Latest news with #GalaxyWatch8
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
I changed my whole diet to conquer Samsung's antioxidant index; here's how it works
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. One of the few Galaxy Watch 8 exclusives is its antioxidant index, which measures nutrients through your skin to determine whether you're eating healthily. I took it personally when Samsung estimated that I had "Low" antioxidants, so I spent the past week eating as healthily as possible to see if it made a difference. Samsung's multicolored health sensors look for carotenoids, the pigment that gives fruits and veggies their bright red, orange, or yellow coloring; once in your body, they counterbalance the "oxidative stress" generated from poor lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking, overeating, and stress. Hence the name "antioxidants." Generally speaking, the antioxidant index is intended to determine whether you're consuming your WHO-recommended 400g of fruits and vegetables per day. For health-conscious individuals who dislike logging their food daily, the Galaxy Watch 8 offers valuable context. But since I thought I was eating healthily enough, I decided to cram carotenoid-rich foods into my diet for a week to see whether Samsung would be able to detect the changes properly. How the Antioxidant Index score works on the Galaxy Watch 8 Your body stores carotenoids in the skin, where the Galaxy Watch 8's optical sensors can spot and measure them. Samsung told TechRadar that your wrist has too many capillaries, so your blood confuses the results; pressing your thumb against the sensor will "push away all the blood" and make it easier to check your carotenoid levels. Carotenoids are just one type of antioxidant, but their pigmentation allows Samsung to detect them. We've emailed Samsung to ask if it might eventually track other antioxidants, but for now, carotenoids are the best estimate to check non-invasively if your body has other healthy vitamins and nutrients. So, what foods have carotenoids? Samsung suggests root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes), leafy greens (spinach, kale), citrus fruits (oranges, mangoes), tomatoes, and bell peppers. Other carotenoid-rich foods include pumpkin, squash, cantaloupe, and corn; most red, orange, and yellow produce will likely have some. Samsung used data from clinical trials at Samsung Seoul Hospital to determine the "correlation between fruit and vegetable intake and the accumulation of carotenoids in the skin." Adequate antioxidant levels get a score of 75–100. People with "Low" scores (50–75) consume 50–99% of the recommended daily amount, so about a 2% increase per point. Very Low (0–49) is "less than 50%." Samsung also warns that your score may fall during "periods of severe stress or when drinking or smoking," so it's about lifestyle as much as nutrition. The company says it may change the criteria with "future clinical results," but the gist is that you want a score of 75 to match recommended levels. Everything above that is just gravy, while lower scores leave you vulnerable to "cell damage, excessive aging, inflammation, worsening eyesight, and chronic diseases such as cancer" over time. Raising my Antioxidant Index score on my Galaxy Watch 8 Samsung warns that it can take "up to 2 weeks for your antioxidant index to reflect an increased intake of fruits and vegetables," so I knew that eating a boatload of carotenoids wouldn't instantly level me up. But I wanted to see if there was an obvious impact from a changed diet in the short term. I stuck to my normal diet for the first day, and my reading stayed consistent. Starting on Monday, I raided my grocery store for carotenoid-rich fruits and veggies, then spent the next five days eating salads, bell peppers, cantaloupe, and other healthy produce, well above the recommended five servings per day. My score did start to course-correct, but slowly. I looked into the benefits of raw vs. cooked veggies and realized that raw vegetables are high in vitamins and fiber but low in beta-carotenes. You get the most carotenoids from cooked vegetables paired with healthy fats, like cooking oil. I'm more of a raw veggies guy than a stir-fry guy, which may be part of my problem. So I tried to incorporate more cooked veggies, paired with meats or peanut butter, during the final stretch. