We called 2023’s Galaxy Watch 6 a “modest upgrade” from the Galaxy Watch 5, which itself also got described as “very similar” to its predecessor, the Watch 4. So it’s perhaps not surprising that Samsung’s latest smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 7, represents yet another minor improvement over the last generation. That’s just the nature of a yearly update cycle for a device that is already doing most things right.

Samsung released the Galaxy Watch 7 in late July of 2024 and I started testing the watch in October. A series of events (Black Friday, the holidays, CES) pushed this review onto the back burner, which means I spent a lot of time with the watch in a less formal capacity, wearing it on and off for around three months before formally evaluating it for this review.

Design and hardware

Samsung stuck with a flat, round face and super thin aluminum bezels that give the Galaxy Watch 7 a more classic timepiece vibe than the square “I’m a computer” Apple Watch or the futuristic orb that is the Google Pixel Watch 3. The Watch 7 retains the curved case design introduced with the Watch 5, which is supposed to allow better contact between the sensors and your wrist. Unfortunately, the sensor node sticks out from the underside quite a bit. It took about a week of wearing the watch before it felt comfortable, and the first night I attempted to sleep with it, I was so bothered by it that I wrenched it off in the middle of the night.

That convex sensor node now houses 13 heart rate sensor LEDs, compared to just four on the Watch 6. We didn’t find anything lacking with the heart rate detection on the previous model and, when comparing the same workout on my personal Apple Watch Series 9 with the Galaxy Watch 7, I saw nearly the same beats-per-minute (bpm) readings. Performing a heart rate check manually on each watch gave the same result as well.

Just like last year, the watch is available in a 40mm or 44mm case, which have a 1.3-inch and 1.5-inch screen, respectively. I tested the smaller model and was impressed with how readable I found it. Personally, I use a 45mm Apple Watch because the 41mm version is too hard to read, but despite being seemingly smaller, the Galaxy’s screen was nearly as easy. Holding the two side by side, I saw why: across the middle (where the bulk of text is displayed) the 40mm Samsung watch is actually wider than the 45mm Apple wearable. That’s because rectangular screens are measured on the diagonal, but the diameter of a circle is the same length from any angle. The Galaxy Watch has a thicker bezel, but running your finger along it is one way of interacting with the screen, so it’s helpful to have extra space for that.

Two new colors, green and cream, add to the silver hue from last year. My silver review model is classy and the updated sport band has a scalloped texture (very reminiscent of the Apple Watch Ultra’s Ocean band, but much less bulky). Four pops of color thread just past the attachment points add a little personality. You can also customize the heck out of the watch faces, from background colors to clock fonts and complications. I was a fan of the new Ultra Info Board face and, overall, I felt like I had more appealing options in the faces gallery than with the Apple Watch — even before heading to the Play Store to look for more options.

The upgraded processor in the Galaxy Watch 7, Samsung’s own Exynos W1000, has one main CPU core and four smaller efficiency cores to run and switch between apps faster. We didn’t find the Watch 6 to be particularly slow, and I found the Watch 7 to be impressively fast when skimming through notifications, controlling Spotify, starting a workout and haphazardly opening and closing apps as I got to know the interface. RAM is the same at 2GB, but storage has doubled to 32GB (with 21GB available out of the box). I didn’t have long enough with the watch to put the capacity to the test, but the RAM seemed to keep the watch zipping along.

There are two new components on the Watch 7: a dual-band GPS receiver and a sensor that measures your advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) index. The AGEs index is assessed as you sleep and gauges your metabolic health by detecting accumulated sugar/lipid compounds in your skin. Higher levels are associated with faster aging and adverse health conditions. Instead of a number, the result is a dot on a spectrum. Mine was just to the high side of the middle, and suggestions for improving my levels included eating vegetables, limiting processed foods, getting more sleep and being more active. Yes, little watch, I know.

