I’m too tired to write this review. Last week, I penned a work-in-progress version because I hadn’t yet spent enough time to fully explore the new features Samsung packed into the . One of those features is the new AI-powered running guidance, which I followed.
I have run more in the past week than I ever have before. In my life. Ever. But I’m pretty sure my editors would still appreciate the full assessment I’ve proposed, so I’ve plied myself with caffeine and will do my best here.
Luckily, most of what I experienced in my first few days with the watch still stands: I was impressed then and remain so now. Not only are there a few valuable health and fitness additions, but the redesigned hardware looks great as well. Plus, the on-watch integration with Google’s Gemini has proven surprisingly seamless. (When AI interactions actually yield positive results, I’m always taken aback.)
Samsung also fixed not one but two of the complaints I had with the . Since the company probably didn’t base its updates on my personal opinions, I imagine others had concerns over the comfort of the Watch 7 — and I know from other reviews that many people were disappointed in its battery life.
Before I get to Gemini, the redesign and exactly how my watch exhausted me, I want to discuss antioxidants. It’s a compelling new health metric the Galaxy Watch can now measure — and despite my hard work, I scored miserably.
Samsung/Engadget
The redesigned Galaxy Watch 8 has a longer battery life and much more comfortable fit. The Gemini integration is actually helpful and the new health metrics and fitness guidance are useful.
- Remarkably comfortable fit
- Tiles interface is snappy
- New antioxidant level and vascular load health metrics may help users keep an eye on their health
- The running coach can be inspiring for beginners
- Good Gemini integration
- Improved battery makes the AOD more viable
- The raised glass screen can be easily damaged
- AI-running coach could be more personalized
- Notifications are easy to miss
$350 at Amazon
Antioxidant tests and my persimmon intake
The Galaxy Watch 8 has the same processor and sensors as the previous generation, but it’s using those to detect a new metric: antioxidant levels. You have to take the watch off and hold your thumb on the sensor node for five seconds to get a reading and you’ll need to refer to the Health app in your phone for detailed results. The first time I tested, I got a score of 60, which falls right in the middle of the “low” segment of the scale. The only other results are “very low” and “adequate,” which will surely be a disappointment to the over-achievers out there.
The Health app suggested I “try eating one (100g) persimmon today.” When my grandmother was alive, she made persimmon cookies every Christmas and the last time she did so was also the last time I thought about that fruit. Considering South Korea is one of the world’s , it might make sense that a Samsung device suggested them. The produce guy at my local grocery store said they only carry them around the holidays (no doubt because grandmas insist, plus that’s when they’re in season).
Turns out persimmons are high in antioxidants such as Vitamin C and beta-carotene (Vitamin A). Cantaloupe also has those nutrients — plus it’s orange like persimmons — so I bought one. In fact, I went hard on the antioxidants and did everything I could to see if I could get a better score. I ate a bunch of cherries and a little dark chocolate. For breakfast, I had half a cantaloupe instead of the very tasty-smelling breakfast hash my husband made, and I drank plain green tea instead of my usual oat matcha latte. I did yoga and went to my monthly medical massage appointment (stress is said to increase oxidant levels). I got eight hours of sleep and drank my weight in water. I felt ready.
So I took the test again and my antioxidant levels were… two points lower. Sigh. I wasn’t expecting overnight transformation, but I’d hoped for a little improvement. Next time, I’m eating the hash. Taking the test on subsequent days — days that I did nothing special to improve my score — I never scored higher than 60 and dropped as low as 56. So it seems this is a metric that may take some time and effort to budge.
Finally, a new design!
Since its , the Galaxy Watch has looked pretty much the same: a round glass screen set in a round metal case with large prongs popping out of the top and bottom to hold the band. While there was nothing wrong with sticking with a good design, giving a device a refreshed look lends the yearly update cycle some meaning — instead of feeling like an obligatory move to appease stockholders.
This time around, the Galaxy Watch 8 looks markedly different thanks to a shape borrowed from last year’s (and some high-end timepiece profiles). Samsung calls it a “cushion design” — a circular glass display set atop an aluminum case that looks like a roundish square (or as our own Cherlynn Low calls it). The Sport band on my review model curves to meet the width of the case, creating a smooth arch that I think is more refined than the clunkier pronged configuration. In fact, the entire look is classy — much more so than the Apple Watch, which looks like a miniaturized iPhone 11 glued to a silicone strap.