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 54 53 56 65 61 65 65 I climbed from an antioxidant index score of 53 (56% of recommended antioxidants) to 65 (80%) in a week. In theory, one more week of healthy eating will bring me to my target score of 75, on pace with Samsung's two-week estimate. I can't quantify how accurate Samsung's antioxidant index is without a blood test, but this experience did, at least, show that this sensor isn't just some pseudoscientific guesstimate. It can tell that I'm eating healthier. On the other hand, it feels demoralizing that my antioxidant index score has stalled out in the last few days, despite eating so healthily. I could have cheated and taken dietary supplements to raise my score, but Samsung warns that these can have "harmful side effects" and "increase your risk for cancer and heart disease," so you and I should stick to the healthy-eating path. The main problem with Samsung's antioxidant index Most Android watches have food logging in their apps, but I dislike calorie-counting and having to quantify every meal. I do care about eating healthy, however, and only the Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch Ultra have a tool like this, thanks to the BioActive sensor. I'm glad to have this tool as a baseline for my health. Here's the main issue with the antioxidant index: there are more antioxidants than just carotenoids. Other types, such as flavonoids, polyphenols, and lycopene, are found in a wide range of fruits, vegetables, beans, and teas, and they all help remove the "free radical" molecules that contribute to aging and disease. Carotenoids are a key indicator of your health, one that helped me recognize a dietary deficiency. However, since Samsung cannot track other non-pigmented antioxidants as easily, your actual "antioxidant score" might be higher than Samsung can accurately assess with a smartwatch. But this isn't a criticism! It's merely a reminder that you shouldn't ignore the healthy foods that don't have carotenoids just because Samsung doesn't reward you for eating them. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 uses its BioActive sensor to track several new metrics, including your circadian rhythm for Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load for heart health and stress, and the aforementioned antioxidant index. It's a fast smartwatch with valuable health and fitness insights. View Deal The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic has the same BioActive sensors as the Watch 8, but with a stainless steel case, rotating bezel for exact controls, doubled storage, and a third Quick Button for shortcuts. Choose this option if you care about eating healthy and looking more stylish. View Deal
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Ditch your old smartwatch and Samsung will give you £120 discount on new model
Samsung is handing out a huge discount on its newest Galaxy Watch to shoppers who do this one thing Samsung's newest Galaxy watch is here, after a whirlwind launch earlier this mont the brand's 'thinnest ever watch' is out. The Galaxy Watch8 is soaring in popularity thanks to smooth phone syncability and fitness stats. We've untapped a way to get this brand new model for less. Despite being brand new, Samsung is offering a much cheaper price to shoppers, if they do one thing as they buy the Galaxy their older model in. The £319 launch price drops to £199 for those who click the 'trade in' option. Launching with a snug design, powerful processor, and the usual sleep and health tracking this model could catch keen shoppers' attention. Not to forget Samsung's brand new One UI experience. This aims to give wearers a seamless app integration between devices. To find this, scroll down to the 'want £120 off?' window and click 'yes please', and it's here were options will show for the trade-in discount. Anyone who trades in an older Samsung watch and Apple will get as much as £120 off, with brands like Fitbit £50. There's an option for Garmin wearers too. The Samsung listing shows a maximum price drop of £60 - which cuts the Watch8 price to £259. All of these prices depend on the age and quality of the watch handed over, which is something for shoppers to keep in mind. Get £120 off Samsung's newest watch £319 £199 Samsung Buy here Product Description The biggest £120 trade-in discount makes the model £200 cheaper than Apple's rival flagship wearable - the Watch Series 10 in aluminium. The competitor model starts at £399 on the Apple store but can be also be found at retailers including Amazon. Another option for Apple fans is Sky Mobile, it offers a cheaper way to split the newest Apple model into smaller payments. Currently it's priced at £13 per month on a 36-month contract. Samsung fans don't miss out either, the older Galaxy Watch 7 is priced at £9 per month on a 36-month device plan. When broken down to a price-per-day, that's 30p. The Galaxy Watch8 is the cheaper, and smaller model of Samsung's newest wearables, and it doesn't have everything its sibling the Galaxy Watch Classic has - like a Rotating Bezel which makes it easier to use the screen. Although, the added features of the Watch Classic come with a bigger £443 price tag.
