Technologies

Samsung Brought Back My Favorite Feature for Its Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic

The company’s latest smartwatches look sharp, but the first-of-their-kind health tools could be what makes them most compelling.

While competitors release predictable updates to their smartwatches, Samsung isn’t afraid to surprise us (for better or worse) with design and feature changes each year. And with the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic in particular, announced at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, my favorite feature has made a welcome reappearance: the physical rotating bezel, a touch of romantic elegance that made me fall in love with Galaxy Watches in the first place. The Galaxy Watch 8 also has a new look and thinner frame, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra keeps the same functional, squared-off frame as before with a new Titanium blue color that will appeal to people who want a more rugged timepiece.

But it’s not just aesthetics that have changed in this year’s revisions. The company is also stepping things up when it comes to health tools, including several features I’ve never seen on a smartwatch, like noninvasive skin analysis and AI-powered coaching for sleep and running. The Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic also have a smarter voice assistant and are the first smartwatches with Google’s Gemini AI baked right inside, ready to handle complex tasks.

Pricing and availability

The Galaxy Watch 8 starts at $350 for the 40mm model and $380 for the 44mm one. The LTE versions are $50 more: $400 for the 40mm model and $430 for the 44mm watch.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, with its rotating bezel and physical crown, comes in a single 46mm size and costs $500, or $550 for the LTE model.

The Titanium Blue version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra is $650, the same price as the original 2024 model. This version gets the same internal upgrades as the Watch 8 lineup, including a 64GB storage bump.

All models are available for preorder now with shipping starting July 25. If you reserve early from Samsung you can get $50 in Samsung credit; your wireless carrier may also have deals on the watches and Samsung’s just-announced phones.

Health and fitness features

Samsung continues to expand the Galaxy Watch’s role as a health and wellness tool, building on existing features like ECG, SpO₂ (shorthand for peripheral capillary oxygen saturation), sleep tracking and its AGEs Index, which reflects your metabolic aging process. The headliner is a new Antioxidant Index, which measures carotene (one type of antioxidant) levels in your skin with a simple five-second press of your thumb on the sensor (no needle needed). Since antioxidants help clear toxins from the body, knowing your levels can offer actionable steps for improving your health. The watch will rate your levels on a scale from low to high and then offer generic recommendations on the Samsung Health app on how you can improve your levels if they’re on the lower side.

It’s important to note that this metric isn’t clinically verified and isn’t meant to replace a medical-grade test. It’s designed to offer a baseline reading that may help you make real-time lifestyle adjustments, but it won’t provide the detailed or precise results you’d get from a traditional blood test.

There’s also a new metric called Vascular Load, which measures strain on your heart during sleep. These readings are translated into a low-to-high scale to help you understand how behaviors (like sodium or alcohol intake) may be contributing to long-term heart disease risk.

Sleep tracking gets a serious upgrade, too. A new Bedtime Guidance tool uses a three-day analysis of your circadian rhythm and sleep pressure (aka sleep debt) to recommend an ideal bedtime window. It factors in heart rate, HRV, skin temperature, and even environmental cues like room temperature or brightness (if you’ve got connected SmartThings devices). The goal: Improve your sleep quality, recovery and energy throughout the day.

The coaching isn’t just for sleep; the new Galaxy Watches are also debuting a Running Coach feature. It starts with a 12-minute running assessment that scores your fitness from level 0 (beginner) to level 10 (marathon-ready). From there, it builds a personalized four-to-six-week training plan tailored to your distance or performance goals.

Similar to Apple’s new Workout Buddy, Samsung’s Running Coach offers real-time, contextual feedback while you’re running, like pointing out a major milestone. But unlike Apple’s version, Samsung’s tool goes a step further by actually adapting your future training plans based on your progress.

Design

The two new Galaxy Watches take a page out of the Galaxy Watch Ultra’s playbook ditching the traditional circular watch face for a «cushion» design that has a round screen set inside a «squircle» frame (square with rounded edges). As someone who thought the Ultra looked too big and masculine for my wrist, I’m still not totally sold on the design shift. But I’m a sucker for that rotating bezel on the Classic (the Ultra’s is static), so I can’t help but love the look, even if it doesn’t feel like it was made for me.

The Classic also adopts the customizable quick-action button of the Ultra that also doubles as a crown wedges between the two navigation buttons.

Despite my preference for the sleeker, edgeless circular design of past Galaxy Watches, there may be some benefits to the new design, including a slimmer form factor. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Watch 8 is 11% slimmer and lighter than its predecessor. When trying it on, I was blown away by how light it felt on my wrist without the usual belly bump bulge of the body.

