Galaxy Watch 6 vs Classic: What are the differences?

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Samsung unveiled its new smartwatch series at Galaxy Unpacked in Seoul, and the event marked the return of the Classic series. Indeed, the rotating physical bezel is back after a year of absence. The new Galaxy Watch 6 series includes a base model and the Classic variant. Similar hardware powers them, but a few differences exist between the two.

The most obvious dissimilarity is that the Classic has a physical rotating bezel, whereas the standard model has a virtual one. But unlike last year, when the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro boasted a few extra fitness features over the standard model, the overall experience between the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic is technically the same.

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has a larger case and one extra sensor

Let's get one thing out of the way from the get-go. If you browse Samsung's spec sheet for the new smartwatch series, you may notice that the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has one sensor the basic model is missing, i.e., a 3D Hall sensor.

Don't let this detail throw you off. The 3D Hall sensor determines the position of the physical rotating bezel and nothing else. Hence, the standard Watch 6 doesn't need one.

Also worth noting is that the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has a larger 43mm or 47mm case, whereas the standard Watch 6 comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes. But despite the Watch 6 Classic having a larger footprint, the circular screens are identical across both models.

In other words, the 40mm Watch 6 and 43mm Watch 6 Classic have 1.3-inch AMOLEDs with a 432 x 432/480 x 480 resolution. Likewise, the 44mm Watch 6 and 47mm Watch 6 Classic have 1.5-inch AMOLED panels with 432 x 432/480 x 480 pixels.

Lastly, there are some differences in the color palette (and likely the selection of wrist bands). The 40mm Galaxy Watch 6 comes in Graphite and Silver, whereas the 44mm model is available in Graphite and Gold. Meanwhile, Samsung gave the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic two color options, Black and Silver, and they're shared between the 43mm and 47mm variants.

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Watch 6 series on pre-order terms until August 11. In some markets, like the UK, pre-order bonuses include a £50 Google Play Voucher.

Mihai Matei - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-A800

Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.

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