Digital Trends
a day ago
- Digital Trends
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 has me excited for Samsung's Galaxy G Fold tri-fold
After months of leaks built a lot of anticipation, Samsung finally unveiled its vastly improved Galaxy Z Fold 7 last week. I've spent eight days with it, and as I found in our Galaxy Z Fold 7 review, it's the best folding phone for most people despite its shortcomings. Samsung's new folding phone is its best yet, offering radical improvements in design, display, and hinge to create the first folding phone that feels no different from a regular smartphone when folded. Alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung announced the new Galaxy Z Flip 7, the Flip 7 FE, and the Galaxy Watch 8 range. Yet, the expectation was that Samsung would also provide a sneak peek, like it did with the Galaxy S25 Edge at the Galaxy S25 launch, of its first product in another category: a Tri-folding phone with dual hinges that is expected to be called the Galaxy G Fold. Recommended Videos After using the Galaxy Z Fold 7, I'm a lot more excited for Samsung's first tri-folding phone. Here's why. The key learnings from the Galaxy Z Fold 7 The Galaxy Z Fold 7 proves that Samsung can build an excellent thin phone, and this will be necessary to ensure the Galaxy G Fold remains pocketable and ergonomically friendly when folded to a regular smartphone-sized screen. At 4.2mm thick when unfolded, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is one of the thinnest folding phones you'll find. At 8.9mm thick when folded, it's virtually imperceptible from a regular smartphone. Yes, there's a camera bump that's necessary to house the 200MP camera, which is better than the same one on the Galaxy S25 Edge, but not as good as the same sensor in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. For Samsung to make its tri-folding phone appealing, it'll need the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to get even thinner. The only other tri-fold, the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate, measures just 3.9mm thick when unfolded, but the Galaxy Z Fold 7's improvements have convinced me that Samsung can also deliver here. Another area where the Galaxy G Fold is likely to excel is in software. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 suggests that we could see more experiences optimized for the big screen that have been built in partnership with Google. Android 16 introduces support for native multitasking and is optimized for the big screen, featuring several Gemini features designed specifically with the large screen format in mind. One key Galaxy Z Fold 7 feature makes the difference The larger screens on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 also demonstrate that Samsung can address another key issue: the crease. Simply put, it's the least perceptible crease I've used on a folding phone, and I've used almost all folding phones released globally. Yes, you can still notice it under specific light reflections, but you see it more than feel it when running your finger over the crease. By nature of their form factor, tri-folding phones have two creases in the display. The noticeable divot in past Samsung folding phones would make the tri-folding screen feel appalling, but the redesigned titanium hinge and the carbon fiber sheet have convinced me that it won't be a problem. As I exclusively discovered during an interview with Samsung's VP of smartphone development (embedded above), the company has a very nifty hinge design that is designed to improve how the crease ages over time. Expect there to be a lot of competition Samsung is widely credited with helping create the current folding phone market, and it is also widely expected to be a driving force behind trifolding smartphones. However, its rival companies have already proven that the tri-folding phone form factor has competition. Huawei launched the Mate XT Ultimate Design as the world's first trifold smartphone, building on Huawei's extensive history of making folding phones. The company is widely expected to launch a successor in the coming months, and it remains to be seen whether the Galaxy g-fold will simply match the Mate XT Ultimate or surpass it. Then there's the Tecno G Fold concept, which was recently launched by Tecno ahead of an expected unveiling at MWC 2026 in February. The Techno G fold is just a concept, and Tecno's previous Phantom Ultimate concept never graduated to a commercial product, but it shows that companies are taking the tri-folding form factor seriously. Much like Samsung built the current folding phone market, it is likely to play a starring role in making trifolding phones a reality. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 will need some improvements One area I hope Samsung will improve considerably is the battery. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 features a 4,400 mAh battery, while the Huawei Mate XT has a 5,600 mAh battery. The latter is a larger phone, so it's expected to have a larger battery, but it's similarly sized to Huawei's Galaxy Z Fold 7 competitor, the Mate 60. Samsung has proven steadfast in its desire to stick with the tried-and-tested Lithium-Ion battery technology, but I hope the Galaxy G Fold is when Samsung finally makes the switch to Silicon Carbon battery technology. This would allow the Galaxy G Fold to feature a more dense battery – up to 24% more capacity in the same physical volume – without compromising its thinness. Suppose the capacity remains the same as the Galaxy Z Fold 7. In that case, it will likely have worse battery life, even with phenomenal optimization, meaning it may not last a full day of usage. On the camera front, the Galaxy Z Fold 7's camera specifications surpass those of the Mate XT Ultimate on paper, although I haven't had the opportunity to compare them yet. The 200MP main camera has a higher resolution than the 50MP main, and the 12MP ultra-wide camera is nearly identical. The Fold 7 only offers a 3x telephoto zoom from its telephoto, so this is an area where the Galaxy G Fold will be closer to the 5.5x zoom offered by Huawei. There is one other decision that Samsung may want to reconsider: the lack of the S-Pen. The company removed the digitizer layer to make the Galaxy Z Fold 7 much thinner, but it means there's no S Pen support at all. Considering that Samsung's tablets all support an S Pen, it'll be interesting to see if the company can bring this feature back. I love the Galaxy Z Fold 7 despite its flaws, and it's easily the best folding phone for most people, especially as it's more widely available. Now I can't wait to see what Samsung can do in the tri-folding arena when the Galaxy G Fold launches later this year.
