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The 8th series of the Samsung Galaxy Watch has made its way from my wrist to the review section here. I’ve spent a good amount of time with the watch, and it is clearly one of the best base variants of the Galaxy Watches. More than another iterative tick, this feels like a genuine leap forward in both hardware and software. Prices in India start at ₹32,999 for the 40mm and ₹35,999 for the 44mm, putting it right in the sweet spot for premium but attainable wearables. And one thing I like the most? Battery life extension. While it still can’t match week-long endurance watches, the gain here is meaningful in real-world use. Let’s explore what else the watch has to offer.
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Design and Controls
The moment you place the Galaxy Watch 8 on your wrist; the lightness is obvious. The new cushion-shaped case design, borrowed from the Ultra, manages to look distinctive without the boxy awkwardness, and at 11% thinner than its predecessor, it wears flatter and more naturally. The Armor Aluminum build balances durability and weight, making it feel both premium and easy to wear all day.
Samsung’s Dynamic Lug system reduces on-wrist movement, helping the bands hug your wrist securely. Strap swaps are possible, though fiddly if you’ve got short nails. The standard model has a minimalist aluminium case with no physical bezel, while the Classic retains the rotating bezel, plus an extra customisable action button alongside the home and back buttons.
Durability and Safety
This year’s Galaxy Watch 8 is built to handle more than desk duty. It’s rated 5ATM for water resistance, IP68 for dust/water ingress, and MIL-STD-810H for military-grade toughness. That means it can handle pool swims, dust, sweat, and bumps without flinching. Safety features include SOS and fall detection, giving peace of mind whether you’re out on a trail or commuting in the city.
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Display
Screen dimensions remain the same at 1.3 inches on the 40mm model and 1.5 inches on the 44mm model, but brightness is cranked up to a huge 3,000 nits, that’s 1,000 nits more than the Galaxy Watch 7 and equal to the Ultra models. It makes a visible difference outdoors, where workout stats, maps, and notifications stay sharp even under midday sun.
Bezels feel slimmer thanks to the brighter, more vibrant AMOLED panel. Touch response is quick, and haptics give a subtle tap with each interaction. Replying to messages directly from the watch is smooth and practical, a small but impactful daily convenience.
Software
The Watch 8 runs One UI 8 Watch on Wear OS 6, and the changes are actually useful. The Now Bar appears on your watch face whenever you’ve got a background task running, like a workout or timer, and tapping it expands to a full view instantly. At-a-glance app views have been redesigned for cleaner navigation.
Google Gemini is on-wrist out of the box – a first. It handles simple and multi-step commands like “start a 20-minute run” or “find the best gym near me and text Julie.” While I didn’t use it for everything, having instant voice control for directions, workouts, or quick texts made a noticeable difference.
Processor and Performance
The latest Galaxy Watch 8 is powered by Samsung’s Exynos W1000 (5-core, 3 nm) processor with 5 cores, paired with generous 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of storage, the same spec ballpark as the Watch Ultra. That means instant app launches, seamless multitasking, and room to store playlists, maps, and apps without compromise.
The addition of L1+L5 dual-frequency GPS makes location tracking more precise, especially in urban environments where tall buildings can interfere with weaker GPS signals. Combined with the faster chip, it’s a responsive, accurate watch that feels ready for anything.
Health and Fitness
Samsung has leaned hard into health and fitness, adding a few standout tricks to its already robust arsenal. The Running Coach is particularly impressive, a 12-minute test run assigns you one of 160 training plans, adapting as your performance changes over time. The antioxidant index is a quirky but intriguing addition, using your thumb to measure carotenoids and hint at your dietary health. Sleep apnea detection joins the party too, alongside Samsung’s already solid sleep tracking.
All the usual suspects are here: heart rate, body composition analysis, advanced sleep cycles, daily energy score, automatic workout detection, and a buffet of supported activity types. But note, for Blood Pressure and ECG, you’ll need to pair with a Samsung phone. And while the readings are interesting, I wouldn’t suggest relying on them as clinical proof. Always back it up with lab tests if accuracy matters.
Battery
For me, this is where the Galaxy Watch 8 quietly shines. The 325 mAh battery delivers up to 30 hours with AOD on, and in mixed use (workouts, notifications, sleep tracking), I comfortably got through almost 2 days before needing a top-up. That’s still short of dedicated running watches, but better than many premium smartwatches.
Charging is slower than I’d like, a full 0–100% recharge took almost one and a half hours with the proprietary puck. Still, the gain in endurance compared to older Galaxy Watches and Apple Watches makes a practical difference in daily use.
Verdict
After a long stretch of incremental updates in the smartwatch world, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 feels like a proper refresh. It’s lighter, smarter, and more refined, with a brighter display, thoughtful software tweaks and a battery that finally gives you breathing room. The AI features, while not life-changing yet, hint at where wearables are headed, and Samsung’s health tracking remains among the best in the business.
If you’re upgrading from an older Galaxy Watch, this one will serve you well for the next two to three years. It’s a watch you can wear all day, every day, without fuss and that’s exactly what a good smartwatch should be. As I said at the start, the Galaxy Watch 8 doesn’t just look like progress, it feels like it, and that’s what makes it worth strapping on.
Published – August 18, 2025 12:15 pm IST
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