Technologies
Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic Review: Small Updates, Big Screens
It’s more like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5.5, but screen size and that bezel make all the difference.

The Galaxy Watch 6 proves that what’s old can become new again. Samsung brought back the fan-favorite bezel on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, while the regular Galaxy Watch 6 is an incremental update to last year’s model. These Android smartwatches are not exciting, but they can do almost everything you need.
I’ve been wearing both versions for a week to track everything from workouts to sleep. Inside, they’re practically the same watch with the same internal specs, sensors and sizing options. I tested the small version of both: the 40mm Watch 6 and the 43mm Classic. (My wrist measures 152mm.) You can see how they fit in the video on this page.
The main differences between the Galaxy Watch 6 versions?
- Material: The Galaxy Watch 6 has an aluminum frame while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is stainless steel
- Rotating bezel: Only on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. The Galaxy Watch 6 has a haptic touch bezel around the screen
- Price: Starts at $300 for the 40mm Galaxy Watch 6 or $330 for the 44mm. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is $400 for the 43mm and $430 for the 47mm.
All the sensors on both are the same as the ones found on the Galaxy Watch 5: heart rate, body composition and skin temperature. Both the Watch 6 and 6 Classic have LTE options to stay connected when you’re away from your phone. They cost $50 more than the base price and you may need to pay an additional fee to your wireless provider to get service on your watch.
So, what’s different from last year? It’s as simple as software, screens and a slightly longer-lasting battery.
Better, brighter displays help you see more

It seems like a small upgrade on paper, but the larger 1.3-inch and 1.5-inch displays make a significant difference to the overall experience. When I compare the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic directly with the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (the last Samsung watch to have the bezel) the difference in usable display is night and day.
The screens are also twice as bright as the Galaxy Watch 5 and Pro, reaching a maximum 2,000 nits. I found them so much easier to see in sunlight. The always-on display is brighter too.
Galaxy Watch 6 Classic bezel makes the watch fun again
I love that Samsung listened to feedback and brought back the rotating bezel. Not only does it make navigation more fun, it’s a practical way to control the watch if you wear gloves, or have sweaty or wet fingers.
The bezel is also slimmer than the version we last saw on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. But it doesn’t do anything new and it should never have left. The regular Galaxy Watch 6 has a touch bezel around the edge of the screen. Move your finger around to get the same effect as the physical bezel.

I wonder what Samsung will do about the next Pro watch. I speculated the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro could have had a slimmer rotating bezel around the raised edge of the watch. Now Samsung makes a slimmer version, I hope we’ll see it on the Galaxy Watch 6 Pro.
One design perk I wasn’t expecting is the new one-click watch band design. No more fiddling with spring pin toggles! The new bands are also backwards and forwards-compatible and I appreciate that they sit closer to the watch frame. The hybrid leather band on the Classic is particularly comfortable for all-day wear.
Galaxy Watch 6 battery life: Only slightly better than the Watch 5
Samsung is more conservative with its battery life estimates this year, claiming the Galaxy Watch 6 can last up to 30 hours with the always-on display, or 40 hours with it turned off. That’s for both sizes of both watches, even though the larger case sizes have a higher-capacity battery at 425 mAh compared to 300 mAh on the smaller version.
I wasn’t quite able to reach those numbers. With the always-on, getting a handful of phone notifications, one 30-minute workout using GPS and sleep tracking, I hit 27 hours on the 43mm Galaxy Watch 6 Classic before it went flat.
With slightly heavier use, like streaming music over Bluetooth headphones and a longer outdoor workout using GPS, that runtime is closer to 24 hours. I suspect LTE use will drain the battery even faster and will update this review once I’ve been able to test. It takes over an hour to charge the watch from flat to full using the provided USB-C charger, or you can use reverse wireless charging on a Galaxy phone for a top-up.
If you want the longest-lasting battery, that’s still the $450 Galaxy Watch 5 Pro that lasts two-and-a-half to three days with similar use.

WearOS 4 and One UI 5 Watch: A good combo, but not complete
These are the first watches to run Wear OS 4. Some of the key updates promise better battery life and cloud backups. Apps like Gmail and Google Calendar will also come to the watch, but at the time of writing they aren’t available yet. Other Google apps like the Assistant and YouTube Music are there and WhatsApp now has a native Wear OS app.
They also run Samsung’s One UI 5 Watch on top of Wear OS 4 that brings Galaxy Watch-exclusive features including:
- Sleep insights and sleep coaching
- Personalized heart rate zones
- Emergency SOS can send your location when it detects a fall
- Fall detection active automatically for users over 55

