Back last fall, I reviewed the original Galaxy Watch 4. At the time, people were very nervous because this wasn’t just a natural evolution of Samsung’s already successful Galaxy Watch lineup, it was Google’s first show of WearOS 3, a platform that was supposed to lead other Android-based watchmakers at the time.
But here we are, more than eight months later, and not a single smartwatch has been released with WearOS 3. Google itself has been tight-lipped about the development, to say the least, and all signs point to some sort of secret exclusivity deal being struck, meaning Samsung is still the only place in town if you want Google’s latest software platform.
I’ve been playing with the Watch 4’s big brother, the Watch 4 Classic, which adds the signature rotating edge, or “bezel,” that Samsung is generally known for. You can now get the full-size 46mm for around £369, which is about the same as the base version of the Apple Watch Series 7.
It’s worth mentioning that there isn’t a finger to put a bug on the hardware itself. The rotating bezel is a great way to navigate Samsung’s operating system, and while other reviewers have complained about the included strap, I actually like that it places the dial in the middle of the wrist.
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It’s considerably larger than the equivalent Watch 4, but unfortunately the battery life isn’t much better for that reason. I managed to get about two days of use from a single charge, and that’s the days I get a lot of data from a simple walk with the new BioActive sensor. It should be said, though, that the straps are 20mm instead of 22mm, so none of the straps you might have on a watch of the same size will fit – which is annoying to say the least.
WearOS 3 has become more stable since my last test, and through Google Play, it’s now possible to download many of the solid apps that work so well on the Watch 4 Classic. There’s even now Google Assistant instead of Bixby, and Google Pay instead of Samsung Pay, which has yet to launch in Denmark. Pretty much every app I’ve tried has solid notification support.
Frankly, it’s still a shame that Samsung pushed Tizen so hard to be the only aesthetic language the watch can use. It’s a very core complaint I’ve spoken about before, but since then Samsung hasn’t fully opened up to the possibility of using a “cleaner” version of WearOS 3. This is interesting, by the way, because even though these two models have exclusive rights to WearOS 3, there is no announcement about the Google-based design. It’s more about Samsung allowing Google to deliver apps than actually collaborating on future platforms.
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That shouldn’t stop the Watch 4 Classic from being a very solid smartwatch, and it could easily be recommended to anyone who doesn’t have a ton of 22mm straps. Well, it’s a nice watch, no doubt about it.