First Impressions: Samsung Galaxy Watch 7

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 looks like another Watch instalment that’s about refinements, especially on improving performance and tracking accuracy to make sure it’s still one of the best smartwatches for Android users.

Introduction

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is the update to Samsung’s flagship smartwatch that gets to tap into Wear OS 5, the latest version of Google’s smartwatch operating system, while also making changes that should give it a boost in the fitness and health tracking departments.

With Wear OS watch rivals like the TicWatch Pro 5 and the OnePlus Watch 2 really giving Android phone owners strong options to consider, it feels like Samsung is hoping it’s already done enough to keep it ahead of the pack.

I spent some time getting to know what’s new with the Galaxy Watch 7 to see what Samsung has in store for its latest Galaxy Watch and whether this is shaping up to be the wearable to beat.

In the US, the Galaxy Watch 7 will start at $299, while in the UK it’ll set you back from £289.

Design and Screen

• 40mm and 44mm options
• IP68 water resistance returns
• Digital rotating bezel

Samsung is making sweeping changes with the look of the Galaxy Watch 7. It still comes in 40mm and 44mm case sizes in aluminium with sapphire crystal glass just like last year’s Galaxy Watch 6. We’ve compared the two in more detail separately if you’re interested.

Screens-wise, the 40mm Watch 7 features a 1.3-inch, 432 x 432 resolution Super AMOLED display, while the 44mm packs a 480 x 480 Super AMOLED screen. Again, that’s the same as the Galaxy Watch 6 and I think it’s fair to say that they could both be easily mistaken for the previous version. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as Samsung got plenty right with the previous Watch. If you were hoping for wholesale changes though, that’s not the case here.

Interestingly, I didn’t spy a Galaxy Watch 7 Classic and it seems the Watch 6 Classic with the physical rotating bezel will be sticking around for now at least.

The straps matched up to that Watch 7 case are once again removable, though I do still think they’re still a bit on the fiddly side. You’re also still getting two physical buttons on the right-side of the case, and the digital rotating bezel remains to give you an alternative way to interact with the watch software.

Flip the watch over and you’ll find Samsung’s BioActive sensor, which unlocks heart rate and blood pressure monitoring to go with ECG measurements and the ability to take body composition analysis. Samsung states that this is now an advanced sensor set-up, which should lead to more accurate monitoring than previous Galaxy Watches.

That sensor array is also bringing a new, ambitious, health-focused insight in the form of promising to track your advanced glycation end products, which is also known as AGEs. This is all to do with your metabolic health and offering a window into your current overall composition, as well as whether you might develop health issues in the future.

It does that by providing users with an AGEs Index, which takes into consideration your diet and lifestyle. So that likely means paying close attention to the body composition analysis support on offer here, along with your daily activity and exercise to offer that potentially very insightful metabolic health report.

It still comes in Bluetooth and LTE varieties for both case sizes, with the 40mm Bluetooth model priced at £289 and £339 for the LTE variant. Jump up to the 44mm option and the Bluetooth version costs £319 or £369 for the added LTE connectivity.

On the durability front, it’s more of the same again. This is a smartwatch with an IP68 dust resistance rating and one that’s fit to be worn whilst swimming in depths of up to 50 metres. Both also carry a military standard level of ruggedness to match the same level of testing applied to Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra. For more on how those two stack up, take a look at Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Watch 7.

Features and Performance

• Powered by Wear OS 5
• Android phone support only
• New Exynos chipset

Unsurprisingly, Samsung isn’t budging from making this a smartwatch for Android phone owners only, with some extra features available for those who also own a Samsung smartphone.

The first big news is that it comes running Wear OS 5, so much like previous Galaxy Watches since Samsung partnered up with Google’s wearable division, it’s going to be first in the line to get the latest version of Wear OS. That’s overlaid with version 6.0 of Samsung’s not too overbearing One UI.

Though I’d say that after having a swipe around, I couldn’t see anything particularly eye-catching that’s coming with the new Wear OS so far.

Samsung is intent on keeping that watch software running nice and smooth, so it’s introducing a new Exynos W1000, five core, 3nm processor which means the Watch 7 has a CPU that’s faster than the Watch 6. Samsung remains unmoved on the RAM front with 2GB included again, though it has boosted storage from 16GB to a more pleasing 32GB. I can’t say that the Watch 6 was laboured from a performance point of view, but a quicker, slicker smartwatch is always a good thing.

When paired with a Samsung phone, it looks like you’re going to enjoy some very Apple Watch-like gesture features that will let you double pinch with your fingers to handle calls, take pictures remotely, stop a timer or play and pause music. With messaging, Samsung is tapping into AI to offer suggested replies to make it quicker and easier to deal with notifications that pop up on the watch screen.

I’d say that Samsung’s sports tracking has largely been inferior to Apple’s and not necessarily the best on offer for Android users, so it’s pleasing to hear that the Watch 7 is getting dual-frequency GPS to boost outdoor tracking accuracy when passing by tall buildings or through heavily wooded areas.

It’s not the first smartwatch to get a dual-band mode, but if it can offer a boost on the accuracy front then that should surely help to give the Watch 7 more appeal for those who crave an Apple Watch level of performance.

On the battery front, there’s no budging on that front either. It’s a 300mAh one for the 40mm Watch 7 and 425mAh one for the 44mm version.

Both do offer wireless charging, but for those hoping for a significant boost in the battery department, it looks like more of the same on both sides of the Watch 7. Hopefully, that new processor and the latest version of Wear OS will help to keep things running more efficiently and to keep them running longer.