Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Galaxy Watch 4: Time to upgrade

• Source: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

  The big screen successor

  Galaxy Watch 6 takes a great formula and improves it. Smaller bezels allow for larger screens in the same physical footprint, and the new processor and battery should result in excellent battery life.

  Positives

  • View larger
  • Bigger battery

• 

  Source: Samsung

  Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

  reliable old

  $170 $ 200 Save $30

  The Galaxy Watch 4 may be two years old, but it’s still a great wearable. Performance and battery life have held up well, and all of the accessories for newer models are backwards compatible, so giving it a new lease of life is easy.

  Positives

  • Often for sale
  • Still as elegant as the new model

  cons

  • slow charging
  • Smaller battery

Alongside its foldable updates for 2023, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 6. The previous two generations were Wear OS’s most successful devices, so this new model has a lot to go.

Galaxy Watch 4 activated Wear OS as the first smartwatch to ship with Google’s wearable platform. Two years later, how does that compare to the new kid on the block?

Price, availability and specifications

The Galaxy Watch 6 is on sale now at $300 for the smallest non-cellular model. Up to 44mm will cost $320, while LTE models come in at $350 and $380, respectively. The Watch 6 is available worldwide from most major retailers.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is two years old, but Best Buy and Samsung still sell it brand new at $220 for the 40mm LTE model and $250 for the 44mm LTE version. Non-cellular versions of the Watch 4 are no longer available.

As you can imagine, the specs have come a long way in two years, and you can see that in the spec table below:

• 	Samsung Galaxy Watch 6	Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
  battery life	30 hours with Always On Display and 40 hours without	about 40 hours
  case material	Aluminium	Aluminium
  an offer	1.3″ 432 x 432 (40mm) Super AMOLED or 1.5″ 480 x 480 (44mm), Always On Display	1.2″ Super AMOLED 396 x 396 (40mm) or 1.4″ 450 x 450 (44mm)
  CPU	Exynos W930	Exynos W920
  ram	2 GB	1.5 GB
  storage	16 gigabytes	16 gigabytes
  battery	300 mAh (40 mm) or 425 mAh (44 mm)	247 mAh (40 mm) or 361 mAh (44 mm)
  Connection	NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, LTE (Optional)	NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, LTE (Optional)
  durability	IP68, water resistant to 50 meters (5ATM), MIL-STD-810H	IP68, water resistant to 50 meters (5ATM)
  Programming	Wear OS 4 with One UI 5 watch	Wear 3 OS powered by Samsung
  health sensors	Samsung BioActive Sensor, Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor	Heart rate, electrocardiogram, bioelectrical impedance, built-in GPS
  price	From $300	from $200
  Weight	28.7g (40mm) or 33.3g (42mm)	25.9g (40mm) or 30.3g (42mm)

design

The Galaxy Watch 6 hasn’t changed much. It’s clearly a Galaxy Watch, which is a good thing considering the Watch 4 still looks great today. The main difference you’ll notice is the display size. With smaller bezels, each watch size gets a 0.1 inch larger screen than the older model even though the case is the same size.

Another welcome change is the belt mechanism. The Watch 4 and Watch 6 both have standard straps, but the ones Samsung made for the new model have a quick release button that’s much easier to use than the tiny pins you had to use before. These new straps are backward compatible, so you can buy them for your old Galaxy Watch.

Displays

Depending on the size, the Galaxy Watch 4 comes with a 1.2-inch or 1.4-inch screen. The Watch 6, thanks to the previously mentioned thin bezels, has increased those numbers to 1.3 inches and 1.5 inches plus a small bump in resolution. The biggest difference you’ll notice is the brightness. The Watch 4 can hit over 1,000 nits, but the Watch 6 doubles that to 2,000 nits, making it great for use in direct sunlight.

The new watch also has better protection, moving away from the Gorilla Glass DX+ used by the Watch 4 in favor of a sapphire crystal, which is harder to damage.

performance and battery life

Performance was never an issue for the Watch 4. The Exynos W920 was a great chip that balances performance and efficiency, unlike the Exynos chips we see in smartphones. Paired with 1.5GB of RAM and a 257mAh or 361mAh battery, the Watch 4 can easily last for about a day and a half between charges, and it delivers smooth performance all the time.

The Watch 6 has so far proven itself better than the Watch 4 in this regard, lasting two full days with typical use. The new Exynos W930 is faster and more efficient, the RAM has increased by 2GB, and the batteries are now 300mAh and 425mAh. The efficiency of the new chip and larger battery make this an easy win for the Watch 6.

Programming

Galaxy Watch 4 launched with Wear OS 3.0 and One UI Watch 3 and has since been updated to Wear OS 3.5 and One UI Watch 4.5. Galaxy Watch 6 launched with Wear OS 4.0 and One UI Watch 5, which brought minor changes and improvements. This will arrive as a software update for Watch 4 and Watch 5 in the coming weeks.

Samsung watches have promised four years of updates, so the Watch 4 will continue to get software support until 2026, with the Watch 6 getting updates until 2028.

Should you upgrade?

Yes, you probably should. I’ve had the Galaxy Watch 4 44mm since it was launched, and I love it. Performance is still great, but battery life isn’t. After 2 years the battery cells are deteriorating and now I have to charge my Watch 4 every night instead of every other night. This is fine for now, but it will get worse as the watch ages.

The Watch 6 has a bigger, brighter screen, a bigger battery, and most importantly, faster charging. All of these things together make it a compelling upgrade for those of us still using the older Watch 4.

Source: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

The big screen successor

Upgrades all around

Galaxy Watch 6 takes a great formula and improves it. Smaller bezels allow for larger screens in the same physical footprint, and the new SoC and battery should result in excellent battery life.

However, the Watch 4 still provides a fast and smooth experience, and the price should drop pretty quickly now that the Watch 6 is here. If you don’t mind settling for fewer updates and features, getting the Galaxy Watch 4 on sale will be worth it — and if you already own one and the battery is strong, there’s no harm in making the most of it for a little while longer.

Source: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

reliable old

Time hasn’t run out for Watch 4 yet

$170 $ 200 Save $30

The Galaxy Watch 4 may be two years old, but it’s still a great wearable. Performance and battery life have held up well, and all of the accessories for newer models are backwards compatible, so giving it a new lease of life is easy.