Engadget
a day ago
- Engadget
Galaxy Watch 8: My first days with Samsung's smartwatch have been promising
Samsung announced its newest devices during its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 9 . That happened to fall on the second day of Amazon's Prime Day event. Do big tech companies not know what the others are doing? Do they care? Do they like making the lives of tech reporters difficult? I didn't have time to consider. Only when I was done covering Amazon did I have time to begin properly testing Samsung's latest wearable. That means I've been living with the Galaxy Watch 8 for four days now. While that's not enough time to complete a comprehensive review and tally a fair score, I was able to gather a good amount of first impressions — and let me tell you, they are nearly all positive. I'll continue to evaluate the watch over the next few weeks or so and return for a final assessment. In the meantime, there's a lot to say about the experience so far. Samsung packed a lot of updates into its latest smartwatch, in terms of both hardware and software. But I put extra effort into testing one feature in particular — and it's one of the more interesting. The Galaxy Watch 8 has the same processor and sensors as the previous generation, but it's using those to detect a new metric: antioxidant levels. You have to take the watch off and hold your thumb on the sensor node for five seconds to get a reading and you'll need to refer to the Health app in your phone for detailed results. The first time I tested, I got a score of 60, which falls right in the middle of the 'low' segment of the scale. The only other results are 'very low' and 'adequate,' which will surely be a disappointment to the over-achievers out there. The Health app suggested I 'try eating one (100g) persimmon today.' When my grandmother was alive, she made persimmon cookies every Christmas and the last time she did so was also the last time I thought about that fruit. Considering South Korea is one of the world's largest persimmon producers , it might make sense that a Samsung device suggested them. The produce guy at my local grocery store said they only carry them around the holidays (no doubt because grandmas insist, plus that's when they're in season). Turns out persimmons are high in antioxidants such as Vitamin C and beta-carotine (Vitamin A). Cantaloupe also has those nutrients — plus it's orange like persimmons — so I bought one. In fact, I went hard on the antioxidants and did everything I could to see if I could get a better score. I ate a bunch of cherries and a little dark chocolate. For breakfast, I had half a cantaloupe instead of the very tasty-smelling breakfast hash my husband made, and I drank plain green tea instead of my usual oat matcha latte. I did yoga and went to my monthly medical massage appointment (stress is said to increase oxidant levels). I got eight hours of sleep and drank my weight in water. I felt ready. So I took the test again and my antioxidant levels were… two points lower. Sigh. I wasn't expecting overnight transformation, but I'd hoped for a little improvement. Next time, I'm eating the hash. Since its fourth generation , the Galaxy Watch has looked pretty much the same: a round glass screen set in a round metal case with large prongs popping out of the top and bottom to hold the band. While there was nothing wrong with sticking with a good design, giving a device a refreshed look lends the yearly update cycle some meaning — instead of feeling like an obligatory move to appease stockholders. With 3,000 nits of peak brightness, the watch is easy to read even in the bright Albuquerque sun. (Amy Skorheim for Engadget) This time around, the Galaxy Watch 8 looks markedly different thanks to a shape borrowed from last year's Ultra model . Samsung calls it a 'cushion design' — a circular glass display set atop an aluminum case that looks like a roundish square (or squircle as our own Cherlynn Low calls it). The Sport band on my review model curves to meet the width of the case, creating a smooth arch that I think is more refined than the clunkier pronged configuration. In fact, the entire look is classy — much more so than the Apple Watch, which looks like a miniaturized iPhone 11 glued to a silicone strap. The cushion design is great in one way, but also worrisome. Because the glass display stands proud of the case by at least two millimeters, my first thought was: 'I'm going to trash this screen.' Immediately after taking the watch out of the box, I ordered screen shields and, during the short course of this review, managed to crack