As for the GPS, it took a little effort to get it working the way I wanted. I was getting reliably accurate cadence and distance measurements (as checked against my Apple Watch and just looking at a map) but the mapping component was missing when I looked at the workout on my phone. After some research (thank you, Reddit) I learned that precise mapping is off by default. To turn it on, you need to first turn on Location Information in Samsung Health Settings on your phone. Then, in the Wear app, tap Watch Settings, Samsung Health settings, turn on Activities to detect, then tap Precise Location under the workout type you want to track. After that fix, I saw accurate routes in the workout details section. y.

Sleep tracking

I am happy to report I (probably) do not have sleep apnea. After setting up the sleep apnea detection feature, you only have to wear your watch to bed for two nights for it to log signs of the condition. Sleep apnea detection is a new feature that debuted with the Watch 7, but Samsung has said it will roll out to earlier compatible models in the future.

After the watch tracks seven nights of sleep, it’ll award you one of eight “sleep animals,” which come with a description of the type of sleeper you are. This has been a feature since the Watch 4 and something the Pixel Watch does as well. I enjoyed finding out that I’m a lion (that’s the best sleeper and I will take a win wherever I can find it). Those who rate “lower” on the sleep animal food chain, can find sleep coaching tips within the Health app on ways to improve their sleep. Not surprisingly, this involves reminding you to keep a consistent bedtime while limiting distractions, alcohol and caffeine before sleep.

For the sake of science, I slept for three nights in a row wearing both the Galaxy Watch 7 and my Apple Watch Series 9 so I could compare what they tracked. The two seemed to log the same patterns of awakeness and sleep, but Samsung was much more generous, telling me I got an average of about 45 more minutes of sleep and about three times as much deep sleep. I know much of our feelings about health are a matter of perspective, so I have to say I prefer the Galaxy Watch’s assessments. Though, I wish Samsung would call the light sleep stage “core” sleep like Apple does — that makes it feel more beneficial.

After testing the Watch 7, however, I don’t think I’d wear it (or any watch, really) to bed voluntarily again. The dimmest the screen gets is 5 nits, which is much brighter than the single nit the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch can hit. When you go into sleep mode, the watch face stays off until you tap it, but the LED sensors underneath are also much brighter than the competition and were enough to wake me. One night, I turned on sleep mode early because the screen was too bright as I was putting my kid to bed at around 8PM. I kept sleep mode on as I watched TV then went to bed a few hours later. At four in the morning, I got a congratulatory vibration that woke me up to tell me I’d met my sleep goal. Of course, I couldn’t get back to sleep after that and I was, to put it mildly, displeased. That didn’t happen again, despite leaving sleep mode on for longer than eight hours on a few occasions, so either it was a fluke or the January 2025 software update fixed the flaw.

Health and activity tracking

One of the new health features for the Galaxy Watch 7 is a daily Energy Score, which is calculated in the Samsung Health app, but readily available on the watch. The score considers sleep metrics and yesterday’s activity levels to tell you how to approach the day ahead. On mornings when I got a higher number, the watch suggested I push myself by increasing the intensity of my workouts or trying something new. On days with a lower score, I was able to see why. This feature is nothing new in the industry, of course. Garmin has its Training Readiness score and Fitbit has been giving people Daily Readiness scores for years (and it’s finally free).

The measurement, along with other insights and commentary within the Health app, is where Samsung has put most of the AI-powered tricks for the Galaxy Watch 7. I saw various tips such as a suggestion to lower my activity goals (so I could actually reach them) after a few days of being a bit of a slug.

All of the workout and health features from the previous models are here — our review of the Galaxy Watch 6 goes into those in depth. But in short, like any fitness tracker, the Galaxy Watch records your overall activity levels using different metrics. In this case, it’s three things: steps, active time (how many minutes in which you move with an elevated heart rate) and activity calories (those you burn in addition to the energy used from just existing). You can adjust your goals and decide whether you want the watch to nudge you to meet them. There are around 90 workouts the watch can track and it can auto-detect a few of those including walking, running, bike riding, high-intensity interval training and swimming.

