Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Galaxy Watch 4: Time to improve

• Supply: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

  The massive-screen successor

  The Galaxy Watch 6 takes a fantastic method and improves it. Smaller bezels permit for greater screens inside the similar bodily footprint, and the brand new processor and battery ought to result in stellar battery life.

  Execs

  • Bigger show
  • Larger battery

• 

  Supply: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

  Previous dependable

  $170 $200 Save $30

  The Galaxy Watch 4 could be two years outdated, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a incredible wearable. Efficiency and battery life have held up effectively, and all of the equipment for newer fashions are backward suitable, so giving it a recent lease on life is simple.

  Execs

  • Regularly on sale
  • Nonetheless as trendy as the brand new mannequin

  Cons

  • Gradual charging
  • Smaller battery

Abstract

• The Galaxy Watch 6 presents upgrades in display dimension, battery life, and charging pace, making it a compelling improve for these utilizing the older Watch 4.
• The Watch 6 has a bigger and brighter display, sooner efficiency, and improved battery life in comparison with the Watch 4.
• The Watch 4 remains to be a fantastic wearable with dependable efficiency and battery life, and its equipment are backward suitable with newer fashions.

Alongside its 2023 foldable updates, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 6. The 2 earlier generations had been a number of the most profitable Put on OS gadgets, so this new mannequin has lots to dwell as much as.

The Galaxy Watch 4 revitalized Put on OS as the primary smartwatch to ship with Google’s reinvented wearable platform. Two years on, how does it examine to the brand new child on the block?

Value, availability, and specs

The Galaxy Watch 6 is now on sale at $300 for the smallest non-cellular mannequin. Going as much as 44mm will value $320, whereas the LTE fashions are available in at $350 and $380, respectively. The Watch 6 is on the market worldwide from most main retailers.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is 2 years outdated, however Finest Purchase and Samsung nonetheless promote it model new, at $220 for the 40mm LTE mannequin and $250 for the 44mm LTE model. The non-cellular variations of the Watch 4 are now not out there.

As you’d think about, the specs have come a great distance in two years, and you’ll see that within the spec desk under:

• 	Samsung Galaxy Watch 6	Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
  Battery Life	30 hours with All the time On Show and 40 hours with out	Round 40 Hours
  Case Materials	Aluminum	Aluminum
  Show	1.3″ Tremendous AMOLED 432×432 (40mm) or 1.5″ 480×480 (44mm), All the time On Show	1.2″ Tremendous AMOLED 396×396 (40mm) or 1.4″ 450×450 (44mm)
  CPU	Exynos W930	Exynos W920
  RAM	2GB	1.5GB
  Storage	16GB	16GB
  Battery	300mAh (40mm) or 425mAh (44mm)	247mAh (40mm) or 361mAh (44mm)
  Connectivity	NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, LTE (non-compulsory)	NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, LTE (non-compulsory)
  Sturdiness	IP68, Waterproof as much as 50 meters (5ATM), MIL-STD-810H	IP68, Waterproof as much as 50 meters (5ATM)
  Software program	Put on OS 4 with One UI 5 Watch	Put on OS 3 Powered by Samsung
  Well being sensors	Samsung BioActive Sensor, Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Mild Sensor	Coronary heart Price, EKG, Bioelectrical Impedance, Constructed-in GPS
  Value	From $300	From $200
  Weight	28.7g (40mm) or 33.3g (42mm)	25.9g (40mm) or 30.3g (42mm)

Design

The Galaxy Watch 6 hasn’t modified a lot. It is recognizably a Galaxy Watch, and that is a great factor contemplating the Watch 4 nonetheless appears nice in the present day. The principle distinction you will discover is the show dimension. Due to smaller bezels, every watch dimension will get a show 0.1-inch bigger than the older mannequin regardless of the casing being the identical dimension.

One other welcome change is the strap mechanism. Each the Watch 4 and Watch 6 take customary straps, however the ones Samsung has made for the brand new mannequin have a quick-release button that is far simpler to make use of than the little pins you had to make use of earlier than. These new straps are backwards suitable, so you should buy them in your older Galaxy Watch.

Shows

Relying on dimension, the Galaxy Watch 4 got here with a 1.2-inch or 1.4-inch show. The Watch 6, because of the beforehand talked about slim bezels, has bumped these numbers as much as 1.3-inch and 1.5-inch together with a small decision bump. The larger distinction you will discover is brightness. The Watch 4 might attain a greater than respectable 1,000 nits, however the Watch 6 doubles this to 2,000 nits, making it excellent to be used in direct daylight.

The brand new watch can be higher protected, switching away from the Gorilla Glass DX+ that the Watch 4 makes use of in favor of sapphire crystal, which is way more durable to break.

Efficiency and battery life

Efficiency was by no means a difficulty for the Watch 4. The Exynos W920 was a incredible chip that balanced efficiency and effectivity, not like the Exynos chips we see in smartphones. Paired with 1.5GB of RAM and both a 257mAh or 361mAh battery, the Watch 4 might simply final a couple of day and a half between costs, and it provided easy efficiency the entire time.

The Watch 6 has up to now confirmed even higher than the Watch 4 in that regard, lasting a full two days with typical use. The brand new Exynos W930 is quicker and extra environment friendly, the RAM has gone up 2GB, and the batteries are actually 300mAh and 425mAh. The effectivity of the brand new chip and the bigger battery make this a simple win for the Watch 6.

Software program

The Galaxy Watch 4 launched with Put on OS 3.0 and One UI Watch 3 and has since been up to date to Put on OS 3.5 and One UI Watch 4.5. The Galaxy Watch 6 has launched with Put on OS 4.0, and One UI Watch 5, bringing minor adjustments and enhancements. This may arrive as a software program replace for the Watch 4 and Watch 5 within the coming weeks.

Samsung watches are promised 4 years of updates, so the Watch 4 will proceed to get software program assist till 2026, with the Watch 6 getting updates till 2028.

Do you have to improve?

Sure, you most likely ought to. I’ve had my 44mm Galaxy Watch 4 since launch, and I like it. The efficiency remains to be nice, however battery life is not. Two years is when battery cells begin to degrade, and I now should cost my Watch 4 each night time as a substitute of each different night time. That is high-quality for now, nevertheless it’ll solely worsen because the watch ages.

The Watch 6 has a bigger, brighter display, a bigger battery, and, most significantly, sooner charging. All of these issues collectively make it a compelling improve for these of us nonetheless utilizing the older Watch 4.

That stated, the Watch 4 nonetheless supplies a quick and easy expertise, and the pricing ought to fall fairly shortly now that the Watch 6 is right here. If you happen to do not thoughts settling for fewer updates and options, grabbing a Galaxy Watch 4 in a sale would nonetheless be price it – and in case you already personal one and the battery goes robust, there is no hurt in getting essentially the most out of it for a little bit longer.