Pair that with a new band system, which reduces the gap between the watch and your wrist and you have a noticeably more comfortable fit. Thanks to the tighter sensor-to-skin contact, it’s also more accurate at capturing heart rate data. This is still subject to testing, but if it holds up, it may be a justified design trade-off.

The Galaxy Watch 8 comes in silver and graphite with an aluminum frame, while the Classic opts for a stainless steel finish in just silver. Size-wise, the regular Watch 8 comes in 40mm and 44mm options, while the Classic is only available in 46mm, which looks pretty large on my 6-inch (15cm) wrist and definitely leans more masculine. I can’t help but miss the days when Samsung offered more feminine options like rose gold or even just plain gold, though it’s been a while since those were part of the lineup.

Gemini on the watch

The new One UI 8 software brings a refreshed user experience that is easier to navigate. Notifications are separated by app and instant access to your six most-used apps. The Watches also takes a page from the Galaxy phone with a new «Now bar» at the bottom of the screen for quick access to active apps like timers or media controls.

But the most important software update is the addition of Gemini AI. The new Galaxy Watches are the first with Google’s AI assistant built-in, bringing more complex commands and contextual understanding to your wrist. You can ask it to check your most recent running pace, start a five-mile run and launch your workout playlist simultaneously, set a timer to boil pasta based on a recipe in your notes, adjust the font size on the watch, or have it draft a text letting a friend know you’re running late.

Since Gemini requires an internet connection to work, you’ll need to have your phone paired nearby or use an LTE version of the watch.

Battery and storage

Let’s set expectations: Just because the Galaxy Watch 8 looks like the Ultra doesn’t mean it matches the Ultra’s three-day battery life. But there’s still good news to share.

Samsung says the Watch 8 has an 8% larger battery than the Watch 7: 325 mAh vs. 300 mAh (for the 40mm), and 435 mAh vs. 425 mAh (for the 44mm). The Classic tops out at 445 mAh, which is still well below the Ultra’s 590 mAh battery. How much that translates into real-world use remains to be seen, but any boost is welcome, especially paired with the efficiency gains from the new Wear OS 6 update.

Storage also doubles across the board, with 64GB now standard (up from 32GB), including a new Titanium Blue version of the Ultra.

This is just a first look based on hands-on time. We’ll find out if these features live up to the hype when put to the test in our full review, coming soon.

Technologies

Artemis II Astronauts Are Using iPhones to Capture Stunning Space Images

After smartphones were cleared by NASA for space missions, the crew members of the Integrity spacecraft are beaming back lots of iPhone photos.

The four astronauts aboard the Integrity spacecraft now headed home from their historic arc around the moon really are like the rest of us: Sometimes they reach for their smartphones to snap photos.

For the Artemis II mission, iPhone 17 Pro Max phones have been used to capture photos inside the capsule of the astronauts pondering the views of Earth and working on mission objectives. (Technically, NASA refers to them as PCDs – personal computing devices.)

Smartphones were cleared for use in space for the first time in February. In a post on X, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wrote, «We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and video with the world.»

Early in the mission, Commander Reid Wiseman snapped a pair of photos looking out the window with Earth behind him. Mission specialist Christina Koch and her dynamic curls in zero-gravity also captured a pensive view looking out over the planet. All three were made using the front camera — because wouldn’t you want to grab a selfie if you were in space?

The iPhone 17 Pro’s rear cameras are pulling their own weight during the mission, too. During the live broadcast as the crew approached the moon, Wiseman took a photo of the moon’s surface using the iPhone’s telephoto camera at 8x zoom. He turned the screen toward one of the video cameras mounted inside the spacecraft, creating an image of the moon’s surface alone against the darkness of the unlit cabin, with the iPhone’s signature rounded edges and Dynamic Island cutout at the top.

The main photo workhorses on this trip are a Nikon D5 DSLR and a Nikon Z9. The D5 is a model that has been used on several space excursions, and the Z9 is onboard as an experimental camera.

For NASA missions, every piece of equipment must be tested and certified, which is why the previously-approved D5 has a secure spot. Cameras must be resistent to space environmental factors like radiation, and safe if they’re floating around the capsule. However, the iPhones in space now are off-the-shelf models, according to a report by Jackie Watties of CNN.