The cushion design is great in one way, but also worrisome. Because the glass display stands proud of the case by at least two millimeters, my first thought was: “I’m going to trash this screen.” Immediately after taking the watch out of the box, I ordered screen shields and, during the course of this review, managed to crack one. That’s possibly because I was cheap and ordered off-brand screen protectors, or perhaps the protruding glass cushion is simply begging for misfortune.
However, the raised glass solves one issue with the . One way to scroll is by running your finger along the outer edge of the screen. In fact, on-screen cues suggest that gesture when there’s more content to view. On the Watch 7, my finger was always getting in the way of the text I wanted to read. Now that the display is elevated, there’s room for my finger to travel further out along the outer edge and stay out of the way.
Appearance aside, my favorite hardware update is the much more comfortable design. The Watch 7’s underside had a sizable sensor node, and it took me a week to get used to the feel — I wrenched it off the first night I tried to wear it to sleep. The Watch 8, however, felt good the first time I put it on. And now that I’ve spent more time with it, I can say it’s the most comfortable watch I’ve tested. I often forget I have it on and don’t mind wearing it to bed, which is saying a lot. In fact, when I slept with it on one wrist and an Apple Watch Series 9 on the other to compare sleep data, I woke up in the middle of the night and took off the Apple Watch, but felt no compulsion to do the same with Samsung’s model.
Gemini on your wrist and Wear OS 6
The Galaxy Watch 8 is the first smartwatch to ship with Google’s Wear OS 6, though Samsung overlays it with its own One UI interface. The first time we’ll get a look at the unfiltered wearable software will be on . The headline feature is Gemini integration. Now, most things you can do with the Gemini app on your phone can be done through your watch. Just note that you’ll need to have your Gemini-compatible phone nearby to use it.
Google’s AI was pretty snappy at basic tasks like setting reminders and timers. Requests that required more “thought” took only marginally longer (and completed more quickly when I was using my home Wi-Fi versus relying on cell signals out in the world). I asked for the best record stores in my city and a good place to eat lunch. I was pleasantly surprised to hear of a new-to-me answer for each category. The record store turned out to be two bins of LPs inside a book shop, but still, I hadn’t heard of it before. I asked why my eight-year-old talked about lava chicken all the time and was correctly informed about Jack Black and A Minecraft Movie.
The assistant displays answers in text form on the watch screen and also reads out every word. That can turn into a lot of talking, but tapping the screen stops the chatter if you prefer to read. Gemini can handle follow-up questions and tasks, but since it doesn’t usually keep listening after it speaks, you have to tap the mic icon to make your next request.
I reached out to Samsung to ask if I could change a setting to make Gemini keep listening, but there isn’t one at this time. For now, you’ll need to tap or say “OK Google” again for followups like, “Add that to my Google Keep” or “Remind me about that.” If Gemini asks you a question, however, such as verifying a text it’s about to send, it does keep listening for the answer. You can also combine commands at the outset, such as asking to look up an address and text it to someone.
I requested some fairly specific tasks and didn’t hit any snags. I asked it to text the address of a local restaurant to my husband and it verified which location I wanted then sent the message. I asked when the Albuquerque Isotopes were playing the Sacramento River Cats and it gave me the upcoming dates. I tapped the mic and said, “Add that to my calendar,” which it did.
It only let me down twice. When I asked whether it was going to rain, it just read me the general weather forecast instead of answering the question. All the other assistants in my life (Alexa and Siri) can answer those questions — though technically that’s a Gemini problem, not the watch’s fault.
The other disappointment is a matter of integration. I was out on a walk and I asked for directions to a nearby grocery store. Gemini gave me the address and the distance, but told me to look at my phone for the actual directions. When I asked Siri the same thing on the same walk, directions simply showed up on my Apple Watch. (Yes, I’ve been wearing two watches and carrying around two activated phones like a double agent, just much less cool.)
In addition to Gemini, Wear OS 6 introduces updated and larger tiles which organize and display information on your watch. By default, the tiles are separated into categories: Health, Fitness and Basic (weather, media playback, calendar) with each box displaying a bit of pertinent info — activity metrics, current temp, your next event and so on. If the limited info isn’t enough, tapping a tile opens the respective app. You can categorize, rearrange, swap out and add as many pages of these cards as you want in the Wear app on your phone. I spent some time tweaking the layout to my liking, but really didn’t alter the defaults too much. Already this feels like a much smarter way of interacting with a watch. Now you can glean key information from the apps that are important to you just by browsing your tiles.
