Galaxy Watch 4
Disclaimer: This is not an actual review this is just with my experience of using different generations lf Galaxy Watches.
Galaxy Watch 3
Back in late 2020-2021, I've acquired the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which at the time had an ongoing bundled promo of getting the Galaxy Watch 3 45mm.
This was actually my first ever Smartwatch in contrast to the fitness tracker from Samsung I got years ago.
This was a great starters experience but this came with a few drawbacks which is:
1. Heavy
2. Software
3. Not so great battery life
To put things into perspective, the Galaxy Watch 3 was in a way as heavy as those luxury watches from Rolex or Fossil, not really the most ideal type of watch to wear when hitting the gym. The weight alone just puts this level of strain on your wrist.
Software was okay, but didn't live up to the hype of the more common WearOS.
Battery is where this smartwatch falls a little flat especially if you've gotten used to using fitness trackers that would last days on a single charge. The Galaxy Watch 3 had to be charged on a daily basis and if you skip out, before the day ends, the battery had already been drained.
Galaxy Watch 5
Come the following year, I skipped on the Galaxy S22 Ultra mainly because of the price difference and the subtle trauma thinking it was just as heavy as the previous model, but because the redesign of the Galaxy Watch 5 was that evident, I've acquired one too.
This however was shortlived, although the overhaul of the Galaxy Watch 5 was great in contrast to the Watch 3, I had but one complaint, the size.
Being at 6" feet tall, I was under the impression that I needed the bigger variant only to find out that it was actually a lot more constricting if lets say you're going to bench press or do push ups.
This of course had pushed me to either adjust it upwards everytime and pull it down once done with the workout.
This basically made me revert to my old fitness bands making me use the Galacy Watch 5 far less than usual.
Galaxy Watch 4
Fast forward to the present time where I recently acquired the S23 Ultra, this came with a Galaxy Watch 4.
Now, some might think it is a downgrade but apparently its not all that. Based on online sources, the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 came with the same processor a few internal hardware upgrades for the 5 but virtually the same.
The wife did get the Galaxy Watch 6, and yes it does have some major improvements from the 5, day to day usage and operations is very much identical to the Watch 4.
I guess the main point of this post is to have some form of reality check for most consumers that, just because it isn't the latest product, doesn't mean it is a bad product.
I actually saw the Galaxy Watch 4 being sold for just 1/3 of it's original price in platforms like Shopee and Lazara and quite frankly, I haven't even considered selling this just to get the newer model.
Based on online sources, it'll still be getting software upgrades in the next 2-3 years and even if it goes passed that, I don't think it'll be that slow to make it less of a smartwatch to give you the perks and features of a smartwatch.
So if you're looking to get a new smartwatch to be paired with your Samsung phone, but is tight on the budget, I'd recommend the Galaxy Watch 4.
- Decent performance
- Decent battery life
- Still supported by software updates
- WearOS
- Performs just as good as the Galaxy Watch 5 & 6
And yes, I'm pretty sure you won't be looking at your watch as much as you do with your phone so it is just nice to have that accessory that extends the core essentials of what your smartphone can do on your wrist.
It is a nice accessory to have, affordable, still relevent and can also be a great gift considering the holidays are just right around the corner.
