Galaxy Watch4: the new Samsung smartwatch that’s challenging Apple
The watch has some ‘new health capabilities’, such as snoring detection, but it’s a bit of a work in progress
With its latest wearable, Samsung is kickstarting a new era of Android tech, said The Independent. Thus far, while iPhone users have been able to invest in the “do-it-all wearable that is the Apple Watch”, owners of Android phones have been “half-served” by a disjointed range of Fitbits, Fossils and Garmins.
Now, though, Samsung has teamed up with Google to make its first Android smartwatch. This is a best of both worlds deal: as the watch runs on Google’s superior Wear OS software (as opposed to Samsung’s Tizen system), you get access to all the Google Play apps and functionality you need, on a “sophisticated-looking device that’s a joy to use and comfortable to wear around the clock”.
Samsung’s previous smartwatches have scored well on compatibility, said Tech Radar. So it’s a shame that the Galaxy Watch4 falls down there. You can’t use it with an iPhone and, though it operates with all modern Android phones, you’ll need to own a Samsung to access some of its features, such as its blood pressure monitor. On the other hand, it has good battery life, and a nice bright screen with good resolution.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Users will appreciate the range of apps it offers access to, said The Wall Street Journal. There is Maps, for instance, which gives turn-by-turn directions for driving, walking and biking (and can be set to buzz when you need to turn), while Citymapper is great for navigating the transport systems of major cities.
The watch also has some “new health capabilities”, such as snoring detection. It’s a bit of a work in progress, though; not all the apps run smoothly. But it’s the best Android watch on offer, and the first with the potential to challenge Apple’s market dominance.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The 5 best TV shows about the mobThe Week Recommends From the show that launched TV’s golden age to a Batman spin-off, viewers can’t get enough of these magnificent mobsters
-
Is the US in recession?Today's Big Question ‘Unofficial signals’ are flashing red
-
Dinosaurs were thriving before asteroid, study findsSpeed Read The dinosaurs would not have gone extinct if not for the asteroid
-
6 well-crafted log homesFeature Featuring a floor-to-ceiling rock fireplace in Montana and a Tulikivi stove in New York
-
Film reviews: A House of Dynamite, After the Hunt, and It Was Just an AccidentFeature A nuclear missile bears down on a U.S. city, a sexual misconduct allegation rocks an elite university campus, and a victim of government terror pursues vengeance
-
Book reviews: ‘Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife’ and ‘Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It’Feature Gertrude Stein’s untold story and Jane Leavy’s playbook on how to save baseball
-
Rachel Ruysch: Nature Into ArtFeature Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, through Dec. 7
-
Music reviews: Olivia Dean, Madi Diaz, and Hannah FrancesFeature “The Art of Loving,” “Fatal Optimist,” and “Nested in Tangles”
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
-
Ready for the apocalypseFeature As anxiety rises about the state of the world, the ranks of preppers are growing—and changing.
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelagoThe Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests