Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review

Samsung launched a new Classic smartwatch this year, continuing its tradition of bringing a smartwatch with the beloved rotating bezel once every two years. However, it’s worth noting that the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is the first Classic Galaxy Watch with a square-ish case, giving it a different look compared to traditional wristwatches, something design purists might not like its looks.

It offers more than just a rotating bezel, though. It also gets the Quick Button from the Galaxy Watch Ultra, adding extra functionality. This could make the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic a compelling choice for those seeking a middle ground between the base Galaxy Watch 8 and the more performance-oriented Galaxy Watch Ultra, while still retaining the iconic rotating bezel.

Unlike the minimalistic, classic wristwatch look of previous-generation Galaxy Watches, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic uses a mix of design elements from several generations. Its cushion-style design with a squircle case and circular display comes from last year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra, while the clicky rotating bezel around the screen harks back to the original Galaxy Watch.

Not every Galaxy Watch Classic fan will like this design, but it’s more functional than earlier Classic models thanks to the addition of the Quick Button, which can be set to open workout tracking or a few other features.

The combination of its compact size and the strap with a silicone lining makes the watch quite comfortable to wear all day long. However, Samsung should have bundled an extra S/M-sized strap with the watch, as the default strap could be a bit too long for some wrists.

Its 1.34-inch OLED display is as sharp (327ppi) and as bright (3,000 nits) as the one on the Galaxy Watch Ultra. Everything on the screen is perfectly legible even under direct sunlight. However, it’s smaller, and Samsung isn’t offering a larger screen option this year. So, if you like big screens, this one may not be big enough.

It’s also surprising that Samsung still hasn’t used 1–60Hz LTPO OLED panels in its newest smartwatches. This means the device can’t refresh the watch face every second in Always On Display mode, unlike newer Apple Watches. Samsung should also seriously consider adding an anti-glare display to its next Galaxy Watches.

The loudspeaker is impressively loud, so taking calls on the watch works quite well. Voices sound clear and full, which is great if you don’t carry your phone during outdoor runs.

Besides newer features like AGE Index, Antioxidant Index, Bedtime Guidance, Running Coach, and Vascular Load, the watch has all the modern health and fitness tracking features one expects from a smartwatch, including ECG, heart rate tracking, SpO₂, VO₂ Max, sleep tracking, and body composition analysis.

It also offers a well-rounded wellness feature set, including breathing exercises, meditation, and mood check-ins.

I compared the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic’s performance with the Apple Watch, which is considered the industry benchmark for accuracy, and found its health and fitness tracking to be quite good.

The watch sits closer to the skin and feels more secure, leading to improved heart rate tracking accuracy compared to previous-generation models.

During jogging and walking, its heart rate readings were extremely close to those from the Apple Watch Series 9. However, its GPS tracking wasn’t as accurate. Despite having dual-frequency GPS, there were a few instances of the tracking cutting off on turns and corners or overestimating them.

During indoor workouts like weightlifting, the difference between the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and the Apple Watch was more noticeable, suggesting Samsung still isn’t very accurate in those scenarios.

Overall, its accuracy is very similar to that of my Galaxy Watch Ultra, which means Samsung still needs to make further improvements to become one of the best in the segment.

The 3nm Exynos W1000 chip and 2GB RAM keep the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic fast and smooth. It almost never stutters. I did notice, however, that the battery drains a bit faster when installing multiple app updates.

You can read our Galaxy Watch 8 review to know more about Samsung’s UI and software features, as the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic runs the same software.

With 64GB of onboard storage, you won’t face any space issues. Even after downloading multiple Spotify workout playlists, a personal music library of over 1,000 songs, and plenty of watch faces, the watch still had more than 40GB of free space left.

It usually lasts about 1.5 days on a single charge with AOD turned off, all health tracking features enabled, and 1–2 hours of workout tracking. With AOD turned on, it lasts slightly more than a day.

While the battery life is decent, the charging speed is too slow. It takes around two hours for a full charge using the bundled 10W USB-C charger, so you’ll need to plan ahead if the battery is low. The best time to charge is when you get home from work to ensure you have enough battery to track your sleep.

Another thing to note is that it’s still tough to find good third-party chargers and charging stands for Galaxy Watches.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is an excellent smartwatch for those who don’t want to sacrifice style while keeping their health and fitness in check.

It’s comfortable, looks good, has a bright screen, and comes packed with powerful health and fitness tracking features. Its overall performance is fast and fluid, and One UI 8 Watch offers excellent software features and customization options.

However, Samsung still needs to improve GPS tracking performance (which can likely be addressed through future updates) and charging speed in its upcoming models.