Club Benefits
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is the best Samsung smartwatch in 2026. However, the cheaper, lighter standard Galaxy Watch 8 model — without the rotating bezel — is nearly as good.
On a budget? 2024's Galaxy Watch 7 offers almost all the same features as the current generation, including impressive AI-backed wellness insights, best-in-class sleep tracking, and easy access to Google's handy Gemini-backed voice assistant.
However, if it's a rugged and/or ultra-long-lasting wearable you're after — and you don't mind some wrist heft — then the Galaxy Watch Ultra is likely the best smartwatch for you.
The best Samsung watch available right now
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Best Samsung watch overall
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is the best Samsung smartwatch you can buy today. While the standard 40mm and 44mm Galaxy Watch 8 models last for roughly 30 hours per charge in my testing, the Classic consistently cruises for 40 hours per charge before needing a power-up.
The Classic model also features a rotating bezel for navigation, an extra customizable button on the side of the case, and a more attractive overall design, IMHO. That said, it's noticeably chunkier and heavier.
Differences aside, all three versions of the Galaxy Watch 8 offer the brand's latest and greatest wellness tools, including vascular load monitoring to see how your lifestyle may be impacting your cardiovascular health. It additionally has Samsung's surprisingly useful "Running Coach" feature, which generates custom-tailored multi-week training plans to help you prepare for an event.
Like 2024's Galaxy Watch releases, the newest model offers my favorite sleep-tracking insights, an actionable daily "Energy Score," and monitoring for common but potentially deadly health conditions like sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection.
The Galaxy Watch 8 also ships with Google's excellent Gemini-based AI voice assistant built in, which is capable of answering genuinely complex questions with accuracy, like 'how many blueberries is it safe to let my 17-pound chihuahua-mix, Belverdere, eat in one sitting?' (answer: about 4).
Ultimately, for better battery life and overall usability, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is the best Samsung watch in 2026, but for comfort, especially while working out and sleeping, the standard Galaxy Watch 8 gets the nod.
- Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 review
Best budget Samsung watch
The Galaxy Watch 7 isn't Samsung's newest release, but it remains an outstanding smartwatch and one I continue to recommend frequently. Well-priced — you can usually find it discounted — comfortable, and offering almost all the same wellness, fitness, and smart features found on the newer Galaxy Watch 8, it's very much worth considering in 2026. Here's a closer look at the Galaxy Watch 8 vs. Galaxy Watch 7.
I also find the Galaxy Watch 7 more comfortable than the newer model, even though the Galaxy Watch 8 is a tad thinner. This is because the older model sports Samsung's arguably simpler circular case design, while the new model features the chunkier cushion case inherited from the Ultra series.
The Galaxy Watch 7 doesn't have Samsung's insightful new cardiovascular load monitoring tool, but it does support Google's Gemini AI voice assistant (with the latest software). You also get the same detailed and actionable sleep insights and nearly all the same fitness training tools as the Galaxy Watch 8 (save for Running Coach).
Battery life is roughly 24 hours per charge in my testing. That's a little less than the 30 hours per charge longevity of the standard Galaxy Watch 8 and a lot less than the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, which averages an impressive 40 hours per charge.
- Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 review
Best Samsung watch for battery life
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra launched alongside the Galaxy Watch 7 in mid-2024 and is the company's take on the Apple Watch Ultra series, boasting better durability, a longer-lasting battery, and a bigger screen than the other Galaxy Watch models.
In 2026, only a handful of flagship Android smartwatches surpassed the 48-hour mark, including the Galaxy Watch Ultra, the Google Pixel Watch 3 (in 45mm), and the Pixel Watch 4. However, in low-power mode, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is the Android battery life leader, cruising for up to 72 hours per charge.
Feature-wise, from holistic tools to sleep tracking to smart features and apps, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is a match with the Galaxy Watch 7 and offers nearly all the same bells and whistles as the newer Galaxy Watch 8. Of course, it's pricier and a lot chunkier.
Built from titanium alloy and boasting 100 meters of water resistance compared to 50 meters for all the other Galaxy Watch models, the Ultra boasts a comparably larger 1.5-inch display with 3,000 nits of max brightness. That's the same max output as the Galaxy Watch 8 and 1,000 nits brighter than the Galaxy Watch 7.
After wearing the Galaxy Watch Ultra for several weeks, I think the main thing you need to consider is the heft. It clocks in at just over 60g, which is almost double the weight of the Galaxy Watch 7. For those with larger wrists and/or anyone who appreciates a massive display, the Ultra remains a no-brainer. For everyone else, I recommend trying on an Ultra before buying.
Similarly to the Galaxy Watch 7, with the latest software, the Ultra supports Google's encouragingly useful Gemini AI voice assistant, which can be activated via a custom button press.
- Read our full Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review
Also consider
How we test the best Samsung watches
To help you decide between all of the best Samsung smartwatches, we wear them for several weeks to test out all the wearables' health and fitness tracking features and to see how the battery fares over an extended period.
Once strapped to our wrists, we see how well the watches fit, 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.
As sleep tracking is a key feature on many of the brand's watches, we also wear them overnight to see if it's actually comfortable to wear in bed (and if it squishes into your face and leaves a watch-shaped outline on your face in the morning).
Since we also test the best Android smartwatches, we compare the performance against competitor models to see how consistent the Samsung watches are, within the brand's range and compared to the competition.
We play around with settings, install apps, and set up Samsung Pay for contactless payments to check everything works as it should and that these features are more convenient (or at least not more of a hassle) than just getting your phone out to complete a task.
The connection to your phone needs to be consistent and reliable, so we pair the watches with Samsung phones and other Android devices, checking to see whether the experience is comparable or if Samsung optimizes for its own devices.
How to choose the best Samsung watch for you
In most cases, the best Samsung watch will be the latest model. Generally, Samsung keeps its lineup pretty tight with a flagship device and a premium model. The latest iteration of the Galaxy Watch will have the latest features and generally the best performance.
But that doesn't mean you don't have other options to consider. If you're considering the Galaxy Watch 8, the Galaxy Watch 7 has similar features across the board. You miss out on some new health tools, like the Vascular Load and Antioxidant Index, but it does support Google's Gemini AI assistant.
That's not your only consideration, though. There's also the Galaxy Watch Ultra — a larger, longer-lasting version of the Galaxy Watch 7. It has the same sensors and the same features but double the battery life (48 hours), a larger display, and a titanium case design.
It's also a lot more expensive, so you need to balance your budget against how much you value these additions. And, generally, we don't recommend going more than a generation back on any Samsung watch, as it won't be supported for much longer, but may cost almost the same as the more recent models.
That's why we'd also never suggest picking up a Samsung Gear 2, the first Samsung watch we reviewed in 2014, unless you're looking for an experiment to see if you can get it working with modern phones.
