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Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Yes, it really is worth $500 (www.androidauthority.com)

submitted 4 months ago by kirk781@discuss.tchncs.de to c/android@lemmy.world

24 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I would respectfully disagree. Samsung already gates features for it's phones and now it is gating features to GW 8 despite there being no new sensor upgrade from previous generation. The Antioxidant Index and Vascular load, is just gated to GW 8 for the heck of it and one is not even sure how accurate it is.

There was the Stress thing which I don't even use on my GW 6 because it's err, completely useless. It aims to measure physical stress using HRV but is completely out of touch to how I feel. The only thing it does decently is music streaming and sleep tracking.

And then there is the Achilles' Heel, Battery life. Samsung 's Tizen watches used to last for two/three days and Wear OS is a significant downgrade even the Ultra variants. They have not taken any cues either from Mobvoi or Oneplus (either dual display or dual chip). Charging sucks as well. On GW 4, it was so slow that I wished to throw it. 10W WPC is better but it again overheats and throttles in hot climate.

all 29 comments

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[–] dgriffith@aussie.zone 30 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Waiting patiently for the arrival of my pebble time 2 with its moderate array of features and its 21+ day battery life.

[–] AlecSadler@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 4 months ago

My coworker and I pre-ordered both. We're excited. To this day no other smartwatch does what my Pebble did in the way that met all my hot buttons.

[–] kirk781@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Yes, I hope Pebble launches internationally (availability in most countries). I hope to daily drive my Galaxy Watch until it's battery gives away and then looking for another alternative.

[–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

$500 watch and 1.5 days battery life... Fucking useless trash

I bought a Suunto race for ~450eur and it has 1-2weeks of battery life depending on how much sports I track

[–] DSN9@lemmy.ml 20 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

They are releasing watch after watch with near zero differentiation. In some cases the newer models are actually worse.

It's an impressive level or garbage and waste. I'm surprised people buy this garbage.

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 4 months ago

It's the Apple business model. No meaningful innovation, just minor tweaks.

[+] 3aqn5k6ryk@lemmy.world 15 points 4 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

[deleted]

[–] DJDarren@sopuli.xyz 1 points 4 months ago

As someone with ADHD, my one use case for a smart watch is to send me notifications. If I take my phone out to see why it buzzed, I'm losing the next fifteen minutes to it.

I don't need a £500 watch for that. The Garmin I picked up for £50 from FB Marketplace does it just fine, and the battery lasts damn near a week.

[–] dingus@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

The one thing my smartphone can't do better for me is exercise tracking! When I was first getting into running, I got myself a smartwatch to stay motivated. It helped a TON to see how far I was running, how much time I had remaining on my runs, how fast I was going, etc. Somehow I managed to stay motivated to run relatively consistently for over a year and I attribute a huge part of this from being able to track my progress with a device. I had never been so consistent with an exercise plan before. I unfortunately haven't been running lately due to an injury, but I'm trying to supplement it with swimming which my watch also helps me with (counting laps for me, tracking my time, etc).

I agree that unlike a lot of tech out there, smartwatches are absolutely NOT essential devices like cell phones. But they are absolutely fantastic if you want to track or stay motivated with exercise, and just a fun lil gizmo to have.

[–] Shakuni@lemmy.ml 13 points 4 months ago

$500 e-waste.

[–] dingus@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Lmao what moron actually thinks it is worth $500? Obv some dumbass shill.

I have and enjoy Samsung smartwatches. But for the love of Christ, get them on sale. You can always get them for a heavy discount. Anyone paying full MSRP for a Samsung smartwatch is a huge schmuck. I got mine for around $270 and with my career, it is a very comfortable price for fun new tech devices to play with. Wait for a sale and trade in a cheapo used device you purchase from eBay or Amazon. (Got the watch for $200 and spent $70 on Amazon for a trade in device)

To the OP, I agree the stress measurement "feature" on these watches is useless hot garbage though. It basically just says that I'm "stressed" when I am physically moving or speaking. Not sure why it exists. Extreme fanboys will say that it is an accurate and useful metric.

[–] Flaim@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 4 months ago

no. no, it isn't worth $500, unless they somehow managed to cram in a solution so it literally NEVER needs to be charged again. and even then, it might be a bit too much.

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

Just wait a year and they'll throw them at you for free with another Samsung product because of overstock.

[–] HurlingDurling@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

My $350 G-Shock Rangeman is better as a smart watch as my battery lasts a month of heavy use. If I want to dress up, I wear my $25 Casio F-91W silver band always gets the complements for being a nice and classic watch.

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

Updated my 6 and now I don't have SpO2 because fuck me I guess. 1 day battery life. Lose a pile of features if you don't have a Samsung phone.

Last piece of Samsung shit I'll ever buy. Fuck Samsung.

[–] MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I'm still rocking a Gear S3.

Works fine and still no issues with tap n' pay.

[–] kirk781@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

How is the battery holding up (after how many years?). Correct me if I am wrong, it was based on homegrown Tizen OS right.

[–] MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

I replaced it once. There's a simple battery replacement pack available online.

[–] AstroLightz@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

No watch is worth 3 figures, let alone $500. I'll stick to my PineTime I got for under $50. It has the same features I use, for a fraction of the cost.

[–] RejZoR@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I got my Galaxy Watch 4 for 130€. I think it was 1 generation old at the time...

[–] MML@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 months ago

$80 GW4 Classic