Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review: Should you buy it?

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6?

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Right on schedule, Samsung rounded out the summer of 2023 with the launch of its latest smartwatch series, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. The two-pronged lineup reintroduced the company’s Classic model featuring a rotating bezel (omitted from the Watch 5 series), as well as a standard base model. The latter, sportier device is almost otherwise identical to the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, and eerily similar to the vanilla Galaxy Watch 5.

In fact, my first major takeaway from testing the Galaxy Watch 6 was that it looked and felt very similar to the Galaxy Watch 5. The device features a full-color Super AMOLED display with a flat sapphire crystal overtop. On the 40mm model, users find a 1.3-inch screen with 432×432 pixel resolution. On the 44mm device, those specs land at 1.5 inches and 480×480. That’s roughly a 20% increase in real estate thanks to the device’s thinner bezels. The screen also offers double the peak brightness of last year’s model, upgrading from 1,000 to 2,000 nits.

The Galaxy Watch 6 is nearly identical to the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, minus the latter’s rotating bezel.

On the back side, the watch features the regular round-up of health and fitness tracking sensors. It also adds a new quick-release button design for changing bands more efficiently. Below the glass, the watch runs Google’s latest Wear OS 4 software with a One UI Watch 5 overlay. I found the watch’s performance to be clean, sharp, and fresh. Apps loaded quickly and readability was fantastic.

What holds up the user experience is the touch-enabled bezel. It’s wishy-washy at best and downright useless at worst (think any situation involving sweat or grease). I quickly resorted to swipes only for navigation and even those weren’t foolproof. This bungle isn’t necessarily new for a Samsung Galaxy Watch; we cited similar issues on the Galaxy Watch 5 and previous Galaxy Watches without a proper rotating crown. It begs the question of how the touchscreen has not been ironed out yet. It also makes the sporty model a less attractive buy than its Classic sibling.

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Given its athletic aesthetic, most users eyeing the standard model will be interested in its fitness-tracking capabilities. Here, Samsung delivers all the basics like tracking activity, steps, etc. A new running track mode records GPS data on outdoor tracks. Meanwhile, the device detects and creates new custom heart rate zones (once you log a 10-minute run) to help users monitor performance and stay on target during training. I found them extremely helpful for determining how hard to push during interval work.

For cyclists, Samsung also reintroduced automatic cycling detection. Relatedly, the company’s detection is some of the best in the game across multiple workout types. On runs and walks, I can’t get even a house’s distance away without getting credit for it.

Unfortunately, heart rate data on the Watch 6 is inconsistent, though likely accurate enough for the average user. Most prominently, when compared to my Polar chest strap, the device lagged at the beginning of interval workouts. It did match the strap with slightly better accuracy than we found in our Galaxy Watch 6 Classic testing, but more serious athletes would be better off shopping from Garmin’s stable.

Finally, three features still limited to Samsung phone users are on-demand ECGs, irregular heart rate notifications, and blood pressure detection. Though not deal breakers, these health tools could offer a lot of value to more users if not locked behind Samsung’s wall.

Both heart rate data and GPS accuracy are inconsistent, making the device an iffy choice for athletes.

Equally unfortunate is that GPS accuracy on the device is also spotty. During a number of runs, the device lost its way, plotting me slightly off track compared to other reputable devices. While my Apple Watch Series 8 and Garmin Epix showed near alignment, Samsung had me cut a few corners or waiver into streets. In the section of one my neighborhood runs shown above, you can see where the Galaxy Watch took a deep cut rounding the corner of Lilipuna Road. It also tracked me on the opposite side of the road than I actually ran and frequently dipped into the street.

It’s not the worst accuracy I’ve seen, but it’s disappointing to see Samsung drop the ball somewhat. It also sharpens the sting of Samsung’s failing to carry over any of the navigation features of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, including multi-band GNSS.

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Overnight, the watch joined me in bed to track everything from sleep consistency and stages to skin temperature and potential snoring. Samsung also introduced a simple yet effective sleep mode screen. I personally appreciated how easy it was to enable and disable compared to Apple’s Digital Crown method.

Despite the company promoting a significantly improved sleep-tracking platform pre-launch, the tools are mostly reminiscent of last year’s offerings. My penguin sleep animal is wobbly and cute. My stats roughly align with trusted sleep-tracking devices, and sleep coaching is basic but useful for building better habits.

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

After tracking stats day and night, one of the most crucial aspects of any smartwatch is battery life. Both the 40mm and 44mm Samsung watches received bumps in battery size this year and now pack 300mAh and 425mAh batteries, respectively. Samsung claims up to 30 hours in always-on mode. With the always-on display enabled and about one hour of GPS workout tracking per day, my unit lasted almost exactly that. I also didn’t experience the finicky adjustment period I ran into when testing the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

Bigger, brighter AMOLED display • Snappy Wear OS 4 software experience • Sporty yet tasteful aesthetic

Bigger and better.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 brings the best of Wear OS 4 and Samsung’s smartwatch features to the table. A large display and full Samsung Wallet app make the Watch 6 a powerful standalone device, while integration with Samsung phones makes the Watch 6 a valuable part of your Galaxy ecosystem.

What are the best Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 alternatives?

Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 specs

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review: FAQ