Samsung Brought Back My Favorite Feature for Its Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic
But it's not just aesthetics that have changed in this year's revisions. The company is also stepping things up when it comes to health tools, including several features I've never seen on a smartwatch, like noninvasive skin analysis and AI-powered coaching for sleep and running. The Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic also have a smarter voice assistant and are the first smartwatches with Google's Gemini AI baked right inside, ready to handle complex tasks.
Watch this: The Rotating Bezel is Back! A Look at Samsung's New Galaxy Watch 8 and Classic
04:31
Pricing and availability
The Galaxy Watch 8 starts at $350 for the 40mm model and $380 for the 44mm one. The LTE versions are $50 more: $400 for the 40mm model and $430 for the 44mm watch.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, with its rotating bezel and physical crown, comes in a single 46mm size and costs $500, or $550 for the LTE model.
The Titanium Blue version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra is $650, the same price as the original 2024 model. This version gets the same internal upgrades as the Watch 8 lineup, including a 64GB storage bump.
All models are available for preorder now with shipping starting July 25. If you reserve early from Samsung you can get $50 in Samsung credit; your wireless carrier may also have deals on the watches and Samsung's just-announced phones.
The 40mm version of the Galaxy Watch 8 has a new design with a circular screen and squircle frame.
Joseph Maldonado/CNET
Health and fitness features
Samsung continues to expand the Galaxy Watch's role as a health and wellness tool, building on existing features like ECG, SpO₂ (shorthand for peripheral capillary oxygen saturation), sleep tracking and its AGEs Index, which reflects your metabolic aging process. The headliner is a new Antioxidant Index, which measures carotene (one type of antioxidant) levels in your skin with a simple five-second press of your thumb on the sensor (no needle needed). Since antioxidants help clear toxins from the body, knowing your levels can offer actionable steps for improving your health. The watch will rate your levels on a scale from low to high and then offer generic recommendations on the Samsung Health app on how you can improve your levels if they're on the lower side.
It's important to note that this metric isn't clinically verified and isn't meant to replace a medical-grade test. It's designed to offer a baseline reading that may help you make real-time lifestyle adjustments, but it won't provide the detailed or precise results you'd get from a traditional blood test.
The Antioxidant Index on the new Galaxy Watches.
Joseph Maldonado/CNET
There's also a new metric called Vascular Load, which measures strain on your heart during sleep. These readings are translated into a low-to-high scale to help you understand how behaviors (like sodium or alcohol intake) may be contributing to long-term heart disease risk.
Sleep tracking gets a serious upgrade, too. A new Bedtime Guidance tool uses a three-day analysis of your circadian rhythm and sleep pressure (aka sleep debt) to recommend an ideal bedtime window. It factors in heart rate, HRV, skin temperature, and even environmental cues like room temperature or brightness (if you've got connected SmartThings devices). The goal: Improve your sleep quality, recovery and energy throughout the day.
The new Running Coach gives you a personalized training plan to help meet your goals.
Samsung
The coaching isn't just for sleep; the new Galaxy Watches are also debuting a Running Coach feature. It starts with a 12-minute running assessment that scores your fitness from level 0 (beginner) to level 10 (marathon-ready). From there, it builds a personalized four-to-six-week training plan tailored to your distance or performance goals.
Similar to Apple's new Workout Buddy, Samsung's Running Coach offers real-time, contextual feedback while you're running, like pointing out a major milestone. But unlike Apple's version, Samsung's tool goes a step further by actually adapting your future training plans based on your progress.
Design
The two new Galaxy Watches take a page out of the Galaxy Watch Ultra's playbook ditching the traditional circular watch face for a "cushion" design that has a round screen set inside a "squircle" frame (square with rounded edges). As someone who thought the Ultra looked too big and masculine for my wrist, I'm still not totally sold on the design shift. But I'm a sucker for that rotating bezel on the Classic (the Ultra's is static), so I can't help but love the look, even if it doesn't feel like it was made for me.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic brings back the rotating bezel in two color options: white or black.
Joseph Maldonado/CNET
The Classic also adopts the customizable quick-action button of the Ultra that also doubles as a crown wedges between the two navigation buttons.
Despite my preference for the sleeker, edgeless circular design of past Galaxy Watches, there may be some benefits to the new design, including a slimmer form factor. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Watch 8 is 11% slimmer and lighter than its predecessor. When trying it on, I was blown away by how light it felt on my wrist without the usual belly bump bulge of the body.
