What is the best Samsung watch? The answer depends on what you’re looking for out of a smartwatch for Samsung users. Whether you’re looking for a device for fitness tracking, an extension of your smartphone or something that can save your life in some emergencies, there’s a Galaxy Watch for you.
In fact, all the Samsung Galaxy Watch models can do those things, but some models do it better than others. Some look better than others, too. Samsung has made five iterations of its smartwatch with a few design variations: the latest flagships are the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, though you can often buy older models like the Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2 at a discount.
The best Samsung Watch today
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The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 has a new skin-temperature reader, more scratch-resistant display and a longer-lasting battery life. It's the best Samsung watch yet, because while there aren't a ton of differences between the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 vs. Galaxy Watch 4, the changes make what was already a great device all that much better. And starting at $279, it remains a fair value.
Though the skin temperature reader won't work at launch, there's plenty to like about the Galaxy Watch 5. For one, it lasted for an entire two days in our testing, and reached almost 50% charge from 0% in 30 minutes. Wear OS 3 with Samsung's skin has more perks, too, including Google Assistant and better interoperability with your other Samsung devices. For more GPS features and an even longer-lasting battery life, check out the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro takes aim at Garmin watches, positioned as the best GPS watches for outdoor sports enthusiasts that Samsung has ever released.
When it comes down to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 vs. Galaxy Watch 5 Pro , the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has a more durable design, a few GPS tools and a longer battery life. Yes, all things worth appreciating. These perks have the making of a great everyday smartwatch; not just a sports watch. Some might lament the lack of rotating bezel, but that's what the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is for.
An added skin temperature sensor is another draw of Samsung's 2022 smartwatch lineup, but it doesn't work yet. Still, we enjoyed testing it on outdoor hikes and bike rides. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the right choice for those who like a substantially sized smartwatch, several days of battery life, and enjoy outdoor sports on occasion.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 was the best Samsung watch overall before the Galaxy Watch 5. It notably comes in two different designs (and prices) to cater to a wider variety of user needs. The standard Galaxy Watch 4 looks more like the previous Galaxy Watch Active devices and is the company’s flagship, starting at $249. Then, the ‘Classic’ version carries on the luxurious characteristics like the physical rotating bezel, starting at $349.
Thanks to a 3-in-1 health sensor, the Galaxy Watch 4 measures heart rate, takes ECGs and reads body composition. However, a number of features are exclusive to Samsung phones, like ECG and blood pressure monitoring if you’re in a country it’s available. Otherwise, the one Galaxy Watch 4 setback is inconsistent battery life, but as long as you don’t mind a daily charge, you’ll benefit from on-board GPS, an always-on display, excellent sleep tracking and more.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 review.
Though it’s a year older than the Galaxy Watch 4, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is still available to purchase and remains one of the most stylish smartwatches around. It's available in two sizes, as well as in LTE variants, so you can leave your smartphone at home. The Galaxy Watch 3's rotating bezel makes navigating the watch's interface easy, while access to thousands of watch faces lets you customize the display to your liking.
Although the Galaxy Watch 3 has a shorter, 2-day battery life compared to the original Samsung Galaxy Watch, it introduces more music storage, FDA-approved ECG tracking and trip detection. Of course, you'll get Samsung Pay for contactless payments, and some good fitness features too. If you’re not sure whether you should get this model or the newer one, see our guide to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 vs. Galaxy Watch 3.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 review.
As our Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 vs. Galaxy Watch Active 2 face-off explains, the Watch Active 2 is still worth buying, especially when you find it on sale. Samsung's watch works with any smartphone and features GPS, a heart rate monitor and the option to enable LTE. It also can automatically track your activity and sleep. (It's much better at the former task than the latter.)
As for looks, Galaxy Watch Active 2's circular design is visually appealing, whether you get the 40mm or 44mm model. Running Samsung's Tizen operating system, this Galaxy Watch boasts other useful features such as Samsung Pay, onboard music via Spotify and heart health features. That includes an ECG feature, which is usually reserved for pricer models.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 review.
Samsung's first-gen Galaxy Watch Active smartwatch is its most affordable — and also one of the best Samsung watches for those looking to spend less. When it debuted, the first Galaxy Watch Active had a faster processor and easier-to-use software than other Android watches that run on Google's Wear OS platform. That’s changed for newer wearables, but is a testament to how much we enjoyed using this sporty-looking Samsung smartwatch.
Samsung's built-in apps, including its fitness-focused options, are more than capable of handling most tasks. You won’t find as many app options as you will on, say, the Apple Watch, but enough to accomplish most tasks. You also don’t have an LTE option, so you can’t untether your smartwatch from your smartphone. If that’s a dealbreaker, stick with the Galaxy Watch Active 2 or newer.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch Active review.
When the original Samsung Galaxy Watch first came out, it proved there's a real place in the world for smartwatches. It was the best Samsung smartwatch to date, marking a transition from the company’s Gear smartwatches to true Apple Watch rivals. The best part? It came with an epic four-day battery life, blowing the competition away in terms of stamina.
You can still buy this Samsung Galaxy Watch online, if you want a wearable that runs Tizen and can keep up with you for a few days. As far as specs go, it’s still highly capable, offering heart rate monitoring, GPS, music storage and the option for LTE connectivity. It doesn’t have ECG, blood pressure reading or body composition analysis like the newer Galaxy watch models, but no newer watch has beat the original’s battery life. Still, we’d choose one of the options above before this one, unless you score a deal you can’t pass up.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch review.
How to choose the best Samsung watch for you
Choosing the best Samsung watch for you doesn’t need to be a hard decision. In most cases, it will come down to the newest Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, Galaxy Watch 4 Classic or Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, if you can still find it on sale somewhere. We’d recommend getting either of the Galaxy Watch 5 models if you want to have a smartwatch with the ambitious Wear OS software and the most advanced health monitoring features — and you own a Samsung smartphone. But if you find the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic or Galaxy Watch Active 2 at a steep discount, they’re both attractive alternatives that could go easy on your wallet.
And, if you’re still questioning which Samsung watch is best, or whether a Galaxy Watch is the best smartwatch for you, take a look at our smartwatch buying guide. It includes a number of Galaxy Watch and fitness tracker comparisons, which may help you determine whether one of the best Fitbit devices or best Garmin watches better suits your needs.
How we test the best Samsung watches
We test Samsung smartwatches the same way we do all smartwatches: By wearing them for several days to see how they hold up in a series of everyday trials. We first see how well the watches fit on our wrists, and how easy the displays are to navigate and read, especially in sunlight. Depending on its capabilities, we also test the watches' sensors, such as GPS and heart rate monitors.
Other criteria that factor into our ratings include the smartwatch’s software and app collection, how well it interacts with our smartphone, and battery life. In all of this, we also take into account the price of the smartwatch. The less a watch costs, the more leeway we're inclined to give it. In the case of the best Samsung watches we also analyze how each new Galaxy Watch compares to its predecessor, and how well (or not) the company continues to push the boundaries of wearable technology.