Overall, I found the activity tracking to be accurate and I appreciated how much quicker the Galaxy Watch was at detecting I was out on a walk compared to my Apple Watch. Also, unlike the Apple Watch, which will ask me whether I wanted to track my exercise, the Galaxy Watch just goes ahead and automatically tracks it. The Galaxy Watch is on par with the Pixel Watch 3 in terms of how quickly it assumes I’m on a walk but, like the Apple Watch, the Pixel wants me to confirm I want the workout tracked. So if I’m on a walk with the dog and have gloves on, I have to do some finagling to tap the start button before seeing my stats. Galaxy’s screen on the other hand (literally) just goes ahead and displays duration, steps and heart rate details. Samsung’s wearable is also quicker to give me credit for getting up and walking around after it prompts me to get moving.

All activity and health tracking runs through the Samsung Health app, which is colorful and intuitive — I actually found it more enjoyable to browse than Apple’s Health app. I spotted a medication widget that not only reminded me to take a pill at the same time each day, it also told me about potential drug and allergy interactions. When it’s time to take the med, the watch buzzes and lets me mark it as taken without pulling out my phone. Samsung introduced the feature at the end of 2023 and, as it turns out, Apple came out with its version a full year earlier, but I credit the more navigable interface of Samsung Health for allowing me to actually find and use it — I’d just never noticed it in Apple’s app.

Instead of a separate app, like Fitness from Apple (in which you’ll also find the company’s subscription-based workouts), there’s simply a tab (also called Fitness) within Samsung Health. There are dozens of videos to try for free on your phone, from providers like Zumba, Pocket Gym, FitOn and more. And when you play the videos from here, heart rate metrics from your watch will show up on your phone’s screen, just like Fitness+ workouts with the Apple Watch and Fitbit Premium classes with the Pixel Watch. Eventually, you’d need to pay to access all the videos a given provider offers, but it’s nice to have a little free content you can dip into as needed.

One thing I have to point out is that even if the watch is on silent, by default it will still audibly coach you when you hit or approach certain metrics after you start a workout. The first time I tracked a yoga workout, the watch started blurting out calories burned and goals achieved while the entire class was silently lying in shavasana. I was even more red-faced than usual. Save yourself the embarrassment and disable audio guides in the settings when you start a workout.

Performance and use

The Watch 7 was the first to run Google’s new Wear OS 5 — before the Pixel Watch 3, even. Samsung layers its own One UI over Google’s software so the experience is a little different from the Pixel Watch. For example, you can either swipe from the left or right edge of the screen to pull up notifications or tiles (respectively) or you can drag your finger around the screen's bezel, a movement meant to complement the physical spinning bezel of the Galaxy Watch Classic variant. On a screen-only interface, I found my finger was often in the way of what I was trying to look at, so I ended up just swiping, as on a Pixel or Apple Watch.

Back in 2023, Samsung introduced gesture controls to the Galaxy Watch through an update to One UI 5, but the feature, which started as an accessibility aid, didn't get much attention until Apple highlighted and expanded such functions with the release of the Series 9. The double tap feature on the Galaxy Watch 7 works similarly to how it does on the Apple Watch, performing simple functions like pausing timers, answering calls and so on. Both watches performed the same in terms of detecting when I was making the gesture but I actually used the gesture more often with the Galaxy Watch because a little pinch animation displayed over icons that the gesture could control.

The Galaxy Watch 7 also supports a “knock knock” feature, in which you dip your fist downward twice like you’re rapping on a table and it’ll open an app you designate in the Buttons and Gestures menu from the Wear app’s watch settings. I set it to open the timer app and, later, the Google Assistant, which I found pretty convenient.

Speaking of the Google Assistant, since the Galaxy Watch 4, users have been able to swap the default assistant to Google’s instead of Bixby. I recommend doing that. Asking Bixby a question (like, perhaps, “What’s the capital of Finland?”) directed me to look at my phone. When I posed the same query to Google Assistant, the word Helsinki appeared across the watch screen. None of these are brand new features — previous models allowed you to swap the assistant and gestures started with the Galaxy Watch 4. But the better processor and new sensors on the Galaxy Watch 7 have no doubt helped boost the accuracy and responsiveness.