Pair that with a new band system, which reduces the gap between the watch and your wrist and you have a noticeably more comfortable fit. Thanks to the tighter sensor-to-skin contact, it's also more accurate at capturing heart rate data. This is still subject to testing, but if it holds up, it may be a justified design trade-off.
Width comparison between the Galaxy Watch 8, Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and Galaxy Watch Ultra. Both the Ultra and the Classic have the crown that doubles as an action button.
Joseph Maldonado/CNET
The Galaxy Watch 8 comes in silver and graphite with an aluminum frame, while the Classic opts for a stainless steel finish in just silver. Size-wise, the regular Watch 8 comes in 40mm and 44mm options, while the Classic is only available in 46mm, which looks pretty large on my 6-inch (15cm) wrist and definitely leans more masculine. I can't help but miss the days when Samsung offered more feminine options like rose gold or even just plain gold, though it's been a while since those were part of the lineup.
The new Galaxy Watches are the first smartwatches to debut Google's Gemini AI assistant out of the box.
Joseph Maldonado/CNET
Gemini on the watch
The new One UI 8 software brings a refreshed user experience that is easier to navigate. Notifications are separated by app and instant access to your six most-used apps. The Watches also takes a page from the Galaxy phone with a new "Now bar" at the bottom of the screen for quick access to active apps like timers or media controls.
But the most important software update is the addition of Gemini AI. The new Galaxy Watches are the first with Google's AI assistant built-in, bringing more complex commands and contextual understanding to your wrist. You can ask it to check your most recent running pace, start a five-mile run and launch your workout playlist simultaneously, set a timer to boil pasta based on a recipe in your notes, adjust the font size on the watch, or have it draft a text letting a friend know you're running late.
Since Gemini requires an internet connection to work, you'll need to have your phone paired nearby or use an LTE version of the watch.
Battery and storage
Let's set expectations: Just because the Galaxy Watch 8 looks like the Ultra doesn't mean it matches the Ultra's three-day battery life. But there's still good news to share.
Samsung says the Watch 8 has an 8% larger battery than the Watch 7: 325 mAh vs. 300 mAh (for the 40mm), and 435 mAh vs. 425 mAh (for the 44mm). The Classic tops out at 445 mAh, which is still well below the Ultra's 590 mAh battery. How much that translates into real-world use remains to be seen, but any boost is welcome, especially paired with the efficiency gains from the new Wear OS 6 update.
Storage also doubles across the board, with 64GB now standard (up from 32GB), including a new Titanium Blue version of the Ultra.
This is just a first look based on hands-on time. We'll find out if these features live up to the hype when put to the test in our full review, coming soon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fast Company
29 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Nvidia is set to resume sales of its AI chips to China. Here's who's on the ‘whitelist' of buyers
Chinese firms are scrambling to buy Nvidia's H20 artificial intelligence chips, two sources told Reuters, as the company said it planned to resume sales to the mainland days after its CEO met U.S. President Donald Trump. Nvidia's AI chips have been a key focus of U.S. export controls designed to keep the most advanced chips out of Chinese hands over national security concerns. The U.S.-listed company has said the curbs would cut its revenue by $15 billion. The world's most valuable firm is filing applications with the U.S. government to resume sales to China of the H20 graphics processing unit (GPU), and expects to get the licences soon, Nvidia said in a statement. 'The U.S. government has assured Nvidia that licences will be granted, and Nvidia hopes to start deliveries soon,' said the company, whose chief executive, Jensen Huang, is visiting Beijing and set to speak at an event on Wednesday. The White House, which has previously expressed concern that the Chinese military could use AI chips to develop weapons, did not respond to a request for comment. Chinese companies have scrambled to place orders for the chips, which Nvidia would then need to send to the U.S. government for approval, the sources familiar with the matter said. They added that internet giants ByteDance and Tencent are in the process of submitting applications. Central to the process is a 'whitelist' put together by Nvidia for Chinese companies to register for potential purchases, one of the sources said. ByteDance and Tencent did not respond to a request for comment. Nvidia did not respond to a request for comment regarding the 'whitelist'. Nvidia, which has criticised the export curbs the Trump administration imposed in April that stopped it from selling its H20 chip in China, also said it has introduced a new model tailored to meet regulatory rules in the Chinese market. Huang is set for a media briefing in Beijing on Wednesday when he attends a supply chain expo. The Nvidia CEO also visited China in April and stressed the importance of the Chinese market. 'The Chinese market is massive, dynamic, and highly innovative, and it's also home to many AI researchers,' Huang told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday. 