Know that the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 will get the One UI 5 update later in the year. Other interface tweaks include a bigger keyboard, so typing is a little easier than the Galaxy Watch 5. Voice to text dictation works as well as it did before. But my favorite feature so far is that you don’t need to reset your watch when you switch to a new phone.
If you have a Flip 5 or Fold 5, you can control the camera in Flex mode from your wrist, but I found it was a bit laggy. Don’t feel left out if you have an older Galaxy phone: The camera controller still works. I tested it with the Galaxy S22 Ultra and got camera controls like zooming with the bezel, without the lag.
Universal gestures is a lesser-known accessibility feature that should get more attention because it works really well. Just like the Assistive Touch on the Apple Watch, you can control the Galaxy Watch 6 with gestures if you can’t touch the screen or press buttons.

Health, fitness and sleep is pretty much the same
The Galaxy Watch 6 has a few new fitness tools like a new track run workout type and the option to create custom workouts. Samsung quietly added back automatic cycling detection after it disappeared from the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5. The Galaxy Watch 6 still auto-detects activities like walks, runs, rowing machine and elliptical after about 10 minutes.
New to Samsung watches are personalized heart rate zones. They can help you train more effectively by helping you stay within a range based on your aerobic capabilities. To calculate custom heart rate zones, do a minimum 10-minute outdoor run at 4 kilometers per hour or faster. Then go into Settings > HR Zone Guide > Target HR zone. This feature also exists on the Apple Watch and Fitbit.
Sleep tracking features bring the watch up to speed with what other watches on the market offer, specifically the Pixel Watch and Fitbit. You can now see your sleep score on the watch and the corresponding sleep animals are cute. But they’ve been available on the Galaxy Watch 4 since early 2022. It will take more time to see if the Galaxy Watch 6 sleep coaching tips are helpful in the long term and if they’re any different from previous watches. I’ll update this review after several weeks with the final verdict.
Like other wearables, the Galaxy Watch 6 can check your blood oxygen readings while you sleep, but it’s the only smartwatch I’ve worn for sleep tracking that gives me very low blood oxygen readings overnight, sometimes as low as 87%. Low blood oxygen readings can indicate medical conditions like sleep apnea. Activating sleep mode is also supposed to turn on an invisible infrared sensor instead of using the green LED for heart rate, though I noticed when I woke up during the night, the green light was visible. I’ve reached out to Samsung for clarification on this feature.
The Galaxy Watch 6 has an ECG and now supports irregular heart rhythm notifications, like the Apple Watch and Fitbit, but only if you have a Galaxy phone. You can sideload the Samsung Health Monitor app on other Android phones by installing an APK, but technically it’s not supported.
I tested the heart rate monitor against a chest strap for accuracy and found that my resting heart rate matched up. During a cardio workout, the sensor was within a few bpm of the strap. Like last year’s watch, the GPS locked on to a signal within seconds of starting an outdoor workout and route accuracy is good.
Finally, the skin temperature sensor tracks during overnight sleep and can also be used to predict upcoming menstrual cycles.
Should you upgrade to the Galaxy Watch 6?
That depends. If you have a Galaxy Watch 4 or 5 it doesn’t make much sense unless you get a fantastic trade-in deal, or you really want that bigger screen. You get all the main software updates with One UI 5 Watch later in the year anyway.
If you have an earlier Galaxy or Gear watch that runs Tizen, the upgrade is more tempting as you’re getting access to Wear OS and the option to keep the beloved bezel.
But the Galaxy Watch 6 has a lot more competition than last year, thanks to the likes of the Pixel Watch and Mobvoi’s TicWatch 5 Pro. The Galaxy Watch 6 is one of the most refined Android smartwatches, but it could be a lot more exciting, especially when it comes to battery life.
Galaxy Watch 6 vs. 6 Classic
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic | |
Shape | Round | Round |
Watch size | 40mm, 44mm | 43mm, 47mm |
Materials/Finishes | Aluminum | Stainless Steel |
Display size, resolution | 40mm: 1.3 inch, 432×432 pixels, Super AMOLED; 44mm: 1.5 inch, 480×480 pixels, Super AMOLED | 43mm: 1.3 inch, 432×432 pixels, Super AMOLED; 47mm: 1.5 inch, 480×480 pixels, Super AMOLED |
Dimensions | 40mm: 38.8×40.4×9.0 mm; 44mm: 42.8×44.4×9.0 mm | 43mm: 42.5×42.5×10.9 mm; 47mm: 46.5×46.5×10.9 mm |
Weight | 40mm: 28.7g; 44mm: 33.3g | 43mm: 52g; 47mm: 59g |
Colors | 40mm: graphite, gold ;44mm: graphite, silver | 43mm: black, silver; 47mm: black, silver |
Always On | Yes | Yes |
Interchangeable bands | Yes | Yes |
GPS | Yes | Yes |
Automatic workout detection | Yes | Yes |
Compass | Yes | Yes |
Altimeter | Yes | Yes |
Water resistance | 5ATM, IP68 | 5ATM, IP68 |
Calls | Yes | Yes |
Microphone | Yes | Yes |
Speaker | Yes | Yes |
Voice assistant | Yes (Google Assistant, Bixby) | Yes (Google Assistant, Bixby) |
Mobile Payments | Yes (Samsung Wallet) | Yes (Samsung Wallet) |
Sleep tracking | Yes | Yes |
Period tracking | Yes | Yes |
Sensors | Optical heart rate + electrical heart signal + bioelectrical impedance analysis, temperature sensor, accelerometer, barometer, gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, light sensor | Optical heart rate + electrical heart signal + bioelectrical impedance analysis, temperature sensor, accelerometer, barometer, gyro sensor, geomagnetic sensor, light sensor |
Emergency features | Emergency SOS, fall detection | Emergency SOS, fall detection |
Compatibility | Android 10 and above | Android 10 and above |
Software | WearOS 4 | WearOS 4 |
Processor | Exynos W930 dual-core 1.4GHz | Exynos W930 dual-core 1.4GHz |
Connectivity | LTE6, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo | LTE6, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 2.4+5GHz, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo |
Memory and storage | 2GB memory + 16GB storage | 2GB memory + 16GB storage |
Charging | Fast charging (WPC-based wireless charging) | Fast charging (WPC-based wireless charging) |
Battery life | Up to 40 hours (Always On Display off); up to 30 hours (Always On Display on) | Up to 40 hours (Always On Display off); up to 30 hours (Always On Display on) |
Battery capacity | 40mm: 300 mAh; 44mm: 425 mAh | 43mm: 300 mAh; 47mm: 425 mAh |
Price (USD) | 40mm: $300 (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth); 44mm: $330 (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) | 43mm: $400 (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth); 47mm: $430 (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) |
Technologies
Tariffs Explained: Latest on Trump’s Shifting Import Tax Plan, and What It Means
Technologies
Apple, I’m (Sky) Blue About Your iPhone 17 Air Color
Commentary: The rumored new hue of the iPhone 17 Air is more sky blah than sky blue.