Notifications could use some work, however. Often, I’d feel a vibration, but when I lifted my wrist to check what it was, I’d just see the regular watch face. I could swipe to see what had triggered the ping, but I would prefer to just see it immediately.

Battery and recharging

I was surprised to see how many people complained about the Galaxy Watch 7’s battery life when I read users' impressions at other review sites and on Reddit. At first, I found I was getting through a whole day and night, plus partway into the next day before needing a recharge. That was on par with my Apple Watch Series 9 (both have around a 300mAh battery). But I didn’t have the always-on display (AOD) enabled on the Galaxy Watch.

Once I turned that on, the battery’s capacity steadily dove towards empty. One Sunday, I left the house around noon with the watch at 40 percent. I walked for 20 minutes, hung out at a coffee shop and played with a few features on the watch and the paired Galaxy phone. By the time I headed home at 3PM, the watch’s battery had dropped to four percent, prompting it to suggest I turn on watch-only mode. After that, I only used the watch with the AOD off.

That said, using the watch without AOD isn’t terribly inconvenient. When I lift my wrist, the display wakes quickly. I remember being frustrated at how ridiculously hard it was to check the time on my Apple Watch Series 4, feeling dumb as I lifted my arm three or four times before the face lit up (I know I could tap to wake it, but it was the principle of the thing).

If you plan to use the watch as a sleep tracker and also want to use the AOD, you may need to set aside time at the end of the day to recharge your watch before heading off to dreamland (or toss-and-turn land, depending on your sleep animal). The good news is that the watch recharges relatively quickly. I clocked it going from 4 percent to 75 percent in under 40 minutes. Both the Apple Watch Series 10 and the Pixel Watch 3 have been shown to recharge faster in other tests, but I didn’t find the Galaxy Watch to take unreasonably long.

Price

One positive carry-over from last year is price. Like the Watch 6 at launch, the Watch 7 starts at $300 for the 40mm model. That’s $49 cheaper than the base price for the Pixel Watch 3 and $99 cheaper than the Apple Watch Series 10. The Garmin Forerunner 165, our top pick for a running smartwatch, is $250. There’s no spinning-bezel Classic variant of the Galaxy Watch 7 (there wasn’t a Galaxy Watch 5 Classic, either). Instead, when announcing the seventh gen watch, Samsung also launched the $650 Watch Ultra and $400 Galaxy Ring — both of which make the flagship watch feel like a bargain. Of course, if you’re after a true budget smartwatch by Samsung, there’s the Galaxy Watch FE with a slightly smaller display, less powerful processor and fewer sensors.

Wrap-up

While the Galaxy Watch 7 may look nearly identical to its predecessor, a couple of internal improvements and software additions (and yes, some AI stuff) make it an appealing companion for a Samsung phone. It even does a few things better than the Apple Watch Series 10 (our current pick for the best overall smartwatch). As with most new releases, you probably don’t need to upgrade if you already have the prior model. But if you’re a fan of Samsung’s handsets and are looking for an attractive accessory with solid sleep insights, helpful fitness tools and surprisingly approachable health data, this could be it.

For a long time, the Galaxy Watch was our pick for the best Android watch you could buy. But with the release of the Pixel Watch 3, Samsung’s wearable was knocked off its podium. The Galaxy Watch 7 does many things right and its classic looks and customizable watch faces will be a favorite for some, me included. Samsung also seems to be steadily improving the Health app — I was especially excited about the beta Meditation and Mood-tracking features, and hope they make their way from the phone to the watch.

The effort the company has put into the Health app is only making the Galaxy Watch more useful and Samsung has developed an effective set of wearable sensors that can provide more advanced health metrics like AGEs index, EKGs and body composition. The heart rate and distance accuracy was on par with my Apple Watch Series 9 but the Galaxy Watch was actually quicker to detect I was out on a walk — it also automatically logged the workout for me.

But if an always-on display is important to you and you want to use the watch for sleep tracking, you may want to look elsewhere. Still, this is a capable watch that makes a fun companion for an Android phone, particularly Samsung handsets, and I was sad to take it off when the review was over.