Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 hands-on: Smarter sleep, antioxidant tracking and mental wellness

Yahoo

25-07-2025

Shortly after Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event in New York, I had the chance to participate in a dedicated Health Immersion session to experience the Galaxy Watch 8 series' new and refined health features.
Besides having a slimmer squircle design and a brighter display with up to 3000 nits, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series is designed to encourage sustainable and positive changes covering sleep, stress, fitness and even nutrition.
Smarter sleep insights, not just sleep hours
Samsung has been refining its sleep tracking feature over several generations of its wearables. Besides logging how many hours you've sleep, the Galaxy Watch 8 not only detects sleep stages (light, deep, REM) but it also measures your blood oxygen level, heart rate and respiratory patterns to provide a more complete Sleep Score.
There's also an updated Sleep Coaching function which guides users to develop good habits to help you to relax before you go to bed.
The updated Sleep Coaching feature helps users build healthy habits to relax before bedtime. — SoyaCincau pic
At the session, Dr Vanessa Hill, a sleep scientist and a creator behind the BrainCraft YouTube channel, shared how quality of sleep isn't just about total hours, but also about consistency.
She also highlighted that the Galaxy Watch 8 and Samsung Health app now offer Bedtime Guidance, which suggests optimal bedtime based on your lifestyle and sleep history. It also nudges you with reminders to help you stick to it.
Dr Hill cited findings from the UK Biobank study covering nearly 61,000 participants, noting that sleep regularity was a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality than sleep duration. She also shared the concept of bedtime procrastination as a meaningful and modifiable contributor to inadequate sleep associated with shorter sleep duration, poorer sleep quality and increased daytime fatigue.
Accountability, she said, is a missing yet desired factor. Many people struggle to maintain a consistent bedtime without external expectations or someone to hold them accountable. And night time, she emphasised, is the hardest time to motivate to sleep as self-discipline is at its lowest compared to other times of the day.
The Galaxy Watch 8 also features a Sleep Apnea Detection feature, which received De Novo authorisation from the US FDA, to detect moderate to severe signs of Sleep Apnea over a two-night monitoring period. There's also a Vascular Load feature that helps to monitor your stress levels on your vascular system while you sleep.
On the plus side, wearing the Galaxy Watch 8 overnight is now more comfortable thanks to its lighter and slimmer build, and redesigned dynamic lug system.
However, it is still recommended to perform a quick battery top up before you start the day as I wouldn't count on the Galaxy Watch 8 to last for two straight days on a single charge.
A new health metric: Antioxidant Index
One key highlight from the session was the new Antioxidant Index feature. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is the first smartwatch to measure the Antioxidant Index and it takes just 5 seconds. Users simply place their thumb on the BioActive Sensor behind the watch to get a quick reading. It measures carotenoid levels in the skin which are essentially pigments found in red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and oranges.
Carotenoids are antioxidants that the body cannot produce on its own and must be obtained through food or dietary supplements. Alongside carotenoids, fruits and vegetables are rich in other antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, polyphenols, and retinol.
Antioxidants are important to maintain good health as it can help to prevent chronic illnesses by neutralising free radicals and reducing oxidative stress in the body. The Antioxidant Index ranges from 0 to 100, and is meant to help users determine whether they're eating enough fruit and vegetables.
From my own test, my Antioxidant Index levels are very low as the Galaxy Watch 8 constantly recorded less than 40 points. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the recommended intake is at least 400g of fruits and vegetables per day.
The Antioxidant Index is an interesting new feature to encourage healthy aging with the right daily intake of fruits and vegetables. It complements existing metrics like body fat percentage and skeletal muscle mass in the Samsung Health.
Mindfulness to keep your stress levels in check
Samsung continues to expand on its mindfulness toolkit with features that promote emotional awareness and relaxation. In the session, we tried a short breathing and reflection activity with the Galaxy Watch 8.
These mindfulness features including Mood Check-in and guided breathing exercises have been around on previous Galaxy Watch models. The breathing modes include Box (4-4-4-4) for relaxation, Long Exhale (4-7-8) for sleep, and Equal breathing (5-0-5) for better focus. Alternatively, or users can configure their own custom routines to suit different moments throughout the day.
If the Watch detects a high level of stress, a High Stress Alert will alert you and recommends taking a break and to manage your stress levels in real time. The built-in Mindfulness Tracker on your wrist lets you check-in your current mood and recommends breathing exercise to reduce your stress levels.
Personal Running Coach on your wrist
Whether you're practicing for an upcoming run or simply just want to move more, the Galaxy Watch 8 features a running coach that acts like your personal trainer.
To find out your running level on a scale from 1 to 10, it can measure your current fitness with a 12-minute run and creates a tailored 3-5- week training plan just for you. It delivers real-time guidance, motivational insights, and continuous progress updates, to help you achieve your running goals.
This segment of the Health Immersion session was led by John Peel, a personal trainer and former NCAA Division football player. Some of his shared tips include:
Focus more on time over distance—especially for beginners. Consistency matters more than speed.
Maintain a relaxed posture: loose jaw, loose shoulders, and relaxed fingertips.
Be mindful of your gear: running shoes typically last 300–500 miles (about 480–800 km). A new pair can reset your mindset and act as a motivational boost.
Track your journey with Samsung Health and hold yourself accountable.
From the Health Immersion session, Samsung is trying to position the Galaxy Watch 8 not just as a fitness device paired to your smartphone but also a holistic health companion. Across the different features from sleep tracking to antioxidant index and mindfulness tools, there's a clear focus on helping users better understand their daily habits beyond just counting steps.
Galaxy Watch 8 includes a built-in running coach to support your training and daily fitness goals. — SoyaCincau pic
At the moment, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series are available for pre-order and here's a recap on the pricing:
Galaxy Watch 8 (40mm) WiFi – RM1,299
Galaxy Watch 8 (40mm) WiFi + LTE – RM1,599
Galaxy Watch 8 (44mm) WiFi – RM1,399
Galaxy Watch 8 (44mm) WiFi + LTE – RM1,699
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (46mm) WiFi – RM1,799
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (46mm) WiFi + LTE – RM2,099
Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 (47mm) WiFi + LTE – RM3,399
As part of the pre-order promo, Samsung Malaysia is offering savings worth up to RM966. You can order online via Samsung's Online Store, Shopee and Lazada. — SoyaCincau