The running coach made me mad, but it earned my respect
The Galaxy Watch 8’s built-in, AI-fueled running guidance sounds a bit like the upcoming Workout Buddy that Apple announced for . I plan to test that out next and it will be interesting to compare the two. Google Pixel watches and Fitbits currently have the option of an AI-powered running coach, but it’s limited to Premium subscribers. Garmin offers an adaptive training program called Run Coach as well, so this isn’t an entirely novel idea.
Samsung’s running coach begins with an assessment: Run as fast as you can maintain for twelve minutes. You’ll then be awarded a performance level ranging from one to ten. Each level comes with a tailored, four-week plan with four workouts per week intended to get you ready to complete a 5K, 10K, half or full marathon. My 12-minute, 22-second per-mile pace put me at a level three. My plan was geared towards getting me to run a sub-35-minute 5K at the end of four weeks.
The first workout was low-intensity interval running with four segments of running hard, interspersed with cool-down walks — which felt easy and attainable. Two days later I did the second routine, which had me run for thirty minutes at my assessment pace (which it referred to as a “slow jog”).
For the next session, I was told to run for 30 minutes on a hilly course. There was some walking on the inclines, but I completed it. After that, I was startled to see it wanted me to run for 3.1 miles with a target pace below 12 minutes. Yes, on workout four (of 15 total), I was supposed to run a 5K faster than my assessment pace. This felt unfair. Unhinged. Not nice. But in the name of proper gadget testing, I tried.
During every run, the AI coach chimes in each minute with a pace update, letting you know whether you’re going slower, faster or right around your target. You also get updates on your completion level, with a shout out at 30 percent, half way and 80 percent. Three or four times per session, the coach gives you some canned advice like telling you to focus on maintaining a consistent pace and not speed, reminding you that runs build cardiovascular health or suggesting that you cool down after a workout to avoid injury. You also get interjections like “You’re doing great” or “You’re almost done, finish strong.”
At first, I hated the constant pace checkins. Once I hit the halfway point of the 5K, I started to lag. My watch told me over and over: “You’re running slower than your target pace. Try to speed up if you can.” I wheezed obscenities in response. But then, when I really just wanted to quit, I started to look forward to the next update, knowing it meant I’d stayed on my feet for one more minute.
Ultimately, I ran faster and farther than I would have without a coach. I wouldn’t have attempted a 5K, because that’s just insane. Of course, I’m a pretty easy win for Samsung’s running coach. I’m an optimistic person and I’ve never been coached before, so anything that says it “believes in me” and pushes me to try something I don’t think I can do is pretty likely to get some results. Samsung calls this an AI-powered regimen — and sure, it knew my pace, distance and heart rate and adjusted its encouragement accordingly — but I didn’t hear anything uniquely personalized to me and my journey. But I still have three weeks to go.
Vascular load and bedtime reminders
Two new features require overnight data gathering. Vascular load takes readings while you sleep to evaluate the health of your circulatory system, then tells you when your load is higher or lower than normal and offers recommendations. It requires three nights of data to set a baseline. After that, you’ll be able to check whether your load is higher, lower or steady.
My range has been lower or steady over the past few days. The internet tells me that a high vascular load can lead to bad things like hypertension and heart attacks. And the Health app offers suggestions to improve your vascular load, too — things like getting better sleep, being active, limiting stress and maintaining a healthy weight. Personally, this isn’t an area I’m concerned about, but considering the prevalence of heart disease, it’s a good metric to keep an eye on..
Three nights of sleep also triggers the Bedtime Guidance feature, but I didn’t see any notifications. I asked Samsung why, and was told to turn it on in the Health app (Health > Sleep > tap three dots icon > Bedtime guidance). I still didn’t get any guidance, which I realized was due to the fact that I have my bedtime set for 10PM, but I turn on the watch’s sleep mode by 9PM most nights. What can I say, I like sleeping.