one. That's possibly because I was cheap and ordered off-brand screen protectors, or perhaps the protruding glass cushion is simply begging for misfortune. However, the raised glass solves one complaint I had with the Galaxy Watch 7 . One way to scroll is by running your finger along the outer edge of the screen. In fact, on-screen cues suggest that gesture when there's more content to view. On the Watch 7, my finger was always getting in the way of the text I wanted to read. Now that the display is elevated, there's room for my finger to travel further out along the outer edge and stay out of the way. Appearance aside, my favorite hardware update is how much more comfortable the watch is. The Watch 7's underside had a sizable sensor node, and it took me a week to get used to the feel. Even then, I hated sleeping with it. The Watch 8, however, felt good the first time I put it on. The Galaxy Watch 8 is the first smartwatch to ship with Google's Wear OS 6, though Samsung overlays it with its own One UI interface. The headline feature for the new software is Gemini integration. Now, most things you can do with the Gemini app on your phone can be done through your watch. Just note that you'll need to have your Gemini-compatible phone nearby to use it. Amy Skorheim for Engadget Google's AI was pretty snappy at basic tasks like setting reminders and timers. Requests that required more 'thought' took only marginally longer (and completed more quickly when I was using my home Wi-Fi versus relying on cell signals out in the world). I asked for the best record stores in my city and a good place to eat lunch. I was pleasantly surprised to hear of a new-to-me answer for each category. The record store turned out to be two bins of LPs inside a book shop, but still, I hadn't heard of it before. I asked why my eight-year-old talked about lava chicken all the time and was correctly informed about Jack Black and A Minecraft Movie . The assistant displays answers in text form on the watch screen and also reads out every word. That can turn into a lot of talking, but tapping the screen stops the chatter if you prefer to read. Gemini can handle follow-up questions and tasks, but since it doesn't usually keep listening after it speaks, you have to tap the mic icon to make your next request. I've reached out to Samsung to see if there's a setting that will make Gemini keep listening and will update when I hear back. For now, after tapping, you can say stuff like, 'Add that to my Google Keep' or 'Remind me about that.' If it asks you a question, however, such as verifying a text it's about to send, it does keep listening for the answer. I requested some fairly specific tasks and didn't hit any snags. I asked it to text the address of a local restaurant to my husband and it verified which location I wanted then sent the message. I asked when the Albuquerque Isotopes were playing the Sacramento River Cats and it gave me the upcoming dates. I tapped the mic and said, 'add that to my calendar,' which it did. It only let me down twice. When I asked whether it was going to rain, it just read me the general weather forecast instead of answering the question. All the other assistants in my life (Alexa and Siri) can answer those questions — though technically that's a Gemini problem, not the watch's fault. The other disappointment is a matter of proper integration. I was out on a walk and I asked for directions to a nearby grocery store. Gemini told me the address and the distance, but pointed me to look at my phone for the actual directions. When I asked Siri the same thing on the same walk, directions simply showed up on my Apple Watch. (Yes, I've been wearing two watches and carrying around two activated phones like a double agent, just much less cool.) Tiles on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (Amy Skorheim for Engadget) In addition to Gemini, Wear OS 6 introduces updated and larger tiles which organize and display information on your watch. By default, the tiles are separated into categories: Health, Fitness and Basic (weather, media playback, calendar) with each box displaying a bit of pertinent info — activity metrics, current temp, your next event and so on. If the limited info isn't enough, tapping a tile opens the respective app. You can categorize, rearrange, swap out and add as many pages of these cards as you want in the Wear app on your phone. I didn't have time to get the defaults tweaked exactly how I wanted, but it already feels like a much smarter way of interacting with a watch. Now you can glean key information from the apps that are important