'Therefore, it is indeed crucial for American companies to establish roots in the Chinese market.' Nvidia's shares jumped 5% in premarket trading. Rival AI chipmaker AMD, which has forecast a $1.5 billion revenue hit this year due to U.S. export curbs on China, rose more than 3%. 'This is a major catalyst for Nvidia shares, as many had written off the chance of any meaningful revenue coming from China,' said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown. Asked at a regular foreign ministry briefing in Beijing about Nvidia's plans to resume AI chip sales, a spokesperson said, 'China is opposed to the politicisation, instrumentalisation and weaponisation of science, technology and economic and trade issues to maliciously blockade and suppress China.' SUPPLY CHAIN Nvidia has faced increased competition from Chinese tech giant Huawei and other makers of GPUs — the chips used to train artificial intelligence. But Chinese companies, including big tech firms, still crave Nvidia chips for its computing platform known as CUDA. Huang's visit is being closely watched in both China and the United States, where a bipartisan pair of senators last week sent the CEO a letter asking him to abstain from meeting companies working with military or intelligence bodies. The senators also asked Huang to refrain from meeting with entities named on the United States' restricted export list. The move to resume sales of the H20 chips comes amid easing tensions between Washington and Beijing, with China relaxing controls on rare earth exports and the United States allowing chip design software services to restart in China. 'The uncertainties between the U.S. and China remain high and despite a pause in H20's ban, Chinese companies will continue to diversify their options to better protect their supply chain integrity,' said He Hui, research director of semiconductors at Omdia. The H20 chip was developed specifically for the Chinese market after U.S. export curbs imposed on national security grounds in late 2023. The AI chip was Nvidia's most powerful legally available product in China until it was effectively banned by Washington in April. The H20 ban forced Nvidia to write off $5.5 billion in inventories, and Huang told the Stratechery podcast that the company also had to walk away from $15 billion in sales. But now, the possibility of new licenses could represent about $15 billion to $20 billion in additional revenue this year, depending on when the approval is granted and how quick the deliveries can ramp back up, said Hargreaves' Britzman. 'There's also a chance Nvidia can reverse some, or all, of the $5.5 billion impairment charge taken in the first quarter, providing a double boost for earnings.' Nvidia also announced the development of a new AI chip designed specifically for China, called the RTX Pro GPU. The company described it as 'fully compliant' with U.S. export controls and suitable for digital twin AI applications in sectors, such as smart factories and logistics. In May, Reuters reported Nvidia was preparing to launch in China a new AI chip, based on the RTX Pro 6000D, at a significantly lower price point than the H20. The graphics processing unit would be part of Nvidia's latest generation Blackwell-architecture AI processors and was expected to be priced well below the H20 for its weaker specifications and simpler manufacturing requirements, sources said. China generated $17 billion in revenue for Nvidia in the fiscal year ending January 26, or 13% of total sales, based on its latest annual report. Huang has consistently highlighted China as a critical market for Nvidia's growth.
Forbes
29 minutes ago
- Forbes
Over 50 With No Retirement Savings? Here's What To Do Now
Planning for retirement in your 50s starts with clear goals, honest budgeting and a renewed focus on ... More the future. Landing that first job after graduation is exciting. Suddenly, you have real money in the bank to buy what your childhood allowance could only dream of. But then life happens. You get promoted, maybe married with children, and before you know it, retirement is closer than those carefree 'work hard, play hard' days ever were. One day, you wake up in your 50s and realize retirement is right around the corner. Questions start piling up: Have you saved enough? Should you adjust your investment risk? Is there still time to catch up? The good news is it's never too late to take control and set a stronger course for your future. 'In my commentary on the planning aspect, talking to somebody and mapping this out and understanding all the parts and pieces, honestly, don't be embarrassed that you're not there yet,' Genevieve George, CPA, CFP, CFE, CDFA, senior wealth advisor and principal at Pelican Financial Planning and Wealth, states during a phone interview. Many people feel embarrassed about their lack of knowledge about financial planning or about comparing themselves to their peers who have saved more. An AARP survey revealed that 20% of adults over 50 have no retirement savings at all. Meanwhile, 61% in this age group are worried they won't have enough to support themselves during retirement. Even among those actively saving, only 40% of men believe they're putting away enough. CNBC reports that 67% of 55-year-olds fear outliving their savings. On top of that, many Americans at 55 have less than $50,000 in median retirement savings. The numbers may feel daunting, but they don't have to define your future. Whether you're playing catch-up or fine-tuning an existing plan, there are practical steps you can take today to build confidence and security in your retirement strategy. Genevieve George, CPA, CFP, CFE, CDFA senior wealth advisor and principal at Pelican Financial ... More Planning and Wealth, creating a retirement strategy for her clients. Be Brave And Ask Questions It's easy to feel ashamed or overwhelmed when looking at your financial reality in your 50s. But as George points out, embarrassment is one of the biggest barriers to getting on track. 