The moon flyby was especially photo-intensive, with astronauts switching places several times so that two were always at windows with cameras and relating what they could see with their eyes. This photo of mission specialist and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen taking images using one of the Nikon cameras shows how some windows have camera shrouds attached. The shroud ensures that light from the interior isn’t reflected in the glass.

In a particularly relatable photo, Hansen is also using the front-facing camera of a white iPhone 17 Pro — as a portable mirror while he shaves. As the (modified) saying goes, the best selfie screen is the one you have with you.

The iPhone 17 Pro isn’t the first Apple product to go into space. Crew members have taken iPods, iPads and AirPods on missions since the Space Shuttle era. The Mac Portable even went up on a shuttle (and revealed that its trackball in zero-G isn’t the best option).

An Apple representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Hades 2, the Award-Winning Sequel, Joins Xbox Game Pass in April

Game Pass Premium subscribers are getting a handful of games, including the remastered Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.

Hades 2 was selected as one of CNET’s best games of 2025, but don’t take our word for it. The game won Best Action Game at the 2025 Game of the Year awards, Best Game on Steam Deck at the Steam Awards and a bevy of other accolades after its release. If you haven’t had the chance to play this stellar sequel yet, you can on Xbox Game Pass starting on April 14.

Xbox Game Pass, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers a wide selection of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC or mobile device for as little as $10 a month. And with a subscription to the higher-tiered Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month), you can access hundreds of games, including Day One releases, each month.

Here are the games Microsoft plans to bring to Game Pass in April. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in March, including Cyberpunk 2077.

DayZ

Coming to PC on April 8, joining Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Essential and PC Game Pass.

This online multiplayer survival game is coming to PC. An unknown virus has turned the population of the post-Soviet country of Chernarus into zombies, and you’re one of the last few survivors. You’ll have to scavenge for supplies among the ruins while fighting off zombies and other survivors alike. But how far will you go to save yourself?

Endless Legend 2 (Game preview)

New to Game Pass Premium on April 8. Previously on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Lead your faction to build a great empire that can crush your enemies in this fantasy strategy game. You can play as warriors descended from the stars, cursed knights or hive-minded beasts, but each faction has its strengths, weaknesses and unique philosophies that can influence the rest of the game. And fending off enemies is just one challenge in this game. You’ll have to adapt to the changing environment as well. Will you expand as the tides reveal new treasures, or focus on improving your defenses?

FBC: Firebreak

New to Game Pass Premium on April 8. Previously on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

The Federal Bureau of Control is under attack from otherworldly forces, and it’s up to you and your versatile unit to restore order. You’ll fight chaotic entities, leeches and a monster made of sticky notes using guns, grenades and other supernatural weapons. You can play this first-person shooter game on your own or take on the chaos of the FBC with friends in three-player co-op.

Planet Coaster 2

Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on April 9.

This might not be the classic RollerCoaster Tycoon, but it’s close enough. You’ll build your own roller coasters and water slides, manage your amusement park and create unforgettable experiences for your guests. It’s unclear if you can launch your coasters off the rails into waiting crowds. Will report back later.

Tiny Bookshop

Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on April 10.

I have long dreamed of opening my own bookshop, and until I come into a lot of money, this game will have to do. You can stock your bookshop with different genres and items for sale, set up shop in scenic locations — like near a lighthouse — and get to know the locals in this cozy management game.

Football Manager 26 (PC and console)

New to Game Pass Premium on April 13. Previously on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Get ready for a more immersive matchday experience in the latest installment of the Football Manager franchise. You can build a star-studded squad with new transfer tools, and this entry features official Premier League licenses and women’s football for the first time in the series’ history.

Hades 2

Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on April 14.

Following the events of the original game, the Titan of Time Chronos has returned and laid waste to the Underworld and Earth. As the immortal princess Melinoe, you’re tasked with stopping the titan and restoring the mythic world. Each time you venture out, you’ll learn more about the world around you and discover the true cause of all the destruction and pain.

Replaced

Coming to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on Day One on April 14.

Can AI ever be human? I’m not talking about ChatGPT or Gemini, but REACH, an AI trapped in a human’s body, in this narrative platformer game. You’ll explore an alternate 1980s America that’s scarred from nuclear catastrophe as you try to uncover the secrets of the Phoenix Corps, the same group that created you. It’s a cyberpunk Frankenstein with plenty of exploration and fluid action sequences.

The Thaumaturge

Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on April 14.