to you just by browsing your tiles. The Galaxy Watch 8 now comes with built-in, AI-fueled running guidance. This sounds a bit like the upcoming Workout Buddy that Apple announced for watchOS 26 , so it will be interesting to compare the two. Google Pixel watches and Fitbits currently have the option of an AI-powered running coach, but it's limited to Premium subscribers. Garmin offers an adaptive training program called Run Coach as well, so this isn't an entirely novel idea. Samsung's running coach begins with an assessment: Run as fast as you can maintain for twelve minutes. You'll then be awarded a performance level ranging from one to ten. Each level comes with a tailored, four-week plan with four workouts per week intended to get you ready to complete a 5K, 10K, half or full marathon. My 12-minute, 22-second per-mile pace put me at a level three. My plan was geared towards getting me to run a 5K at the end of four weeks. The first workout was low-intensity interval running with four segments of running hard, interspersed with cool-down walks. As I ran, the AI coach told me when and what to expect on the next segment and what my goals were for each. It spouted occasional words of encouragement and let me know when my pace started to lag. The guidance wasn't intrusive and I appreciated the preview of and expectations for the next segment. I tried it relying just on the watch's speakers, and I could hear OK as long as the streets were quiet, but I definitely recommend using earbuds. I found myself running faster than I would have without a 'coach' and now I'm honestly wondering whether I, a person my athlete sister describes as 'not an athlete,' could actually complete a 5K. Maybe there's some value in this concept after all. In any case, I find myself looking forward to taking it further. My next workout is a straight up, 30-minute jog. I've never continuously run for a half an hour in my life, so we'll see how that goes. The quick turnaround on this article means I didn't get to properly test some of the new features. Vascular load takes readings while you sleep to evaluate the health of your circulatory system, then tells you when your load is higher or lower than normal and offers recommendations. It requires three nights of data to set a baseline, but after the third night of wearing the watch to bed, it said I still needed one more. Three nights of sleep should also trigger a Bedtime Guidance feature, but I'm still waiting for a notification on that one as well. I've reached out to ask Samsung if there are more requirements around getting Bedtime Guidance to work and will update when I find out. One of the prior model's shortcomings was battery life. The always-on display (AOD) tanked the charge, so I kept it off. The Galaxy Watch 8 has a bigger 325mAh battery, compared to the 300mAh one on the Watch 7. Twenty-five milliamp hours isn't a huge jump, but bigger is always better. Because I was testing every possible feature (sleeping, running, workouts, antioxidants, Gemini and more), I was constantly dropping the watch on the charger for partial refills in between tests. That meant I didn't have the opportunity to methodically test the battery's runtime just yet. I did note what I could. The first day of testing, the battery was at 100 percent at 4PM. The next day at 4PM it still had 17 percent remaining. That 24-hour period included driving directions, three workouts, lots of Gemini requests, watch face changes and a full night of sleep. I'd toggled the AOD on and off throughout that time, but the results were still better than what I tracked on the Watch 7. I didn't have a ton of time to spend with the Classic version of the Watch 8, but it's obviously aimed at the luxury watch-hound crowd. The knurled spinning bezel, inset diving bezel replica and the default chronograph watch face gives off serious Rolex Daytona/Omega Speedmaster wannabe vibes. It ships with a stitched leather-look band and the steel case has the heft and stature of an automatic mechanical timepiece. The always-on display and chunky buttons only add to the effect. Amy Skorheim for Engadget For me, the main advantage it has over the standard Galaxy Watch 8 is the protection the spinning bezel offers the raised display. The glass is shielded at the edges and it's even inset slightly which will ward off scratches. It's a bit chonky for my taste, but it's surprisingly comfortable for its size and is extremely attractive. I could see this appealing to style enthusiasts who want a smartwatch but don't want to look like they're wearing a wrist gadget. Samsung added $50 to the