Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 review: Sleek looks, smart features

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8

Smartwatches have been around for a while, and honestly, they can start to feel a little predictable. Sleek screens, health tracking, app notifications-we all know the drill. But every now and then, a new release makes you pause and wonder if it’s doing more than just keeping time on your wrist.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is one such model. When you first pick it up, it doesn’t scream “change,” but spend a few hours with it, and you start noticing the subtle touches that set it apart.

Is it the shape of the screen, the way it sits on your wrist, or maybe how it nudges you to move just when you’re about to binge another episode? I decided to test it in real life, wearing it through my daily walks, office hours, and lazy weekends. What I found was a mix of impressive touches, minor annoyances, and enough quirks to make you think twice before choosing it.Read my review to know more.

Design and Comfort

At first glance, the Galaxy Watch 8 looks undeniably premium. The round Super AMOLED display sits within a sleek, polished metal frame that gives it a futuristic yet minimal feel. The curves are gentle, the bezels thin, and the way light reflects off its edges makes it look almost like jewelry. In photos, it could easily pass for a high-end fashion accessory rather than a piece of tech.

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But once I wore it, I realized beauty can sometimes come with a caveat. I have relatively thin wrists, and the 42.7 x 40.4 mm body felt a little too large for comfort. The watch face almost covered my wrist entirely, which took away from the elegance I expected. It’s one of those designs that might look perfect on slightly broader wrists but tends to feel oversized on slimmer ones.

The strap, while soft and comfortable against the skin, didn’t help much. It doesn’t have enough adjustment holes, so getting that “just right” fit was tricky. It either sat a bit loose or too tight, neither of which felt ideal for daily wear or for accurate sensor readings. Samsung could definitely make the strap design more inclusive for smaller wrists, especially considering many women wear these watches too.

That said, there’s no denying the Galaxy Watch 8 is a stunner. The way the display seamlessly blends into the frame gives it a refined, almost luxurious appearance. It’s the kind of smartwatch that turns heads when the screen lights up. The watch feels well-built, sturdy without being heavy, and the 30-gram weight makes it easy to wear throughout the day.

For people with medium to larger wrists, this design will feel balanced and confident. But for those like me, with thinner wrists, it might be a little too commanding, a bit like wearing someone else’s watch. It’s beautiful, but not perfectly tailored.

Display

The 3.4 cm Super AMOLED display is where Samsung continues to flex its strength. The resolution of 438 x 438 pixels makes everything from text messages to workout stats look sharp. Colors pop, blacks are deep, and sunlight visibility is excellent. I took it out for a walk on a bright afternoon, and the screen was easily readable without maxing out the brightness.

Galaxy watch 8

The touch response is snappy, and scrolling through menus feels smooth. You can enable the Always-On Display mode if you prefer the look of a traditional watch, but doing so takes a toll on the battery. More on that later.

The watch runs on Samsung’s version of Wear OS, which means you get a familiar circular interface, customizable watch faces, and access to a decent app library. The UI feels more refined now, with better animations and faster transitions. It’s not perfect, sometimes the menus take a split second longer to respond but it’s fluid enough to feel effortless.

Performance and Daily Use

Under the hood, the Galaxy Watch 8 packs a Penta-Core processor with speeds of 1.6GHz and 1.5GHz, along with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. That may sound like tech jargon, but what it means in everyday use is this: the watch runs fast, doesn’t lag, and can store a good amount of music or apps.

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Pairing it with a phone was quick, and once connected via Bluetooth 5.3, the connection remained stable throughout. You can also connect to Wi-Fi if you want to sync apps or download songs without your phone nearby.

I used it for a mix of activities—checking notifications, tracking workouts, controlling music, and replying to messages. Everything worked smoothly. The haptic feedback is subtle but satisfying, and the microphone picked up my voice clearly for voice commands. The speaker, too, is good enough for taking quick calls if your phone is in another room.

Health and Fitness Tracking

Samsung has packed the Watch 8 with every sensor imaginable: accelerometer, barometer, optical and electrical heart sensors, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, infrared temperature sensor, and even a bioelectrical impedance analysis sensor. That’s quite a mouthful, but it basically means the watch can measure heart rate, sleep, stress, skin temperature, body composition, and more.

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During my time with it, the heart rate readings were fairly accurate and matched what I got from a chest strap. Sleep tracking was detailed, showing deep, light, and REM cycles. It also gives you a sleep score and tips on how to improve rest quality, which can be oddly motivating.

The body composition feature is interesting but not something I used often. You have to place your fingers on the side buttons and stay still while the watch estimates your fat and muscle mass. It’s not a medical-grade reading, but it gives a fair sense of trends over time.

GPS tracking worked well on my evening walks. The watch locked onto signals quickly and the tracking stayed consistent. However, if you use GPS extensively, expect the battery to dip faster.

Overall, health tracking feels dependable. It’s not a replacement for professional medical tools, but for everyday fitness, stress management, and sleep monitoring, it does a solid job.

Battery Life

This is where expectations need to be realistic. The Watch 8 houses a 325mAh battery, which Samsung claims can last up to 40 hours with the Always-On Display turned off. In real-world use, I got around a full day and a half with moderate use—checking notifications, tracking one workout, and occasional heart rate monitoring.

Turn on Always-On Display, use GPS, or stream music over Bluetooth, and the battery drops faster. With heavy use, it’s more of a one-day watch. The good news is that charging is convenient. It supports wireless charging, and it takes about an hour and a half to go from zero to full.

If you’re coming from a fitness tracker that lasts a week, this might feel short. But given the vibrant display and the number of sensors running in the background, this battery performance feels fair.

Software and Ecosystem

The Galaxy Watch 8 runs on Wear OS powered by Samsung. You can download apps from the Play Store, use Google Maps, and control smart home devices through Google Assistant. Notifications from WhatsApp, Gmail, and social media appear promptly, and you can reply directly from your wrist.

The watch works best with Samsung phones, where features like quick setup and Samsung Health integration are seamless. It still works well with other Android phones, though you might lose a few small conveniences. There’s no iPhone compatibility here, so Apple users are better off sticking with the Apple Watch.

Should You Buy It?

That’s the big question. The Galaxy Watch 8 isn’t something that we have not seen before. It refines what Samsung already did well. It’s light, looks good, performs smoothly, and tracks your health with impressive detail. But if you already own a recent Galaxy Watch, like the Watch 6 or even Watch 7, the jump isn’t dramatic enough to justify an immediate upgrade.

However, if you’re buying your first smartwatch or upgrading from a much older model, this one strikes a good balance between design, performance, and practicality. It’s versatile enough for the gym, the office, and everything in between.

I’d call it a watch for real life—smart enough to feel futuristic, but not so over-the-top that it feels like a gadget experiment on your wrist. The only trade-off is the battery life, which still doesn’t stretch beyond two days comfortably. But if charging it every night doesn’t bother you, you’ll likely enjoy what the Watch 8 offers