Samsung has finally revived the Galaxy Watch Classic, and it’s the Galaxy Watch8 Classic this time. It’s framed as a premium Wear OS smartwatch that blends timeless style, advanced health monitoring, and new AI capabilities. Fresh off its launch, it is priced from around ₹46,999 in India, positioned as a high-end choice for buyers who want the rotating bezel and strong fitness tools.
Upgrades include a more efficient 3nm Exynos chipset, doubled storage to 64GB, a brighter 3000-nit screen, and Galaxy AI for personalized insights. However, with the original Galaxy Watch Ultra available for cheaper, questions arise about whether the Watch8 Classic is worth it or not. Let’s find out in this review.
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic Price & Availability
The Galaxy Watch8 Classic comes in a single 46mm size with Black, White, and Silver options, available in Bluetooth and LTE variants. It is available across Amazon, Flipkart, Samsung Store, and offline retailers, with the LTE model starting at ₹50,999 and the non-LTE at ₹46,999. In the US, it costs $549 for the LTE variant and $499 for the non-LTE.
Pros
- Premium stainless steel construction with cushion design
- Smooth and tactile rotating bezel navigation
- Super bright display with 3000 Nits peak brightness
- Reliable health tracking
- Wear OS 6 with Galaxy AI
- Reliable notifications and calls
- IP68 and MIL-STD-810H durability
- 64GB storage finally
Cons
- Only one size – 46mm
- Average battery life of 1 to 1.5 days, shorter with workout tracking
- Proprietary Dynamic Lug system reduces third-party band options
- Slow charging
- Some health features locked to Samsung phones, such as ECG and blood pressure
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic Review: Design & Build
The Galaxy Watch8 Classic features a stainless steel case with a cushion-shaped design, unifying the design language across Samsung’s smartwatch lineup. The highlight is the rotating bezel (loved by many), which allows smooth and precise navigation.
Samsung has also introduced a Quick Button, which can launch workouts instantly or be customized for other actions, alongside the existing home and back buttons. The microphone and speaker are located on the sides.
The Dynamic Lug system accommodates 20mm bands, making strap changes easier, though compatibility is limited to Samsung and approved options. Samsung’s own straps, such as leather-silicone hybrids, enhance comfort for extended wear. However, I fear that they might *wear* off rather quickly.
The watch is MIL-STD-810H certified, meaning it withstands drops and extreme conditions. However, the stainless steel frame can scratch without proper care. At 63.5 grams and 10.6mm thickness, the watch is heavy on small wrists but remains comfortable for me if worn slightly loose to avoid sensor imprints.
Note that the Watch8 Classic is heavier compared to the Galaxy Watch Ultra and OnePlus Watch 3. Despite that, the rotating bezel continues to impress me, especially with that excellent tactile response. The cushion design also helps improve contact between the sensors and skin for greater accuracy.
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic Review: Display and Haptics
The Watch8 Classic features a 1.34-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 438×438 pixels, offering a pixel density of 327 ppi. It produces vivid colors, deep blacks, and excellent visibility under sunlight thanks to its 3000-nit peak brightness, which is a significant improvement over the 2000-nit brightness of its predecessors.
Low-light dimming ensures the screen is comfortable for night use, and Sleep Mode automatically activates at night too. The always-on display options are customizable. The smaller screen compared to the Watch6 Classic (1.34-inch versus 1.5-inch) makes typing more difficult though (Gboard makes the experience a bit better however).
The watch is water resistant with IP68 and 5ATM ratings, though it may fog slightly in hot showers. Haptics are strong but still need some improvement, and touch responsiveness is smooth with no major lag. Viewing the display hasn’t been an issue for me, whether indoors or outdoors. I wish it could get a little dimmer at night though.
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic Review: Performance and Software
The Watch8 Classic is powered by Samsung’s new 3nm Exynos W1000 chipset, with a 5-core CPU and Mali-G68 GPU. It is paired with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which is a significant increase from the 16GB storage offered in earlier models. It runs Wear OS 6 with Samsung’s One UI 8 Watch interface.
The watch comes preloaded with apps such as Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube Music, while additional apps can be downloaded from the Play Store. Browsing websites is possible but not comfortable on the small display. The doubled storage allows more offline music, apps, and AI data.
Performance is smooth, with fluid animations and minimal stutters. The new chipset is up to 3.7 times faster than older models. Samsung promises four years of updates, taking the Watch8 Classic up to Wear OS 10 by 2029. LTE models sometimes receive updates later than Bluetooth variants.
The default Samsung keyboard feels lacking, with no glide typing by default and no quick access to numbers or emojis. Switching to Gboard gave me a much better experience. I also noticed some font inconsistencies, where Roboto appears instead of the new One UI Sans.
One UI 8 Watch introduces “widgets” in cushion-style tiles for more organized navigation, grouped notifications, and a grid app drawer. Some users find the flat, pill-shaped interface less suited to a round display, feeling as though it anticipates future square designs.
