Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Everything you need to know

They might not be the headline announcements from Galaxy Unpacked, but we shouldn’t forget about the two new smartwatches Samsung has launched.

However, while the Galaxy Watch 6 is a direct successor to last year’s Watch 5, the Watch 6 Classic is technically a follow-up to 2021’s Watch 4 Classic. It adopts a very different design to the Watch 5 Pro, including the return of the physical rotating bezel.

With plenty of upgrades this year, there’s lots to get into. Both watches are on sale now, so here’s everything you need to know – including where to buy one.

When was the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 released?

The Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic were officially announced at Samsung’s Unpacked event on 26 July 2023. They were joined by the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 foldables, plus three new Tab S9 tablets.

Both watches are available now, having been released on 11 August 2023.

How much does the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 cost?

The Watch 6 and 6 Classic are slightly more expensive than their predecessors, but that’s not a big surprise:

Watch 6

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm, Bluetooth) – $299.99/£289
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm, LTE) – $349.99/£339
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (44mm, Bluetooth) – $329.99/£319
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (44mm, LTE) – $379.99/£369

Watch 6 Classic

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (43mm, Bluetooth) – $399.99/£369
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (43mm, LTE) – $449.99/£429
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (47mm, Bluetooth) – $429.99/£399
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (47mm, LTE) – $479.99£459

We’ll add full US and European pricing here once it’s confirmed. For context, here’s how much the base models of recent Galaxy Watch generations cost:

Watch 5

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm) – $279/£269/€299
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (44mm) – $309/£289/€329
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (45mm) – $449/£429/€429

Watch 4

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm) – $249/£249/€269
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (44mm) – $279/£269/€299
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (42mm) – $349.99/£349/€369
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (46mm) – $379.99/£369/€399

Watch 3

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (41mm) – $399/£399/€429
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (45mm) – $449/£439/€499

Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 in the US

Here’s where to buy the regular Galaxy Watch 6 in the US:

• Samsung
• Amazon
• Best Buy
• AT&T (40mm) – pay upfront or on contract from $9.73 per month for 36 months
• AT&T (44mm) – pay upfront or on contract from $10.56 per month for 36 months
• Verizon – pay upfront or on contract from $9.72 per month (40mm) or $10.55 per month (44mm) for 36 months
• T-Mobile (40mm) – pay upfront or on contract from $14.59 per month for 24 months
• T-Mobile (44mm) – pay upfront or on contract from $15.84 per month for 24 months

For the Watch 6 Classic, head to the following:

• Samsung
• Amazon
• Best Buy
• AT&T (43mm) – pay upfront or on contract from $12.50 per month for 36 months
• AT&T (47mm) – pay upfront or on contract from $13.34 per month for 36 months
• Verizon – pay upfront or on contract from $12.49 per month (40mm) or $13.33 per month (44mm) for 36 months
• T-Mobile (43mm) – pay upfront only
• T-Mobile (47mm) – pay upfront or on contract from $20 per month for 24 months

Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 in the UK

In the UK, head to the following for the regular Watch 6:

• Samsung
• Amazon
• Currys
• Very – 44mm Bluetooth model out of stock
• John Lewis
• O2 – from £9.50pm for first six months, then £14.50pm for rest of 24-month contract (1GB data), claim £50 Google Play voucher
• EE – from £22 per month for 24 months (4GB data shared with phone)
• Vodafone (40mm) – from £13.33 per month with £24.17 upfront for 36 months
• Vodafone (44mm) – from £14.17 per month with £24.17 upfront for 36 months
• AO – out of stock
• Three – out of stock

The following are selling the Watch 6 Classic:

• Samsung
• Amazon
• AO
• Currys – enter code ‘SAMSUNGSTRAP’ at checkout for free strap
• Very – only bundle with Buds 2 Pro available but out of stock
• John Lewis
• O2 – from £12pm for first six months, then £17pm for rest of 24-month contract (1GB data)
• Vodafone (43mm) – from £15.42 per month with £24.17 upfront for 36 months
• Vodafone (47mm) – from £16.25 per month with £24.17 upfront for 36 months

What new features are there on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6?

