Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 vs Galaxy Watch 8 — these are the 5 biggest differences

Move over, Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, there's a new sheriff in town. That's right. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series is official and available for preorder, announced during tech giant's July 2025 Unpacked event in Brooklyn, New York.

With the Galaxy Watch 8 boasting a radically different case design from the Watch 7, along with an upgraded screen, new health tools, and shiny AI features, you may be tempted to count last year's model out right away. However, there are still some compelling reasons to consider the older option over the newer — and vice versa.

With that in mind, as the Tom's Guide resident smartwatch expert, here are the five biggest factors to consider when choosing between the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 in 2025.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 vs Galaxy Watch 7: Specs compared

1. The Price

Price is one of the biggest factors to consider when choosing between the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 8. The newer model sees a $50 increase in its starting price, up from $299 for the Galaxy Watch 7 in 40mm (Bluetooth) in 2024 to $349 for the Galaxy Watch 8 equivalent in 2025.

Of course, now that the Galaxy Watch 8 series is available for preorder, it shouldn’t be too difficult to track down a Galaxy Watch 7 for a steeply discounted price. Case in point: the 40mm Galaxy Watch 7 is nearly 50% off right now for Prime Day.

2. Circle or 'cushion' case?

This one is mostly a matter of preference. Until last year, all Galaxy Watch models sported a similar-looking circular case design, up to and including the Galaxy Watch 7. However, the Galaxy Watch Ultra ushered in a new visual ethos for the brand, with its circular-square-ish "cushion" design.

One advantage of the updated design for the Galaxy Watch 8 is an overall thinner case profile: 8.6mm versus 9.5mm for the Galaxy Watch 7. That said, the newer models weigh a few grams more across the board.

3. Galaxy Watch 8 has more styles to choose from

If you’re like me, and seriously missed Samsung’s awesome "clicky" bezel, last seen on the Galaxy Watch 6. I’ve got good news: It’s back, baby.

In addition to the standard Galaxy Watch 8 in 40mm and 44mm, this time around, we’re also getting a Galaxy Watch 8 Classic edition in 46mm, complete with digital control bezel and a third, bonus, customizable button. Of course, those features will cost you: The Watch 8 Classic starts at $499.

Price be damned, here are all the reasons why I would buy the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic over the standard model.

4. Galaxy Watch 8 has Samsung's latest health tools

The Galaxy Watch 8 series ships with a whole bunch of potentially useful new holistic tracking tools built in. Some of these just-released features, like a personalized running coach, will be available on the Galaxy Watch 7 via firmware. Others, however, won’t.

The two most notable health upgrades, only available for the Galaxy Watch 8 (and Galaxy Watch Ultra), are all about preventative wellness screening. Antioxidant Index Screening promises the ability to tell you how healthy your diet and lifestyle are via a press of your thumb against the rear sensor array.

If you score lower than what is recommended, the Galaxy Watch 8 will make actionable recommendations to improve your score. This could come in the form of “eat more fruit” or “avoid salty snacks several hours before bed.”

The Galaxy Watch 8 series also has a new cardiovascular load monitoring function that tracks strain on your heart and cardio system while you sleep over the course of three nights. Like the Antioxidant Index tool, Vascular Load is designed to provide helpful suggestions if/when you’re pushing yourself too hard.

We’ve yet to fully test either of these new tools, but they sure sound promising if they work as intended, and the suggestions are actually helpful (not common sense).

5. Galaxy Watch 8 has x2 the screen brightness

Speaking of working out, if you’re a fan of hitting the cardio during the daylight hours, the new Galaxy Watch 8 will certainly be a tad easier on your eyes than the older-gen Galaxy Watch 7. This is because the updated model boasts a maximum screen brightness of 3,000 nits, the same as the $800 Apple Watch Ultra 2 and $650 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, and double that of the Galaxy Watch 7’s 2,000 nit max brightness.

Can’t tell nits from gnats? No worries. All you need to know is that the Galaxy Watch 8 should be highly viewable in even direct sunlight, where the Galaxy Watch 7 may require some squinting.

Bonus: Support for Gemini AI voice assistant

How could I mention the new Galaxy Watch 8 without bringing up Gemini AI? Samsung’s latest smartwatch model is the world’s first to ship with a Gemini AI voice assistant built in.

When connected to the Internet, either via WiFi or LTE, you can use your AI assistant to accomplish both simple tasks, such as dictating and sending a message to a friend or adding an event to your calendar, as well as more complex multi-step ones.

For the latter, you might ask Gemini AI to start tracking a running workout, turn on do not disturb and begin a favorite workout playlist all at once. How well does it work? I should have one in my hands for testing real soon! Either way, Samsung has made it clear that the Galaxy Watch 7 won’t be gaining access to this particular feature.

More from Tom's Guide:

• Forget foldables — Samsung's Galaxy S25 FE leaked in real image, not just renders
• Garmin just added Google Maps for on-wrist directions — here's the watches that are compatible
• It's almost time for new Apple Watches — 5 upgrades I’m hoping for most