The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic are currently discounted on Amazon, with prices as low as $280 for the 30-mm Bluetooth version and $433 for the Watch8 Classic, offering features like a 1.5-inch AMOLED screen, health tracking, and improved interface with Wear OS 6, though battery life varies between models.
A bug in Wear OS 6 causes third-party watch faces to freeze and overlap during transitions, creating a ghosting effect on Pixel and Galaxy Watches, including newer models. The issue stems from changes in how AOD rendering is handled, affecting third-party faces but not stock ones. Users are advised to avoid third-party faces until an update is released to fix the problem.
In 2025, Wear OS saw significant updates with new hardware like Pixel Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 8, improvements in health features, and better third-party support, though some brands like Mobvoi and OnePlus faced delays and setbacks. Google and Samsung made notable strides, but overall, the platform's ecosystem remains fragmented with ongoing update and hardware challenges.
Samsung is rolling out the One UI 8 Watch update based on Wear OS 6 to the Galaxy Watch 4 series, likely marking the last major update for this smartwatch lineup after four years.
The Pixel Watch 4 introduces subtle design enhancements, a brighter display, Wear OS 6 with Material 3, faster charging, and improved fitness tracking, making it a worthwhile upgrade from the Pixel Watch 3, though the core experience remains similar. It offers better hardware-software integration and a more cohesive user experience, especially for Pixel phone users.
Google has begun rolling out the Wear OS 6 update for Pixel Watch 3 and 2, bringing improvements like smoother scrolling, a more immersive UI, and enhanced visual consistency, along with the October 2025 security patch.
Google has released a significant Wear OS 6 update with Material 3 features for Pixel Watch 2 and 3, introducing a redesigned interface, improved animations, better battery life, and new components, enhancing the overall user experience.
Google is rolling out Wear OS 6 to Pixel Watch 2 and 3, bringing a Material 3 redesign, new apps, and dynamic theming, with the update available via OTA and factory images for Pixel Watch 4, ahead of the Pixel Watch 4 launch.
The Google Pixel Watch 4 is a significant upgrade in the Android smartwatch space, featuring a repairable design, a domed display, improved battery life, faster charging, and enhanced health and fitness tracking, making it the best Android smartwatch currently available.
The Pixel Watch 4 introduces a domed, convex display with a subtle 3D effect, improved brightness, and a fully repairable design, along with Wear OS 6's refreshed Material 3 design and AI-powered features like 'Raise to Talk' with Gemini, making it a significant upgrade for existing Pixel Watch users and a compelling choice for new buyers. Battery life remains strong with fast charging, and the watch offers enhanced notifications and health tracking, though it retains familiar design elements. Priced at $349-$399, it is recommended for those on older Pixel Watch models.
The Google Pixel Watch 4 introduces notable upgrades like a new dome display, dual-frequency GPS, and faster Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip, impressing with its design and performance, though it has some quirks such as display durability and battery life that warrant further testing. Overall, it builds on the Pixel Watch 3 with meaningful improvements, especially for long-time fans, but may not convert skeptics.
The Google Pixel Watch 4 introduces a refined design, upgraded Snapdragon chip, and new AI capabilities like Raise to Talk, along with improved battery life and satellite SOS, making it a competitive and innovative smartwatch set to launch in October at $349.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 features a unique 'squircle' design, runs on Wear OS 6, and offers improved health tracking and a slimmer profile, but struggles with battery life and some health feature usefulness, making it less compelling compared to competitors like the Pixel Watch and Garmin.
Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3 fixes previous pairing issues with Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series on Pixel devices, allowing seamless connection without resets, and introduces Wear OS 6 with UI improvements, though initial compatibility issues were present in beta versions.
Samsung has begun rolling out the One UI 8 Watch update to Galaxy Watch Ultra owners, introducing new features like Running Coach, Vascular Load tracking, and Antioxidant Index, along with improvements such as Multi-Info Tiles and Gemini integration, marking the first appearance of Wear OS 6 in the wild. The update does not yet include Bedtime Tracking, and non-Ultra Galaxy Watch 7 owners will likely have to wait longer for the software upgrade.