The Samsung Galaxy Watch

Personally, I like to think I’ve tried every fitness tracker going; it even got to the point where I didn’t want to wear another one. Then along came smart watches like the apple watch which had all the capabilities of a fitness tracker and did so much more. I wasn’t sold.

I wasn’t keen on the constant interruptions and being able to constantly be contactable. Then, in May 2018 I was gifted the Samsung Gear Sport and that was the beginning of me being interested in smart watches and what they can do. So when the uber stylish Samsung Galaxy Watch (£279.99 at time of posting) was launched… I was all over it!

Was the switch from Apple to Android painful?

Let’s take a step back and let me clarify that I am now the owner of a Samsung Galaxy s9 plus phone. I made the switch earlier in 2018 and honestly, I’ve never looked back.

Apple come up a lot in conversation during my modules and it’s become so clear that the prices they charge are not always directly related to the technology they offer.

With Apple, you’re paying a premium for the brand and as a brand they’ve been very smart making all their devices connected which also makes it hard to remove yourself from the ecosystem.

However, switching to Android was nowhere near as painful as I imagined. I managed to do it all by myself at home and I haven’t looked back. I still have an apple laptop and desktop which haven’t been too difficult to connect to my galaxy phone to share images.

The Galaxy Watch on a day to day basis

Switching from the Gear Sport to the Galaxy Watch was pretty seamless too; the interfaces are almost identical but the Galaxy Watch has more features. The main difference, aesthetically, is that this watch looks more like a regular watch. It’s smaller, lighter and prettier. Yes, I said prettier lol. But the 42mm version (this one) also comes in all black and the larger version (46mm) is chunkier.

On a day to day basis I use the watch to tell the time, track my steps, read incoming messages (and reply), track workouts and check the weather. You can also make telephone calls through the watch (via your phone); I have two contacts saved on the phone widget so I tap a button, tap the phone icon and voila!

You hear and speak through the watch so there’s no need to have your phone out (which is a blessing in London with the increased number of phones being snatched straight from peoples hands).

I ran Tough Mudder wearing the Galaxy Watch

…and took my s9 plus phone along for the ride! I thought this was a mad idea to be honest, but I guess Samsung wanted to prove how durable their products are? The watch has a bezel on it which clearly protects the face in addition to being the main way to navigate through the watch menus.

I used the watch to track the 4 hours of running / walking / obstacle hopping and I think it did a pretty decent job with distance accuracy, battery life and it scrubbed up as good as with a little help from some fresh water and an old toothbrush!

Although not taken on my phone, the photo below is my all time favourite… like, ever…

What’s the verdict?

I pretty much wear the Galaxy Watch 24/7… well almost. I take it off in the evening to have a little more focus on personal time and also to charge it. I charge it about once every 2-3 nights in order to avoid the battery completely draining but it’s good to know I can go away for a weekend and not have to worry about packing yet another charger.

I love the customisability of the watch too. Although I’ve used the out of the box watch face since getting it, it does have a ton more than you can download. You can also select from a huge range of widgets and have them in whichever order you desire.

As for fitness, the auto tracking function is pretty decent. I’ve got shortcuts for tracking running, outdoor cycling, “other workout” and exercise bike however the watch usually picks everything up by itself. It also auto tracks walking after 10 minutes which makes me feel like my daily walks to the tube station actually count for something!

You can check out the Galaxy Watch range at Currys.

You’ll love this if… you have an android phone, want a stylish smart watch that doubles as a fitness tracker

Think twice if… you have an apple phone as the functionality is a little limited unfortunately

Anything else you wanna know about the Samsung Galaxy Watch?!

Elle