A bigger battery makes the AOD A-OK
One of the prior model’s shortcomings was battery life. The always-on display (AOD) tanked the charge, so I kept it off. The Galaxy Watch 8 has a bigger 325mAh battery, compared to the 300mAh one on the Watch 7. Twenty-five milliamp hours isn’t a huge jump, but in batteries, bigger is always better. And that’s true here.
I charged the watch to full at 12:30PM, turned the AOD on and after two auto-detected bike rides, one walk, some Gemini requests, checking notifications and using a few timers, it was still at 75 percent at 8:45PM. I enabled sleep mode shortly after and slept until 6:15AM. Then I did an AI-coached three-mile run and it still had 27 percent at 9AM. At 2:30PM it hit seven percent and I put it on the charger. Samsung promises up to 30 hours of use on a charge with the AOD on. This was slightly less than that, but it was an activity-filled day and I was fine with the lifespan.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is super swank
The spinning-bezel version of the latest watch is obviously aimed at the luxury watch-hound crowd. The knurled spinning bezel, inset diving bezel replica and the default chronograph watch face gives off serious Rolex Daytona/Omega Speedmaster wannabe vibes. It ships with a stitched leather-look band and the steel case has the heft and stature of an automatic mechanical timepiece. The always-on display and chunky buttons only add to the effect.
For me, the main advantage it has over the standard Galaxy Watch 8 is the protection the spinning bezel offers the raised display. The glass is shielded at the edges and it’s even inset slightly, which should ward off scratches. At first I thought it would be too chunky, but it’s surprisingly comfortable for its size and I really like how it looks. It’s an extremely attractive watch. I mostly tested out the standard version of the Watch 8, because I think most people will opt for that model, but if I got one for myself, I think I’d go with this beaut
Pricing and the competition
Samsung added $50 to the price tag on the 40mm Galaxy Watch 8, bringing it to $350. The larger 44mm model is now $380 (versus $330 last year) and the Classic variant is $500 for the single 46mm size. For reference, there was no Galaxy Watch 7 Classic and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic sold for $400 for the 43mm size and $430 for the 47mm.
At $350, the base model Galaxy Watch 8 costs the same as Google’s Pixel Watch 3 (though the and could be more expensive.) The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399, but it went during Prime Day. And, of course, a new Apple wearable is likely coming this September with a potential price bump as well. So Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 could end up being the most affordable of the major smartwatch releases once the dust settles from 2025’s launches. And if you’re a Samsung smartphone user, it’s easily your best bet.
All the small things
The core functions of the Galaxy Watch 8 haven’t changed all that much. We went in-depth on the fitness and health features for our and covered the notable perks of Samsung’s wearable in our and our . So I’ll just point out that the workout tracking is still accurate — and it’s faster to suss out when I’m on a walk than my Apple Watch. The companion Health app, where you view all the data your watch gathers, is helpful and a delight to use with its common-sense suggestions and friendly animations. And the daily Energy Score is a useful indicator of how I’m doing with my sleep and movement goals.
The Watch 8 is an industrious accessory for a Galaxy phone. My only lingering gripe is that the notifications aren’t as intrusive as my distracted brain needs them to be. They’re easy for me to miss. The double tap feature is great — a pinch gesture that dismisses or triggers actions without you having to touch the screen. I use it often and the watch almost always registers the motion. The screen has only become more responsive and navigation is plenty zippy. And finally, I love how customizable the watch faces are.
Wrap-up: The best smartwatch Samsung has made in years
The substantially refreshed look was the first indicator that Samsung was (finally) doing something different with the Galaxy Watch. I was pleasantly surprised by how well and how quickly Gemini was able handle functions on the wearable itself, as well as answer my questions. The tiles make hunting down info on the watch much easier and the new health metrics like antioxidant levels and vascular load could come in handy for many folks. Also the Classic variant this year is a truly stunning timepiece, finally bringing a true grown-up style to smartwatches.
The AI running coach got more out of me than I thought possible (and ensured that I will be fast asleep before any Bedtime Guidance suggestions kick in). But the changes that pleased me the most were the improved battery and markedly increased comfort. Those were two factors that prevented the just-good Galaxy Watch 7 from being a great smartwatch. Of course, if you don’t have a Samsung phone, there’s no point in considering any Galaxy Watch (and if that’s you, you probably haven’t read this far down anyway). But if you’re a Galaxy fan, this watch may very well delight you and help you get the most out of your phone.
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