Kate goes hands-on with the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, new Samsung smartwatches loaded with upgrades. In this video, we dive into the biggest changes including a slimmer new design, built-in Google Gemini AI, and new health tools like Cardiovascular Load and the Antioxidant Index. You’ll also see how One UI 8 for Watch brings smarter notifications, faster app access, and features borrowed from the Galaxy S25 series.
The Classic model brings back the physical rotating bezel and starts at $499, while the standard Watch 8 starts at $349. That’s a price hike across the board, so are these upgrades worth it?
00:00All right, guys, so the Galaxy Watch 8 is here, and it's a lot more than just a yearly refresh.
00:05Samsung is going all in with new health features, design changes, and even built-in AI with Gemini.
00:11But the Galaxy Watch 8 is also the most expensive Galaxy Watch yet, so let's talk about what you can expect.
00:19First off, Samsung is back to two styles this year, the regular Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.
00:26That's right, the beloved clicky rotating bezel is back after skipping the Watch 7 entirely, and I already know that you love to see it.
00:33Samsung's also saying goodbye to the classic round look.
00:36Instead, both models now use that cushion-style case first seen on the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
00:41I don't know if I'm totally sold, if I'm being honest.
00:43It kind of creates the illusion of wasted space, especially on the standard version.
00:48But the Classic pulls it off a little bit better, and I can't blame Samsung for wanting to stand out in the crowded smartwatch market.
00:54We've got some color options as well, silver or graphite for the regular Watch 8, black or white for the Classic.
01:01And the Watch 8 is now the thinnest Galaxy Watch ever, just 8.6 millimeters thick, which is about 11% slimmer than the Watch 7.
01:09Now let's talk about price, because yeah, Samsung did bump it up.
01:13The standard Watch 8 starts at $349 for the 40-millimeter Bluetooth model and goes as high as $429 if you want LTE and the bigger 44-millimeter version.
01:24The Classic model only comes in one size, 46 millimeters, and that starts at a pretty steep $499 at LTE, and it's $549.
01:35Also worth mentioning, there's a new titanium blue edition of the Galaxy Watch Ultra available now,
01:41with double the storage at 64 gigabytes for $649, all of the same features otherwise.
01:47Now for this year's big Galaxy Watch headline, Gemini.
01:51Samsung is calling the Galaxy Watch 8 the first smartwatch with Google Gemini built in.
01:56You'll need an internet connection for Gemini to work, but you don't necessarily need your phone connected, which is a total game-changer.
02:03You can ask it for your latest run stats, to fire up a playlist, or even trigger a custom routine like starting a workout and playing music at the same time.
02:11It's also coming with one UI 8 4 watch, which brings a bunch of quality-of-life upgrades, quicker access to your six most-used apps, smarter notifications,
02:21and the Now Bar, borrowed from the S25 series, that shows context-aware info like flight details or upcoming events.
02:28When it comes to fitness tracking with the Galaxy Watch 8, there's a new cardiovascular load feature that monitors heart strain while you sleep over three nights and lets you know if you're overdoing it.
02:38Running Coach is also new. It starts with a 12-minute run test to score your ability from 1 to 10,
02:44then builds a personalized training plan with live feedback, insights, and even motivational messages.
02:50Then there's bedtime reminders, which uses your circadian rhythm and something called sleep pressure to suggest ideal sleep windows just about two hours before you should go to bed.
02:59And in what might be the most eyebrow-raising addition, there's an antioxidant index test that uses the watch's existing light sensor
03:06to measure antioxidant levels through your skin and make wellness recommendations.
03:11We'll definitely need to test this one out to understand more, but needless to say, I'm intrigued.
03:16Battery life? About the same as last year. 30 hours with always-on display, 40 without.
03:21There's a slightly bigger capacity under the hood, but real-world use will tell the story,
03:26and that's something that'll come in a full review on this channel soon.
03:29So yeah, between the slimmer build, smarter software, and some promising new health upgrades,
03:34the Galaxy Watch 8 looks like a serious improvement, especially if you're going to spring for the Classic.
03:39That said, I am watching that price hike closely, and I'm really curious to see how well things like that antioxidant test actually work to help justify the price.
03:49If you're curious about that too, make sure you hit that subscribe button, turn on notifications.
03:53This channel will be bringing you more in-depth testing of all the new Samsung devices very soon.
03:59I'd love to know your take on everything. Let me know what you think in the comments,
04:02and thanks for watching this video. I will catch you next time.
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