Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
Samsung’s latest generation of the Galaxy Watch 6 comes in a larger Classic version. It sports a bigger case and a physical rotating bezel to control the watch, alongside all the other welcome improvements in the vanilla Watch 6.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic was one of Samsung’s first Wear OS devices, but given that generational improvements — from Watch 4 to 5, then from Watch 5 to 6 — have been slight, it’s still a viable option today.
Samsung stakes part of its reputation on trying things to see what sticks. The company often finds itself listed among thebest smartwatches for Android, where it’s a good bet that any Galaxy Watch is among them. TheGalaxy Watch 6 Classicis somewhat of a throwback in that it brings back the physical rotating bezel that was a trademark feature for years until Samsung cut it loose — and the “Classic” moniker — in the previous Watch 5 series. That omission makes comparing the Watch 6 Classic andWatch 4 Classicmore interesting. Should you go older school or strap the newer one on your wrist instead? Let’s go over the details.
Price, availability, and specs
Despite the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic being two steps ahead as far as generations go, the Watch 4 Classic isn’t being completely left behind. Retail availability for these two largely come from the same places, though you will naturally find the newer Watch 6 Classic easier with its $400 starting price over the now-discounted Watch 4 Classic that ranges between $250-$380, depending on where you find it. You get black and silver variants for both, plus similar sizes either way.
There are other noteworthy differences between them when you look at the specs here:
It’s not always common for a company to remove a physical element and then return to it, but that’s what makes the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic feel like a direct successor to the Watch 4 Classic. Samsung opted to remove the physical rotating bezel with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which took away one of the more iconic features from the company’s smartwatches to date. Doing so also removed one of the easiest ways to navigate the interface, where the trusted “click” feedback feels precise with each turn, either in cycling through widgets, apps, or settings.
The biggest difference between these two watches starts with size options. Samsung went a tad bigger here with 47mm and 43mm variants for the Watch 6 Classic, compared to the 46mm and 42mm in the Watch 4 Classic. That makes the 6 series the largest to date, though it shares the exact same color options — black and silver — as the 4 series does. Screen sizes also mirror the overall design changes, with a 0.1-inch increase for both variants in the Watch 6 Classic, including slightly sharper Super AMOLED displays.
Samsung uses a stainless steel body in the Watch 6 Classic just like that in the Watch 4 Classic, with similar durability metrics at 5ATM and IP68 water and dust resistance, as well as MIL-STD-H/G protection. The size increases do make the newer watches heavier on the wrist. As for straps, Samsung changed the mechanism to make it easier to swap out, but the 20mm size hasn’t changed, so you would theoretically be able to use older straps on the newer watches, or vice versa.
Software and health tracking
Samsung equipped the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic with 2GB of RAM, bumping it up from the 1.5GB from previous models. Its Exynos W930 chipset also has a higher 1.4GHz clock speed over the 1.12GHz speed of the older Exynos W920 chip. A more reliable Bluetooth 5.3 connection helps with stability and lower power consumption, though little has changed from a connectivity standpoint, otherwise. Both watches have LTE variants, with the same Wi-Fi standards and even eSIM compatibility. Either Classic will connect to phones the same way, including stewardship via Samsung’s Galaxy Wearable app.
One UI Watch 5 — built on Wear OS 4 — launched on the Galaxy Watch 6 series, and it’s now available on the older Watch 4 series, too. Wear OS 4 brings newer features, like text-to-speech, updated Samsung Wallet, SOS emergency contact, and automatic backups. And in a big move, Wear OS 4 makes it possible to switch your Galaxy Watch to a new phone without having to reset it, which is something Wear OS 3 still can’t do.
For health and fitness tracking, Samsung went after runners in the Watch 6 Classic by adding personalized heart rate zones made up of five intensity zones. The watch will then track running activity to gauge which zone you’re in and how you can move up. Exercise tracking is mostly the same beyond that, with the Watch 4 Classic offering the same automatic exercise tracking the 6 Classic does.
Where things differ further is in sleep tracking, with onboard coaching designed to help build better sleep habits. The Watch 6 Classic tracks heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep stages, and breathing while you sleep to generate a score and feedback indicating why you may have slept well or poorly. The 6 Classic’s skin temperature sensor is also supposed to play a more active role in tracking menstrual cycles, which is something not equipped in the Watch 4 Classic.
Battery life
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes with 300mAh (43mm) and 425mAh (47mm) batteries, marking notable increases over the 247mAh and 361mAh batteries inside the 42mm and 46mm Galaxy Watch 4 Classic models, respectively. It’s hard to quantify exact timeframes for either watch in this head-to-head because usage is largely subjective. For example, the always-on display can tax battery life far more than leaving it off, but so can constant exercise tracking. You should expect in the ballpark of two days of use, though your mileage may vary depending on how mixed your usage is. The Watch 6 Classic will charge faster than its older sibling does because it can handle a 10W wireless charge, doubling the 5W max charge in the 4 Classic.
Which is right for you?
There is a gap between these two smartwatches based on when they respectively came to market, but are closer together in several ways. They look alike, have the rotating bezel, and track activity in the same ways, for the most part. But the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic runs newer software and has built-in sensors and features that make it a more intricate tracker, particularly for running and sleep, but also for how smoother it is when connected to your phone. Switching to a new phone is far more agreeable, paving the way for a longer-term commitment that won’t inconvenience you.
Samsung has already indicated it has every intention of updating the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, so it won’t be abandoning this viable smartwatch anytime soon. Pushing this watch to new heights will require an update to Wear OS 4, but you can still get good mileage out of it if you’re looking for more of a bargain from Samsung.