I can’t help but feel blue about the latest rumor that Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 17 Air will take flight in a subtle, light-hued color called sky blue.
Sky blue isn’t a new color for Apple. It’s the featured shade of the current M4 MacBook Air, a shimmer of cerulean so subtle as to almost be missed. It’s silver left too close to an aquarium; silver that secretly likes to think it’s blue but doesn’t want everyone else to notice.
Do Apple employees get to go outside and see a real blue sky? It’s actually vivid, you can check for yourself. Perhaps the muted sky blue color reflects a Bay Area late winter/early spring frequent layer of clouds like we typically see here in Seattle.
«Who cares?» you might find yourself saying. «Everyone gets a case anyway.» I hear you and everyone else who’s told me that. But design-focused Apple is as obsessive about colors as they are about making their devices thinner. And I wonder if their heads are in the clouds about which hues adorn their pro products.
Making the case for a caseless color iPhone
I’m more invested in this conversation than most — I’m one of those freaks who doesn’t wrap my phone in a case. I find cases bulky and superfluous, and I like to be able to see Apple’s design work. Also, true story, I’ve broken my iPhone screen only twice: First when it was in a «bumper» that Apple sent free in response to the iPhone 4 you’re-holding-it-wrong Antennagate fiasco, and second when trying to take long exposure starry night photos using what I didn’t realize was a broken tripod mount. My one-week-old iPhone 13 Pro slipped sideways and landed screen-first on a pointy rock. A case wouldn’t have saved it.
My current model is an iPhone 16 Pro in black titanium — which I know seems like avoiding color entirely — but previously I’ve gone for colors like blue titanium and deep purple. I wanted to like deep purple the most but it came across as, in the words of Patrick Holland in his iPhone 14 Pro review, «a drab shade of gray or like Grimace purple,» depending on the light.
Pros can be bold, too
Maybe the issue is too many soft blues. Since the iPhone Pro age began with the iPhone 11 Pro, we’ve seen variations like blue titanium (iPhone 15 Pro), sierra blue (iPhone 13 Pro) and pacific blue (iPhone 12 Pro).
Pacific blue is the boldest of the bunch, if by bold you mean dark enough to discern from silver, but it’s also close enough to that year’s graphite color that seeing blue depends on the surrounding lighting. By comparison, the blue (just «blue») color of the iPhone 12 was unmistakably bright blue.
In fact, the non-Pro lines have embraced vibrant colors. It’s as if Apple is equating «pro» with «sophisticated,» as in «A real pro would never brandish something this garish.» I see this in the camera world all the time: If it’s not all-black, it’s not a «serious» camera.
And yet I know lots of pros who are not sophisticated — proudly so. People choose colors to express themselves, so forcing that idea of professionalism through color feels needlessly restrictive. A bright pink iPhone 16 might make you smile every time you pick it up but then frown because it doesn’t have a telephoto camera.
Color is also important because it can sway a purchase decision. «I would buy a sky blue iPhone yesterday,» my colleague Gael Cooper texted after the first rumor popped online. When each new generation of iPhones arrive, less technically different than the one before, a color you fall in love with can push you into trading in your perfectly-capable model for a new one.
And lest you think Apple should just stick with black and white for its professional phones: Do you mean black, jet black, space black, midnight black, black titanium, graphite or space gray? At least the lighter end of the spectrum has stuck to just white, white titanium and silver over the years.
Apple never got ahead by being beige
I’m sure Apple has reams of studies and customer feedback that support which colors make it to production each year. Like I said, Apple’s designers are obsessive (in a good way). And I must remind myself that a sky blue iPhone 17 Air is a rumored color on a rumored product so all the usual caveats apply.
But we’re talking about Apple here. The scrappy startup that spent more than any other company on business cards at the time because each one included the old six-color Apple logo. The company that not only shaped the first iMac like a tipped-over gumdrop, that not only made the case partially see-through but then made that cover brilliant Bondi blue.
Embrace the iPhone colors, Apple.
If that makes you nervous, don’t worry: Most people will put a case on it anyway.
Technologies
Astronomers Say There’s an Increased Possibility of Life on This Distant Planet
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are working to confirm potential evidence of life on a distant exoplanet dubbed K2-18b.