price tag on the 40mm Galaxy Watch 8, bringing it to $350. The larger 44mm model is now $380 (versus $330 last year) and the Classic variant is $500 for the single 46mm size. For reference, there was no Galaxy Watch 7 Classic and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic sold for $400 for the 43mm size and $430 for the 47mm. At $350, the base model Galaxy Watch 8 costs the same as Google's Pixel Watch 3 (though the Pixel Watch 4 is almost certainly on the way and could be more expensive.) The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399, but it went as low as $279 during Prime Day. And, of course, a new Apple wearable is likely coming this September with a potential price bump as well. So Samsung's Galaxy Watch 8 could end up being the most affordable of the major smartwatch releases once the dust settles from 2025's launches. And if you're a Samsung smartphone user, it's easily your best bet. Amy Skorheim for Engadget The core functions of the Galaxy Watch 8 haven't changed all that much. We went in-depth on the fitness and health features for our review of the Galaxy Watch 6 and covered the notable perks of Samsung's wearable in our Galaxy Watch 7 review and our Galaxy Watch 5 review . So I'll just point out that the workout tracking is still accurate — and it's faster to suss out when I'm on a walk than my Apple Watch. The companion Health app, where you view all the data your watch gathers, is helpful and a delight to use with its common-sense suggestions and friendly animations. And the daily Energy Score is a useful indicator of how I'm doing with my sleep and movement goals. The Watch 8 covers the basics well, acting as an industrious accessory for a Galaxy phone. Although, as with the Watch 7, I wish the notifications were more intrusive as they're easy to miss. The double tap feature is great — a pinch gesture that dismisses or triggers actions without you having to touch the screen. I use it often and the watch almost always registers the motion. And finally, I love how customizable the watch faces are. When you combine all that with a substantially refreshed look, some capable Gemini integration, a few new health features and a more navigable interface, Samsung's latest wearable becomes a very capable wrist companion. I still need to live with it a while longer (with a new screen protector firmly in place) to assign a review score, but so far, I'm impressed.
CNET
2 days ago
- Business
- CNET
Upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Nab a $50 Amazon Gift Card Preorder Bonus
If you're serious about your fitness, sleep habits and overall convenience, investing in a smartwatch can be a smart move. Samsung makes some of the best Android smartwatches out there, and the latest Galaxy Watch 8 doesn't fall short. This one is a serious upgrade from the previous generation models, and right now you can snag one for less. Amazon is currently offering a limited-time preorder bundle that includes the Galaxy Watch 8 (40mm) and a $50 Amazon gift card for $350, that's the same price as just the watch itself at Samsung -- which means the $50 gift card is essentially thrown in for free. The watch officially releases on July 25, and this deal is valid through July 24. If you've been planning to upgrade, now's the time to lock it in. Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 goes beyond the basics and recently earned a CNET review score of 8.2/10. It impressed our editors with a handful of standout features, including the Antioxidant Index, which checks the carotene levels (a type of antioxidant) in your skin with just a press of your thumb on the sensor, and Vascular Load, which measures strain on your heart while you're asleep. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. You'll also get a built-in Running Coach that can analyze your performance and give real-time feedback to help you train better. And if you're someone who takes sleep seriously, you will appreciate upgraded sleep coaching and bedtime guidance. These features recommend an ideal bedtime window after monitoring your circadian rhythm and sleep pressure for three days. Even better, the watch offers a new, slimmer and more lightweight cushion design that still keeps that classic minimalist look. There's a lot to like about this upgrade, but just make sure you grab the preorder bundle in time to get the best value. Why this deal matters Smartwatches, especially those with such advanced features, don't come cheap. This deal gives you both the latest smartwatch and an additional $50 Amazon gift card, which you can use for anything else.