'Don't be embarrassed to say out loud, 'I don't think I've saved enough,'' she says. Many people avoid sharing their full financial picture out of fear of judgment, even though this honesty is crucial to making a real plan. One of George's clients, for example, was retiring with thousands of dollars in credit card debt. This amount could have been covered with assets, but the shame to admit it made it worse. George emphasizes that these are your life savings. You have every right to ask questions and fully understand what you have and how it's working. In your 50s—often your peak earning years—you have an opportunity to make smart moves and set yourself up for the next stage. It starts with being brave enough to face the numbers and take control. Reevaluate Your Risk—One Size Doesn't Fit All In your 50s, the investment playbook you used in your 40s might no longer serve you. Jason Bayuk, CFP, financial advisor, financial services representative at Barnum Premier Client Group, stresses the importance of revisiting your asset allocation and risk tolerance as you approach retirement. Unlike your younger years, when there was time to recover from market dips, your focus now should be on protecting what you've built while still allowing for growth. 'Your risk tolerance should be unique to you and what your needs are, and more specifically, the risk tolerance that you have should revolve around the job description of what you want those dollars to do for you,' he explains. 'Each bucket of money that you have in your life should have a specific job description, and that job description will ultimately impact how those dollars should be invested.' He suggests thinking of your savings in different 'buckets,' each with its own purpose and timeline. Money needed in the first years of retirement should be more conservatively allocated, while funds for later decades can take on more risk to keep growing. Prepare For The Unexpected Even the most carefully crafted retirement strategy can be upended by unexpected events. Bayuk emphasizes the critical importance of estate planning as part of any retirement preparation. 'Although you can have the perfect retirement plan that's set up financially, unexpected events may happen that could potentially derail you,' he warns. Estate planning goes beyond crafting a will. It also includes essential documents like healthcare proxies, durable powers of attorney and HIPAA authorizations. These protections ensure that if something happens to you, your wishes are carried out and your loved ones are shielded from unnecessary financial and legal complications. People in their 50s need to think beyond just growing their savings and start planning how they'll use that money. A big part of that is tax diversification. He shares, 'It's important to have diversification amongst the different taxation of investment strategies, making sure that you have the correct balance between taxable accounts, tax-deferred accounts andtax-advantage accounts such as Roth.' Jason Bayuk, CFP, financial advisor, financial services representative at Barnum Premier Client ... More Group, speaking at Hamptons Tech Week 2025. Get Real About Your Spending Habits Many people assume they'll spend far less in retirement, but George warns against this common misconception. 'They're about to have 40 plus extra hours in a week, so their spending might not actually be [what they think]' she explains. The reality? Lifestyle habits are deeply ingrained, and cutting expenses overnight is much harder than it sounds. 'Some people think, okay, I'm going to retire, but I can live on less,' she says. 'And if you haven't lived on less for the last 15 years, it's going to be drastic.' Instead of assuming you'll naturally downsize your lifestyle, analyze where your money really goes and then create a realistic budget; an honest budget can prevent you from being blindsided and help ensure your retirement savings match the life you want to live. What To Do If You're Starting Late If you're in your 50s and feel behind, don't panic. Here's how to get moving: 'Ideally, in a perfect world, all of the saving strategies that you'd have would be systematic, automatic,' Bayuk concludes. 'Saving strategies are the best way that we save.'
Washington Post
30 minutes ago
- Washington Post
AI chatbots' content rules often frustrate users, study finds
Happy Tuesday! Imagine trying to find an entire jury full of people without strong feelings about Elon Musk. Send news tips and excuses for getting out of jury duty to: AI chatbots' content rules often frustrate users, study finds. Elon Musk's Grok demonstrated vividly over the past week what can happen when an artificial intelligence chatbot goes off script. The bot, which is built into Musk's social network, X, took on a blatantly antisemitic persona in some chats with users, praising Adolf Hitler and identifying itself as 'mecha-Hitler.' Over the weekend, the company apologized and blamed a code update that instructed the bot to 'tell it like it is' without fear of offending people, my colleagues Drew Harwell and Nitasha Tiku reported.
