x 9.0 mm, and weighs 33.3g.
For the Watch 6 Classic, the 43mm measures 42.5 x 42.5 x 10.9 mm, and weighs 52.0g. The 47mm measures 46.5 x 46.5 x 10.9 mm, and weighs 59.0g.
Sensors
There are quite a few sensors in each watch, which is how they’re able to do many of the things they can do. Both the Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic have all the same sensors, except for one. You’ll find the Samsung BioActive Sensor (which houses Optical Heart Rate, Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical
Impedance Analysis sensors), a Temperature Sensor, an Accelerometer, a Barometer, a Gyro Sensor, a Geomagnetic Sensor, and a Light Sensor in both watches. The Watch 6 Classic also has a 3D Hall sensor.
How much do the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic cost?
The pricing is pretty on par with what the watches were last year, although the Watch 6 Classic will end up a tiny bit less than the Watch 5 Pro. For pricing, the Galaxy Watch 6 will start at $299 for the 40mm model with WiFi/Bluetooth connections. The 44mm model will be $329.
The Watch 6 Classic with the same connectivity options will start at $399 for the 43mm model, and go up to $429 for the 47mm model. You can also get each of these watches, in both sizes, with LTE for a $50 premium on top of their normal prices. Making those costs $349, $379, $449, and $479 respectively.
Where can I buy the watches?
You can buy either watch from multiple retailers and some carriers. Here’s what you’re looking at for all the options below.
– Samsung
– Best Buy
–Amazon (Galaxy Watch 6 Classic)
–AT&T (Galaxy Watch 6 Classic)
–T-Mobile (Galaxy Watch 6 Classic)
What colors do the watches come in?
There are three official colors for each watch. Although you can’t get each size in all three colors. As with past years, not all colors will be available on both watches. And on top of that, the Watch 6 will have two colors that are only available in one size or the other. Here’s what you’re looking at for colors on both devices.
The Watch 6 will come in Graphite and Gold in the 40mm size, and Graphite and Silver in the 44mm size. If you’re going for the Watch 6 Classic, things are a little simpler here in terms of choosing. Because the two available colors are available in both sizes. You can choose between Black or Silver. Color availability may vary based on the retailer you choose to buy from as well. So make sure to check that before purchasing.
What carriers does they work on?
These watches will work only on the carriers where you can buy the watch. As the LTE models are all using eSIMs for the activation of the LTE data, which has to come from the carrier you can buy them at. So, with that said, for users in the US the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic in LTE models will work on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
What are the band options?
Band options are the same across both watch models, and regardless of which size of that model you may pick. You can choose between Sport, Extreme Sport, Hybrid Leather with the magnetic D buckle (the same clasp as the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro), Hybrid Leather with the T buckle, and the new Fabric band, which Samsung touts for being the best option for more comfortable sleep tracking. All of these bands (except for the Fabric band) also now come with the new one-click band system that Samsung has introduced this year, making it way easier to swap out bands if you have more than one.
You should also be able to use third-party bands on each watch model and size variant, provided the bands meet the size requirements. This means you should be able to use older bands on the new watches.
Are the bands backwards compatible with older watches?
Samsung has confirmed that the new one-click watch system bands will be backwards compatible with Galaxy Watch 5 series and Galaxy Watch 4 series watches. So if you’re upgrading to a new Watch 6, you can give your old watch to a friend or family member, and slide them a new band for easier swapping too.
What are the upgrades this year?
There’s a lot going on that’s either the same or just incremental improvements to older versions of features that were already there. But there are some new things too. For starters, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic obviously brings back the rotating bezel. Which isn’t a new feature for the watch series entirely, but we’ll consider it new this time because it wasn’t on last year’s watches.
The watches are also running on Wear OS 4, the latest version of Google’s watch software, and you can now pair either watch to a new phone without having to wipe it first. Courtesy of the One UI 5 Watch software. Also new are the personalized heart rate zones and the new sleep coaching feature aimed at helping you get a better night’s sleep (sleep health is a big thing this year for the Galaxy Watch series).
Should I buy the Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy Watch 6 Classic?
While we can certainly say that the watch won’t be right for everyone, we can, with complete certainty also say that many of you should unequivocally buy one of these new watches, with a lean towards the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Not only because it’s perfect for people who love small and large size displays, but also because the rotating bezel is back. And this is without a doubt the best way to navigate a Wear OS smartwatch. And perhaps the best way to navigate a smartwatch period.
It just makes things so easy. And is hands down the superior navigation method between it and the touch bezel from last year’s Galaxy watches. Outside of that, there are other reasons to get these watches too. The Wear OS 4 software for one, which promotes better battery life and performance over Wear OS 3. Though how well remains to be seen as we’ll need to do some hands-on testing with our review.
There’s also the ability to pair to a new phone without resetting the watch. Which is going to make swapping phones much easier when dealing with connecting your smartwatch. Overall, there’s a lot of reasons to buy the new models. Even if you’re using a Galaxy Watch 5. Though, we will say that Watch 5 series users do have the least reason to upgrade. Especially if you’re using the Watch 5 Pro. This is a watch aimed more at outdoor adventure types. Which the Watch 6 Classic doesn’t really capture completely. In short, yes, you should probably buy the Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.