AI features include native Gemini support for timers, guided runs, and contextual assistance through the Now Bar, which shows shortcuts for music, appointments, or workouts. While useful, these AI tools remain fairly basic. The Now Bar also doesn’t look good on the watchface.
When paired with non-Samsung phones, you get all the features except DND sync, camera remote, and some health features. Overall, performance is a clear step forward compared to older models such as the Watch6 Classic but not much different to the original Watch Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic Review: Connectivity
Bluetooth pairing is generally reliable, though if you are using a non-Samsung device, you may face occasional issues like delayed backups or sync errors, which are usually resolved with resets. The LTE model allows independent calling and data through eSIM, but this consumes more power.
The watch supports Wi-Fi, dual-band GPS for accurate location tracking, and NFC for payments, which integrate most smoothly with Samsung’s ecosystem. You also get Samsung Wallet support, and it even works without a Samsung phone.
Call quality is clear on the microphone, although the speaker is slightly tinny and not ideal for listening to music or anything other than calls. WhatsApp notifications and calls work well with Samsung phones but are less consistent with other Android devices.
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic Review: Companion Apps
While the Galaxy Wearable app handles pairing and connectivity, the Samsung Health app serves as the main hub for workouts, health data, and more. It now includes insights like Energy Score, which factors in sleep, activity, and HRV to assess readiness and provide coaching suggestions. It tracks steps, heart rate, sleep, stress, and SpO2, with the option to sync data with Google Fit.
For advanced features such as ECG, blood pressure, antioxidant index, and vascular load, the Samsung Health Monitor app is required. These features work most seamlessly on Samsung phones, although sideloading enables them on other Android devices with some limitations.
The setup requires calibration for ECG and blood pressure. The interface is clean and easy to navigate, though occasional sync delays can happen. However, I am not a fan of this approach where I need to install three different companion apps to use my watch properly—Galaxy Wearable, Samsung Health, and Samsung Health Monitor.
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic Review: Health and Fitness
The Watch8 Classic includes Samsung’s upgraded BioActive sensor suite, which consists of optical HR, ECG electrodes, BIA for body composition, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, altimeter, SpO2, skin temperature, and new sensors for antioxidant index and vascular load.
It supports more than 100 workout modes, with automatic detection for activities like running, walking, and cycling. Metrics include pace, calories, distance, and real-time feedback. The AI Running Coach benchmarks a 12-minute run to design customized plans aimed at reducing injury risk.
Heart rate and step tracking are accurate for general use, though intense workouts sometimes show slight dips. Dual-band GPS offers excellent accuracy for outdoor activities.
Sleep tracking measures stages such as light, deep, and REM sleep, and provides scores with actionable coaching. It also tracks breathing and nap detection for naps longer than 30 minutes. Stress and SpO2 tracking can be done on-demand or continuously.
The vascular load feature measures recovery by analyzing HRV and blood pressure patterns. The antioxidant index measures oxidative stress through a thumb press, giving users lifestyle-based insights. However, it is not medical-grade.
ECG and blood pressure require Samsung devices or sideloading. Body composition scans provide fast results for muscle and fat percentages. Overall, the Watch8 Classic is solid for fitness enthusiasts, though Garmin devices are probably still a better choice.
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic Review: Battery Life and Charging
The Galaxy Watch8 Classic has a 445mAh battery, which is a 20mAh increase compared to the Watch6 Classic. Battery life averages 1 to 1.5 days (24 to 36 hours) with always-on display enabled, continuous HR monitoring, auto brightness, moderate notifications, and auto workout detection enabled.
With a 2-hour workout session and some mobile data usage, endurance drops to under 20 hours. Using LTE or GPS reduces it further to about 18 hours or less. Essentially, I have to charge my watch every day, which is not a great experience.
Charging speed is limited to 10W wireless, and it takes about 1.5 hours for a full charge. A 30-minute charge provides 10 to 12 hours of usage. Charging is slower than the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s 15W support or the Apple Watch Series 10, which charges to 80 percent in 30 minutes.
The charger magnets aren’t very strong, but you do get a Type-C cable in the box for charging. Battery life and charging speeds are the biggest downsides of the Galaxy Watch8 Classic.
Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic?
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic is a premium Wear OS smartwatch that delivers a beautiful design, smooth performance, and advanced health tracking. While it improves on the Watch6 Classic with better efficiency and sensor accuracy, it still falls short of the Galaxy Watch Ultra and other rivals when it comes to battery life.
If you want the rotating bezel and premium build, the Watch8 Classic is the only real option, unless you want to go for the Watch6 Classic. For others, the original Galaxy Watch Ultra is likely the better pick. And if your priority is health and fitness with long-lasting endurance, a Garmin watch would be the wiser investment.
Smartprix ⭐ Rating: 8/10
- Design and Build: 9/10
- Display: 8.5/10
- Performance and Software: 8/10
- Connectivity: 7.6/10
- Samsung Health App: 8.5/10
- Health and Fitness: 8.5/10
- Battery and Charging: 7/10
