I love this watch so much! It's just the right size, I love the color way and the things it does now are so much fun. The ONLY con, the battery life. I have pared my screen down to the bare minimum and I still barely get a full day.
I have previously owned other Samsung smartwatches, and I have found this model to be both stylish and feature-rich. It offers enhanced battery life, superior control over the health data app, and a more slender body with quicker button response. The classic 8 model is an excellent upgrade option for integrating with your new Samsung devices.
Galaxy Watch8 blends sleek design with powerful wellness tools, offering advanced sleep coaching, vascular load tracking, and AI-powered insights. Its cushion-shaped frame and Dynamic Lug system feel futuristic, though battery life and strap compatibility may still leave room for improvement.
The watch does everything I want but has a couple of annoyances. I moved from a Galaxy Watch 5 mainly for the new sensors. The biggest issue for me is the almost pitiful notification volume.... It's too quiet even when maxed out, and there's no option to use imported .wav, .mp3 or .ogg files for custom notification sounds. Issue 2 for me is I'm not a big fan of the new OneUI 8 tiles..
Features
4
Performance
2
Design
2
Value
5
Response from Samsung USBy R&R Team, August 29, 2025
Hi Ray, Thank you for sharing your feedback with us about your experience using the Samsung Galaxy Watch8. We value your candor as we strive to improve the functionality and performance of our product line. Samsung offers a 12-month warranty on your device for manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship. To resolve low notification and speaker sound on your Galaxy Watch8, please increase the sound volumes in the Settings > Sounds and vibration menu on your watch or in the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone. Swipe down from the watch's main screen to access the Quick Settings panel and adjust the speaker volume for media, calls, and other functions by tapping the speaker icon with a cogwheel. Also, ensure that modes like Do Not Disturb, Mute, or Theater Mode are not enabled, as these will silence sounds. Feel free to review the resources shared below to help resolve what you've described to be experiencing with your Galaxy Watch8. Let us know if you have any questions afterward or if you would like any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Samsung Support. Thank you for being a valued Samsung customer. - Debra
Samsung Support smsng.us/Samsung-Support Warranty Information smsng.us/Warranty-Info Facebook Messenger smsng.us/Facebook-Messenger X Messages https://smsng.us/X-Messages Samsung Community smsng.us/Samsung-Community Watch8 https://www.samsung.com/us/watches/galaxy-watch8/ Product Manuals https://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/ Manage notifications on your Samsung smart watch https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10002855/
I am a long time galaxy watch 4 user. Upgraded to the watch 8 and very happy. It has double the battery life before charging and that's with battery saving on (ie charges just a little past 80%). It is noticeable faster with swipes and actions. The other noticeable difference is that it fits more snug on my wrist than the watch 4 and feels less bulky on the wrist. Haven't used all of the sleep features yet and getting used to wearing overnight.
I had the 5 pro for YEARS and finally decided to upgrade. This watch is so nice. Love the slim design, and that fact that it has all the functions my previous watch had.
Switching over from Watch 6 Classic was seamless. So far, everything I'm used to using is available; however, things like using the timer during workouts, it does not stay on top, where I can see the countdown, even with Always on Display enabled. The timer keeps hiding in the background. If this is a user or setting error, I am open to figuring out how to keep the timer visible on the screen while in use. Also, the supplied sports band is uncomfortable. For some reason, I am conscious of it and thought because I have a smaller wrist and selected the smaller band, perhaps that was the issue; however, even increasing the band makes it too loose and still annoys me. So essentially this is Watch 6 awesome with Watch 8 annoyances.