Is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 a good fitness tracker?

Quick Reply: Yes, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is a smartwatch capable of tracking dozens of workouts and daily activities, including new features tailored specifically for runners, as well as deeper sleep tracking. However, more serious athletes and adventure seekers may require more complex and specific training tools on their wrists.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is a smaller variant of Samsung’s latest smartwatch compared to the larger Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, although it uses the same software with the same features, including all the health and fitness tracking options. The only thing that sets them apart is the larger size and physical rotating bezel on the Classic. So if you’re looking for a smartwatch that can double as a fitness tracker, the Galaxy Watch 6 has enough to make it a compelling choice.

When you consider the best Android smartwatches for fitness, the Watch 6 is good enough to do the job. It has a nice mix in that the 40mm and 44mm sizes accommodate both smaller and larger wrists, and the device is ideal if you need a smartwatch for health and fitness tracking. However, it won’t go as far as more dedicated sports and training smartwatches, which means you have to take into account what you want to do and where you want to go.

What makes the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 different?

On paper, there aren’t many differences between the Galaxy Watch 6 and the Watch 6 Classic. Both offer health and fitness tracking features, but the Classic might be the better choice if you want a physical rotating bezel and stainless steel body — plus the largest size available. As for the Watch 6, the aluminum body makes it lighter and closer to activity tracking. The 40mm version is also the smallest Samsung smartwatch you can strap onto your wrist, while the 44mm model sits between the two classic options.

Interestingly, Samsung’s previous Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is still a viable alternative thanks to its durable titanium body; plus, it tracks all the same things except for the newer features in the Watch 6 series. If you’re a runner, you might prefer the Watch 6 for its special focus on that particular activity. On the other hand, if you want to track all your activities, such as your workout routines, a Garmin watch will serve you better than a Galaxy Watch.

How does the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 track activity?

The biggest changes to the Galaxy Watch 6, at least as far as activity tracking is concerned, tend to be the changes Samsung made to its Health app and Wear OS 4. One of the updates is the personalized heart rate zones, which are a bit more focused on running but can come into play for virtually any activity you participate in for more than 10 minutes. It’s not a perfect system, especially if you’re coming from more accurate or robust feature sets from Garmin, Fitbit, and Apple, but it can give you an idea of ​​how you stack up from one workout to the next.

Thanks to the unlimited GPS connection, you will not miss information about the relevant location, route and pace during outdoor runs. While the heart rate zones can apply to any exercise, Samsung is clearly using running as a base for this watch. For example, Samsung Health will evaluate various metrics such as regularity, contact time, flight time and stiffness during a run, while explaining what they mean and why they matter.

Otherwise, the Galaxy Watch 6 tracks activity using the same sensors as its predecessors. Although Samsung says they’ve made tracking improvements, you can only find very gradual – if not negligible – improvements in this regard. However, with updated data and software, the watch feels like it’s doing something new, which it really is. It can track more than 90 types of exercise through Samsung Health, but only a few are automatically detected after 10 minutes of activity. So you’ll have to remember to manually start and stop all the other workouts to log the activity and then get the results.

Sleep tracking also gets a boost here, tracking blood oxygen, skin temperature and even snoring. If you want, you can turn any of them off and use sleep coaching, which assigns you an animal based on your sleeping habits. There’s more insight into the stages of sleep, along with notes on what you can do to relax and get more out of your sleep. Samsung even released a new sleep coaching watch face to keep you on track.

By scrolling through the various widgets, it’s fairly easy to see all the metrics on your watch. Wear OS makes it even easier to download and install third-party health and fitness apps, including Strava, Nike Run Club, Peloton, MyFitnessPal, Cardiogram, Calm, Swim.com and many more.

How does the Galaxy Watch 6 compare to other brands?

The Galaxy Watch usually integrates a bit more with Samsung’s own devices, such as controlling the phone’s camera (and apps from the Google Store) directly from the watch. It also goes further in terms of health monitoring features such as ECG (electrocardiogram) and blood pressure monitor, both of which are exclusive to Samsung devices – they only work with the Samsung Health Monitor app. That’s great if you have a Samsung phone, but maybe not so much if you’re rocking a Pixel, OnePlus, or other Android phone. One solution would be to use a Samsung tablet to activate these features, although it will be easier with one of the company’s phones.

The integration also applies to Samsung devices, such as how the Galaxy Buds app works for Samsung headphones when listening to audio. You can use any headphones, but the Samsung headphones connect faster and offer controls that you can adjust directly from the watch, which is very convenient when you’re working out and don’t want to touch your phone.

Despite this, the Galaxy Watch 6 is a true smartwatch that tries to be everything to most people. For example, if you’re not watching a workout, you can use it to navigate the map, chat on a call, send messages, and control your phone’s camera. That would be a similar experience to the Pixel Watch or Apple Watch, while Garmin’s focus is heavily on activity and training, with a particular focus on sports like golf.

How long will the Watch 6 last?

The Galaxy Watch 6 may seem more vulnerable compared to other rugged options on the market, but the sapphire glass helps protect the all-important screen. You get 5ATM protection up to a depth of 50 meters and IP68 water and dust resistance will keep the watch running quite robustly in a variety of conditions. In addition, because aluminum is lighter than stainless steel and titanium, the Watch 6 will be lightweight for longer. Battery life won’t be that great, but you can stretch it to 36-48 hours, depending on your usage.

Samsung generally commits to approximately four years of software upgrades for One UI Watch, including security patches and bug fixes. Wear OS could be a different story as Google plays the biggest role in this area. Still, Samsung has been shown to update older smartwatches to newer versions.

Source: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is certainly one of the best Android watches available, especially if you’re already in the Samsung ecosystem. With a sapphire crystal display, Exynos W930 processor, 2GB of RAM and up to 425mAh battery, this watch is built to be solid.