Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic and Watch 6 are available from August 11, 2023. Watch 6 Classic has some significant upgrades compared to Galaxy Watch 5 Pro from 2022. On the other hand, Galaxy Watch 6 remains mostly the same as Galaxy Watch 5. However, Samsung believes these new watches are unique in their own ways. Let’s check out Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.

Users’ Feedback on Galaxy Watch 6 Classic and Galaxy Watch 6 

Apart from specs, let’s talk about real-world-use cases and if Watch 6 Classic or Watch 6 should be your pick. For starters, both the watches have a premium feel and are comfortable to wear. However, the Watch 6 Classic with Stainless Steel frame looks more attractive and is more durable. Both the watches are pretty bright when taken outdoors, we are talking about 2,000 nits here. Even AoD performs well both indoors and outdoors. Colors are vibrant. Watchface is detailed. Overall, Samsung did really well with the display and design.   

As of September 2023

Now, the real issue is with the battery life. When AoD is turned on, along with GPS and Bluetooth, these watches utilize a lot of battery juice. If you receive frequent notifications throughout the day, you will experience a significant reduction in battery life. We are talking around 23%-33% battery life at the end of a heavy-use day from 9 AM to 6 PM. This is when you can consider Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, up to 80 hours (claimed by Samsung).           

Speaking of GPS, for some reason, the Watch 6 lineup is not that accurate in locating your precise position compared to its competitors. However, if you are running or traveling for a while, these watches are able to locate you impressively, in the future this might improve through software updates. Apart from that, most other workout data look pretty promising. This brings us to the ECG Monitor.

According to Samsung, “The Samsung ECG Monitor Application with Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification is an over-the-counter (OTC) software-only… The Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification Feature is not intended to provide a notification on every episode of irregular rhythm suggestive of AFib and the absence of a notification is not intended to indicate no disease process is present… The ECG Monitor App is not intended to replace traditional methods of diagnosis or treatment…Users should not interpret or take clinical action based on the device output without consultation of a qualified healthcare professional.”

Leaving above discussions aside, Watch 6 Classic and Watch 6 are great smartwatches as of September 2023. If you already own any of the Watch 5’s, you can just skip this one and hope for an improved Watch 7 series from Samsung in 2024. Coming from an older smartwatch and good with 1-day battery life, you can consider the Watch 6 Classic or Watch 6. If you are not a big fan of Samsung’s rotating bezel, you can give Watch 6 44 mm a try.  

Quick Specs of Galaxy Watch 6 Classic 

• Released 2023, August 11
• Super AMOLED, 1.5 inches, 480 x 480 pixels (~453 ppi density)
• Sapphire Crystal Front, Stainless Steel frame
• 50 m water resistant (IP68)
• Exynos W930 (5 nm), Android Wear OS 4, One UI Watch 5
• 16GB, 2GB RAM
• ECG certified, Blood pressure monitor, Skin temperature, 3D Hall sensor
• 47 mm (59 g), 43 mm (52 g) 
• 47 mm: 425 mAh, 43 mm: 300 mAh
• eSIM
• 47 mm: $430 and 43 mm: $400

Quick Specs of Galaxy Watch 6

• Released 2023, August 11
• Super AMOLED, 1.5 inches, 480 x 480 pixels (~453 ppi density)
• Glass front (Sapphire crystal), Aluminum frame
• 50 m water resistant (IP68)
• Exynos W930 (5 nm), Android Wear OS 4, One UI Watch 5
• 16GB, 2GB RAM
• ECG certified, Blood pressure monitor
• 44 mm (33.3 g), 40 mm (28.7 g)
• 44 mm: X mAh, 40 mm: X mAh
• eSIM
• 44 mm: $329 and 40 mm: $299 

Galaxy Watch 6 Classic vs Galaxy Watch 5 Pro 

As mentioned before, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has significant upgrades from Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. For starters, the rotating bezel is back, which makes the Galaxy Watches more interesting and fashionable. Even though both Watch 6 Classic and Watch 5 Pro are equipped with Super AMOLED Sapphire Crystal displays, Watch 6 Classic has 1.5-inch 480 x 480 resolution (47 mm) and 1.3-inch 432 x 432 resolution (43 mm) display with Stainless Steel case compared to Watch 5 Pro’s 1.4-inch 450 x 450 resolution (45 mm) display with Titanium case.

Watch 6 Classic has Exynos W930 (Dual-core 1.40 GHz) processor under the hood where Watch 5 Pro has Exynos W920 (Dual-core 1.18 GHz) processor. On paper, this is an 18% boost from the previous model. RAM has got an upgrade from 1.5 GB to 2 GB, this improves performance by 25%. Watch 6 Classic has a new feature called Skin Temperature Monitoring, which is not essential but fancy to have. You can check Skin Temperature Monitoring of Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic here.

Apart from that both the watches have LTE variants, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC, and so on. However, when it comes to battery life, Samsung did something really weird.

Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is powered by a 590 mAh battery, which can last for up to 80 hours (claimed by Samsung) and 92 hours (claimed by XDA-Developers). Usually, new devices are expected to have improved battery life, which did not happen this time with Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has a 300 mAh (43 mm) and 425 mAh (47 mm) battery, which can last up to 30 hours with Always-on display and 40 hours otherwise. As both watches support WPC-based wireless charging, one can charge their watch whenever needed in a very short period of time. Most of the cases, Watch 6 Classic will be able to make 1 full day. 

Interestingly, the 45 mm Watch 5 Pro costs $450, where the Watch 6 Classic 47 mm costs $430 and 43 mm costs $400.  

Galaxy Watch 6 vs Galaxy Watch 5

Both Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 5 are equipped with Super AMOLED Sapphire Crystal displays with aluminum case. Watch 6 has 1.5-inch 480 x 480 resolution (44 mm) and 1.3-inch 432 x 432 resolution (40 mm) display compared to Watch 5’s 1.36-inch 450 x 450 resolution (44 mm) and 1.19-inch 396 x 396 resolution (40 mm) display. Watch 6 Classic and Watch 6 have the same Exynos W930 (Dual-core 1.40 GHz) processor and 2 GB RAM, this is a 33% boost from the Watch 5 models (Exynos W920 processor and 1.5 GB RAM). There is no Skin Temperature Monitoring in both the watches (Watch 6 and Watch 5). 

The LTE variants, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, and NFC remain the same along with other features. However, Watch 6 has Bluetooth 5.3, which is an upgrade from Watch 5’s Bluetooth 5.2. 

Surprisingly, Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic do not offer better battery life than Watch 5 let alone Watch 5 Pro. Usually, new devices are expected to have improved battery life, which did not happen this time with the Watch 6 series. Galaxy Watch 6 has a 300 mAh (40 mm) and 425 mAh (44 mm) battery, which can last up to 40 hours. On the other hand, Watch 5 has a 284 mAh (40 mm) and 410 mAh (44 mm) battery, which can last up to 50 hours. Both watches support WPC-based wireless charging. Worth mentioning that, Watch 6 will be able to make 1 full day. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 costs $329 for 44 mm and $299 for 40 mm. Watch 5 has better deals now as of September 2023 at less than $250.   

Wrapping up 

In conclusion, Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 are great smartwatches. Considering Samsung’s versatility, any of these smartwatches can serve you with impressive user-experiences for the next 3-4 years. Upon receiving software updates, the overall performance will improve. Samsung did really well choosing specs for these watches aside from battery life. 

Comment below what your thoughts are. Share with your family and friends. Let us know if you have a leak or something to share. Stay tuned for more.  

This story will receive updates till September 2026.