Review on SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch (46Mm by Josh Schweitzer

A few quick notes before I get to the review: - I'm reviewing the 42mm version which I've had for about 3 weeks now. - Comparisons between Apple and Samsung are exaggerated; Both are good watches but of course you have to match your watch to your phone - I don't think there is a better smartwatch out there at the moment but I'm only giving this watch 4 stars because I don't find smartwatch technology fully matured at this stage; I would say that there are currently no 5 star smartwatches. Verdict: The Galaxy Watch does pretty much everything I hoped it would, and it does it pretty well. 10 min, voice activation off; I use the watch when I'm not at home - about 11 hours a day - With these settings and usage pattern I can get by for 2 days on a single charge with some wiggle room - Reading and responding to notifications is smooth - Overall, I'd say that the exercise tracking is pretty good, but not great - the step count seems accurate for walking at a reasonable pace, but imprecise for slow walking or a combination of walking and standing (like walking through a museum) - I use they mostly use S Health for heart rate tracking, which works well for sustained cardio but worse for strength training. I'm not sure if it's caused by rapid fluctuations in my heart rate, a small movement of my wrist during a workout, or something else, but it often loses track of my heart rate, lags behind spikes and dips, and doesn't seem to be true to reach peaks - for lifting weights, health is not so useful; It can't count reps with so many exercises and you can't create custom workouts. I use an app (Gymrun) that allows you to create custom workouts. It doesn't track heart rate or count reps, but you can enter reps manually and use Health S (on "another workout") to track heart rate - I was hoping the Galaxy Watch would allow me to use my phone in my locker at the gym and that I can use the watch to (1) play music, (2) track my workouts, and (3) connect to WiFi to send/receive text messages/emails . the watch can do all this without lag - even when working with music + Wi-Fi + S Health, continuous heart rate monitoring + gym. website and accept the terms), and that the clock is using about 30% battery per hour if you do all of this - the bottom counter is mixed; Sometimes it's pretty accurate, but other times it misses the bottom. Style, comfort and physique - I'm a taller than average male and the 42mm dial fits me well; There are online watch face size calculators based on wrist size. You must have fairly large wrists for a large watch to look "appropriate". Of course, style is subjective and some may prefer a larger dial, but for me the 42mm model was the big one I was ready for, and the availability of the 42mm version was a big selling point - the watch looks overall good; It's not the prettiest watch in the world, but it's definitely worth wearing anywhere from the gym to the office to going out. The watch is thicker than I expected; from the side it looks rather squat - very comfortable; I don't notice it during the day even when I'm typing; they do not interfere with lifting weights. Build quality seems good so far - no dents or scratches, but it hasn't taken any hard hits. (the chip that powers the watch) and a rotating bezel - I don't think I'll ever use a watch without a rotating bezel; It's by far the best way to interact with a smartwatch - it lets you navigate without blocking or smearing the screen, and without having to maneuver with both hands to turn a tiny wheel on the side button - the SoC will blow everyone but Apple away; Wear OS watches are more than 2 generations behind. As a result, the battery life is excellent (by current smartwatch standards) and apps run smoothly. Software. pretty intuitive, slick and customizable. The lack of apps doesn't bother me - aside from the use cases outlined above, I'd still rather use my phone for all other apps. "But Google integration isn't perfect, and many apps aren't perfect. accessible; If that's important to you, do a little research on what's available/unavailable on the watch.