Astronomers are nearing a statistically significant finding that could confirm the potential signs of life detected on the distant exoplanet K2-18b are no accident.
The team of astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, used data from the James Webb Space Telescope (which has only been in use since the end of 2021) to detect chemical traces of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), which they say can only be produced by life such as phytoplankton in the sea.
According to the university, «the results are the strongest evidence yet that life may exist on a planet outside our solar system.»
The findings were published this week in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and point to the possibility of an ocean on this planet’s surface, which scientists have been hoping to discover for years. In the abstract for the paper, the team says, «The possibility of hycean worlds, with planet-wide oceans and H2-rich atmospheres, significantly expands and accelerates the search for habitable environments elsewhere.»
Not everyone agrees, however, that what the team found proves there’s life on the exoplanet.
Science writer and OpenMind Magazine founder Corey S. Powell posted about the findings on Bluesky, writing, «The potential discovery of alien life is so enticing that it drags even reputable outlets into running naive or outright misleading stories.» He added, «Here we go again with planet K2-18b.Um….there’s strong evidence of non-biological sources of the molecule DMS.»
K2-18b is 124 light-years away and much larger than Earth (more than eight times our mass), but smaller than Neptune. The search for signs of even basic life on a planet like this increases the chances that there are more planets like Earth that may be inhabitable, with temperatures and atmospheres that could sustain human-like lifeforms. The team behind the paper hopes that more study with the James Webb Space Telescope will help confirm their initial findings.
More research to do on finding life on K2-18b
The exoplanet K2-18b is not the only place where scientists are exploring the possibility of life, and this research is still an early step in the process, said Christopher Glein, a geochemist, planetary researcher and lead scientist at San Antonio’s Southwest Research Institute. Excitement over the significance of the research, he said, should be tempered.
«We need to be careful here,» Glein said. «It appears that there is something in the data that can’t be explained, and DMS/DMDS can provide an explanation. But this detection is stretching the limits of JWST’s capabilities.»
Glein added, «Further work is needed to test whether these molecules are actually present. We also need complementary research assessing the abiotic background on K2-18b and similar planets. That is, the chemistry that can occur in the absence of life in this potentially exotic environment. We might be seeing evidence of some cool chemistry rather than life.»
The TRAPPIST-1 planets, he said, are being researched as potentially habitable, as is LHS 1140b, which he said «is another astrobiologically significant exoplanet, which might be a massive ocean world.»
As for K2-18b, Glein said many more tests need to be performed before there’s consensus on life existing on it.
«Finding evidence of life is like prosecuting a case in the courtroom,» Glein said. «Multiple independent lines of evidence are needed to convince the jury, in this case the worldwide scientific community.» He added, «If this finding holds up, then that’s Step 1.»
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