By definition, a thaumaturge is a miracle worker or magician, and in this roleplaying game, you’re a master of mystical arts that allow you to peer into the hearts and minds of others. After the death of your father, you returned to an alternate 1900s Warsaw to investigate his death, fight supernatural forces and uncover the truth.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

New to Game Pass Premium on April 16. Previously on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

A fanatical cult is trying to open gates to the demonic realm of Oblivion, and it’s up to you to stop them and seal the gates forever in the remastered version of this open-world RPG. You can rediscover the world of Cyrodiil (or experience it for the first time in updated glory), encounter unique characters and save the land.

EA Sports NHL 26

Coming to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on April 16.

As the NHL regular season winds down, the playoffs and the fight for the Stanley Cup are heating up. And with the latest installment in this EA Sports franchise, you can ensure your favorite team brings home the cup. This entry in the series introduces new gameplay mechanics, such as Ice Q 2.0 and a goalie crease control system, to add additional challenges. So if you want to see the Florida Panthers win the cup back-to-back, or you want to make absolutely sure that never happens, this game is for you.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Coming to Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass on April 17.

Modern Warfare redefined the Call of Duty series when it was released almost 20 years ago, and the rebooted version of the classic game drops you right back to where it started. You’ll control CIA and SAS special forces as they attempt to stop rebels from the fictional Republic of Urzikstan. And if the campaign’s not enough, you can hone your skills in the immersive, fast-paced multiplayer.

Little Rocket Lab

New to Game Pass Premium on April 21. Previously on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Your family’s dream project has been to build a rocket, and you’re going to fulfill their dream in this cozy, machine-building RPG. But first, you have to build clever contraptions, convert local resources and become the heart of your community before you can complete your ultimate rocket-building task.

Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato

New to Game Pass Premium on April 21. Previously on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Miho goes to the pantry to grab a potato for his grandmother’s soup when he lands in a fantastical land. Now he has to find his way back home by following in the footsteps of a mysterious traveler from long ago. You’ll meet quirky characters, gather exotic ingredients and take in vibrant environments in this world of magical realism inspired by Latin America.

Vampire Crawlers

Coming to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on Day One on April 21.

From the creators of the indie darling Vampire Survivors comes this turn-based, deck-building, roguelite game. You’ll explore dungeons that might look familiar to Vampire Survivors veterans, fight monsters and build chaotic, broken decks along the way. So be tactical in your choices or blast away every chance you get!

Kiln

Coming to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on Day One on April 23.

Kiln is about creating beautiful pottery filled with artistry and wonder… and smashing it all to pieces in the arena. This online, multiplayer party brawler pits you against others to see which pottery design can withstand the heat and which can dish out a beating.

Two games come to Game Pass Essential subscribers on April 8

Game Pass Essential costs $10 a month and offers access to a relatively small library of games compared to Game Pass Premium and Ultimate. While Microsoft doesn’t regularly add many games to Essential’s library, it’s adding these two on April 8.

Games leaving the service on April 15

While Microsoft is adding the above games to Game Pass, it is also removing five games from the service on April 15, including GTA 5. That means you still have a little time left to complete your main campaign and any sidequests before you’ll have to buy these games separately.

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you.

Technologies

Nintendo Is Offering the Switch 2 for $20 Less When You Buy Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2

This out-of-this-world deal goes live on April 12 and continues until May 9, giving you plenty of time to secure your bundle.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has been out for just over a week, and it has already become a must-see film for fans of the Mario Bros. video games. Nintendo also announced an upcoming deal that makes it easier to take the Super Mario Galaxy home.

Starting on April 12, Mario Bros. fans can get the Nintendo Switch 2 for $20 off with the purchase of a digital or physical Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 bundle. Once live, this deal lasts until May 9 and brings the Nintendo Switch 2 to $430, down from its usual price of $450.

The deal will be available at select retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, GameStop, Target and Best Buy. Not only does this deal coincide with the film’s release, but it’s also a small way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.

Additionally, Best Buy is currently giving away a free collectible 40th anniversary game case with select Mario game purchases if you’d rather not wait until April 12.

Super Mario Galaxy has been around since 2007, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 has been available since 2010 on Wii. These games are still crowd-pleasers, and this offer makes it possible to enjoy both games on the Nintendo Switch 2 for less.

To better enjoy this deal once it’s available, check out our article on everything you need to know about Nintendo Switch 2 games.

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Why this deal matters

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been praised by fans and gaming experts. Like its handheld gaming counterpart, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 have also remained popular since their releases. If you’ve been looking to buy these games along with the handheld gaming console, then this is one deal to plan for. Keep in mind that it’ll run from April 12 until May 9, so be ready to secure the savings.