A Totally Honest Review of the Galaxy Watch4—Which Is Currently 20% Off Right Now
Before getting my Samsung Galaxy Watch4, I wasn't much of a watch person. I always have my phone on me to tell the time, so wearing a tiny clock on my wrist wasn't very appealing—and it didn't seem necessary. However! Smartwatches have totally changed the game. They've turned that tiny wrist clock into an extension of our phones, allowing us to respond to texts, skip to the next song, track our steps, and more.
For me, selecting the Galaxy Watch4 ($250) was a no-brainer. If I'm going to wear something, it needs to be sleek. And I don't think there's anything sleek about other bulky square-shaped smartwatches on the market. So, I was drawn to the Galaxy Watch's simple circular shape. Plus, I am a long-time Samsung Galaxy user, and loved the idea of having something that could sink up well with my phone.
Aesthetics aside, the watch has a bunch of really amazing features that make it super handy. It's a great aid for anyone's fitness journey, helping to track everything from exercise duration to heart rate. It can be linked to Samsung Pay, allowing you to tap to pay straight from your watch. Plus, you can use it to track your menstrual cycle. Having all these metrics at your finger tips is super fun and convenient, as long as you don't get too caught up in them.
"Having all of that data is a Catch-22—the idea is great, but knowing it isn't going to necessarily initiate a behavior change," Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, CMPC, certified mental performance consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology, previously told Well+Good."Look at how you think about [your tracker] and what your attitude around it is. It's tricky because you can get major positive feedback, which can egg you on to do more. But you might fall into being overdependent, and shift from a healthy application to this over-attendance and obsessive thoughts on having to do more and to keep maintaining, and people can get fixated on that, which is a problem."
The main takeaway? Use it as a resource. Not an end-all-be-all health guide. But as a resource, it's great—and I couldn't love it more. Below is a breakdown of my honest experience with the Galaxy Watch4.
- Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, CMPC, licensed clinical sport psychologist and co-owner of Texas Optimal Performance & Psychological Services
What it's like using the Samsung Galaxy Watch4
Fitness
The Galaxy Watch4 is a great companion to any workout, as you can use it to track what modality of workout you're doing, how long your workouts are, how many calories you burn (if you care!), and how your heart rate changes during your workout. I love that I can let it know what I'm doing, so the readings are more specific to the type of exercise I'm performing. It also has built-in running coaching to help you get the most out of your runs.
Beyond tracking, the watch allows you to do readings like body composition, VO2 Max, and electrocardiogram (ECG), to help you stay on top of your metrics between doctor's appointments. Navigating between these different options is pretty simple, and there are ample instructions to walk you through how to get the best readings.
Sleep tracking and coaching
If you want to know how well you're sleeping, the watch has sleep tracking that allows you to see when you fell asleep, how sound your sleep was, and how much sleep you got. If you're feeling tired and like you could get more sleep, the watch provides sleep coaching based on your own metrics. First, it collects seven days' worth of data and then assigns you one of eight sleep types. From there, you're guided through a four-to-five-week coaching program that includes missions, checklists, sleep-related articles, meditation guidance, and regular reports.
Phone capabilities
I love having a tiny extension of my phone on my wrist. I find this especially helpful when I'm out on a walk or exercising, and want to remain hands-free. To start, it allows you to stay on top of communication by allowing you to take calls on speaker from your watch. Next, it allows you to read and respond to texts, either by typing on the screen (with the help of swipe and-or predictive text) or doing voice-to-text. It's also connected to my Google calendar, allowing me to get alerts to upcoming meetings and events. I can use the watch to set timers, Shazam a song, manage Spotify, use a calculator, set alarms, and check the weather. My favorite capability is Samsung Pay. This allows me to have my credit cards stored on my watch and ready to tap when I'm checking out. This makes getting on the Subway or making a quick purchase so easy.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Watch4 worth it?
If you've been searching for a smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch4 is an amazing pick. The only downside is that it's currently only able to sync with android phones. All other versions of the Galaxy watches are iOS-compatible, but this one is not (yet). So if you have an iPhone, this probably isn't the pick for you. But, if you have an android, I think you'll love it as much as I do. It feels like I have so much available to me right on my wrist. It makes going on walks so nice, as I don't have to pull out my phone to change the song or check the weather. It just makes things feel easier.
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