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Exploring the Samsung Galaxy Watch6: A Review
Newcomer to Smartwatches As someone relatively new to the smartwatch market, I’ve been hesitant about adopting this kind of wearable technology. My primary concern has always been the constant need for charging these devices. In our tech-driven world, it’s an unavoidable necessity, but it doesn’t stop me from complaining about it. Given my awareness of energy costs, I’ve even gone to the extent of switching off all appliances in my flat, except for the fridge and Wi-Fi, when they’re not in use. This change in habit means that instead of charging my phone overnight as I used to, I now charge it in the living room while watching TV, avoiding unnecessary hours of being plugged in at 100% battery. Needless to say, accumulating electricity bills unnecessarily is my idea of a nightmare.
Smartwatches and the Battery Woes Now, most smartwatches, despite their impressive features and health monitoring capabilities, require recharging approximately every 24 hours. To accurately track my daily activities, I need to keep the smartwatch on my wrist throughout the day. If I want sleep monitoring, wearing it at night is also necessary. This leads to the inevitable question: when do I find the time to recharge this device? Even with power-hungry features like the display and notifications turned off, my previous Google Pixel watch would constantly remind me to recharge it every 24 hours.
Samsung’s Entry: The Galaxy Watch6 Enter Samsung, known for its influence in the world of Android. Their latest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch6, comes in both standard and Classic versions. With a larger screen and a brighter display than its predecessor, this watch boasts a battery life that matches your daily activities and more. What caught my attention the most was its impressive battery life, claiming to last up to 40 hours.
Key Specifications and Design The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 offers a choice between 44mm or 40mm body sizes, showcasing a sapphire crystal glass display that is 1.5mm thick on the 44mm model and 1.3mm on the 40mm model. The display is a Super AMOLED type with resolutions of 432 x 432 (43mm) or 480 x 480 (47mm). It’s powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos W930 processor and features 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The watch is equipped with various sensors, including optical heart rate and ECG sensors, temperature, accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, and light sensor. It boasts excellent water resistance (5ATM), an IP68 rating, and MIL-STD-810H certification. The battery capacity ranges from 300mAh (40mm) to 425mAh (44mm). Charging is wireless and based on the WPC standard.
Packaging and Environmentally Friendly Approach The packaging is minimalistic, with the watch and its charger neatly packed in a slim box. The charger itself is a magnetic disc with a USB-C connector on the other end. While this design doesn’t allow you to plug it directly into a USB port, it does fit Samsung’s three-pin plugs and some computer or laptop hard drives. Importantly, all the packaging materials are made from folded cardboard, ensuring that they can be recycled.
Design and Display The Galaxy Watch6 has a design that strikes a balance between an activity tracker and a traditional watch, making it less obtrusive on the wrist. The watch boasts a generous 1.5-inch diameter display with a sharp AMOLED screen that offers three brightness settings. It comes with a black bezel and a matte black strap, which can be swapped for other colors when you’re in the mood for a change. The watch face offers numerous customization options beyond the default retro style.
Battery Life: The Star Feature For me, the standout feature of the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 was its impressive battery life. Samsung claims that this watch can last up to 40 hours on a full charge. While it’s not an improvement over the previous model (Galaxy Watch5, which could last 50 hours), it stands out in a world where many smartwatches barely make it through 24 hours on a single charge. With the Galaxy Watch6, you could potentially go an entire weekend without needing to plug it in. Additionally, the watch supports fast charging, regaining up to 50% of its battery capacity in just around half an hour.
Impressive Array of Functions This smartwatch offers a comprehensive array of functions, including activity tracking, fitness monitoring, sleep tracking, event alerts, and social media notifications. It’s more than just a watch; it’s like having a health center, personal trainer, and sleep coach all in one compact device on your wrist. Some of my favorite functions included the inactivity reminder, which prompted me to move more during my workday, and the activity tracker, which displayed daily step count, active time, and calories burned. While I didn’t explore all the fitness tracking and coaching features, which can be linked to services like Peloton and MyFitnessPal, they seem valuable for those who are actively training, especially since winter is approaching, and my activity levels tend to dip during this season.
Verdict: A Stylish and Functional Addition to Wearable Wardrobes In conclusion, the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 is a slim and lightweight smartwatch that doesn’t cling to the skin. It’s a great addition to your wearable collection and makes for a stylish gift option, especially with the holiday season approaching. However, it’s worth noting that this watch is likely to be more valuable for active individuals who can fully leverage its wide range of features.