Like the previous two years, there are a pair of smartwatches in the latest Galaxy Watch lineup. But you’ll find plenty of differences between them, as well as several changes compared to the Galaxy Watch 5 range.

No more Pro as Classic model returns

After just one year with a Pro model, Samsung is returning to a 2021-style lineup. It means the regular Galaxy Watch 6 is joined by a Galaxy Watch 6 Classic instead.

And the defining feature of the Watch 4 Classic – the physical rotating bezel around the edge of the screen – also makes a reappearance. According to Samsung, it’s also now 15% thinner than two years ago.

Aesthetically, it looks a lot more like a traditional watch than last year’s Watch 5 Pro, and quite different to the regular Watch 6. But the latter’s bezel is also supposedly 30% slimmer than its predecessor.

The regular Watch 6 is available in Graphite, Silver and Gold, while you can get the Watch 6 Classic in Black and Silver. Both are 5ATM and IP68 water and dust resistant, and boast MIL-STD-810H durability.

Bigger displays

The screens on both the Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic are now larger and higher resolution than their predecessors. The smallest models of each (40mm regular, 43mm Classic) boast 1.3in, 432×432 AMOLED panels – that’s around 20% larger than before.

On the larger models (44mm regular, 47mm Classic), it’s now a 1.5in, 480×480 AMOLED panel. That’s up from the larger Watch 5’s 1.4in, 450×450 display, while the Watch 4 Classic boasts a 1.36in, 450×450 screen. Of course, the larger case sizes are necessary on the Classic to accommodate that bezel.

These increases are relatively minor, but you’ll probably notice them if you used the previous. Samsung also now claims a peak brightness of 2000 nits on both, which should improve outdoor visibility.

New processor

The Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic are powered by Samsung’s new Exynos W930 chipset. The company simply states that it’ll provide “powerful performance”, but it should be an improvement on last year.

For comparison, all watches in the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 series used the Exynos W920. Samsung also specifically mentions “reduced battery consumption”, indicating that the W930 is more power efficient.

All models combine this with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

There are LTE models of both watches available, but this is still 4G. 5G is yet to make its way into mainstream smartwatches.

Bigger battery

Battery life is always a top priority on smartwatches, and larger capacities on both should help offset the bigger displays and more powerful chipset.

As with the displays, the battery sizes are consistent across both models. The smaller Watch 6 and 6 Classic have 300mAh cells, while the larger versions increase that to 425mAh. On the Watch 5 and Watch 4 Classic, it was 247mAh and 361mAh respectively.

Battery life was a bit of a mixed bag on those devices, so any improvements will be welcomed.

When it comes to charging, eight minutes connected will supposedly get you an extra eight hours of usage.

Updated tracking software

The Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic run Samsung’s new One UI 5 Watch software, which is based on Google’s Wear OS 4.

Sleep is the main area that has been improved, with more in-depth data on sleep time, sleep cycles, awake time and physical/mental recovery. Any advice on how you slept and how to improve it will be more personalised, and there’ll be new information on how consistently you’re sleeping.

A new sleep mode can be applied to both your watch and Samsung phone (running One UI 5) to limit the harmful effects of screens, and you even get an animal that supposedly represents your sleep type.

Elsewhere, there’s also new body composition data, personalised heart rate zones for exercise (as opposed to the standard age-based ones used now), an extension of the Route Workout mode (to cover running and walking) and an updated Emergency SOS mode that can now contact emergency services (not just your pre-selected emergency contact).

Another significant upgrade was confirmed in an official press release in June: irregular heart rhythm notifications. This will debut on the Watch 6 and 6 Classic, before coming to previous generations later.

Other features coming to One UI 5 Watch (shown above) include an upgraded version of Samsung Wallet (with greater support for passes, cards and tickets), new customisable gestures and various updates to third-party apps. There’s also a new Thermo Check app that lets you measure the temperature of water before swimming, and the technology behind it will be available to all developers.

We’ll update this article if any more details are confirmed about the Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic. You can also read about the other products Samsung has announced at Unpacked: the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Z Fold 5 and Tab S9 range.