Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 LTE (44 mm) review - Samsung smartwatch makes a giant leap in performance

To set up the Galaxy Watch7, the Wear app from Samsung must be installed on the smartphone. This requires Android version 11 or higher and Google Mobile Services, i.e. a connection to an Apple iPhone 16 Plus including iOS is not possible. However, this also means that Huawei devices are not compatible. Similar to the Apple cosmos - in this case from the Android range - tablets cannot be used with the Watch7. In our opinion, this is an unnecessary restriction. As a companion cell phone in the test, we used a Galaxy S24 Ultra which immediately displayed the Samsung Watch. Setting up the Watch7 is then very simple.

It can be linked to a Samsung and/or Google account. By logging in with a Samsung account, additional functions such as locating the smartwatch and creating backups can be used. Unfortunately, some health functions appear to be exclusive to owners of Samsung phones; this includes fall detection, ECG measurement and blood pressure measurement.

The Galaxy smartwatch also has a skin temperature sensor and a BIA sensor, which can not only determine the body's fat and muscle percentage, but also glycation end products (AGEs). The AGEs index is intended to provide users with information on how changes in diet and lifestyle affect their body. The determined heart rate and SpO2 values should also be more precise than with the predecessor. A new feature is sleep apnoea detection, which is expected to be available via a software update from Q2 2025 via an update to the Galaxy watch. According to Samsung, the function is currently in the testing and certification phase. The irregular heart rhythm notification (IHRN), which indicates atrial fibrillation (AFib), will also be added later (Q4 2024).

The Wear app offers many options for customizing the Watch7 to your personal preferences. This includes quick access to a variety of watch faces and the arrangement of menu items (QuickPanel), widgets and apps can also be customized. The user can also specify which app is to be provided with notifications and whether the Samsung Wallet payment service or an eSIM (for the LTE version) should be stored. Basic functions such as vibration strength, brightness or the always-on display can also be set directly on the Galaxy smartwatch.

In our test sample, the Watch7 is operated via the 1.5-inch touchscreen and two buttons on the frame. The orange-accented home button takes you back to the watch interface with a single press, but also supports double taps and long presses. Any app can be assigned with a double press. The long press of the home button, on the other hand, is somewhat more limited and can be used for the voice assistants or the switch-off menu. The lower button can also only be customized to a limited extent. Either a step back is performed when it is pressed or the overview of open apps is opened.

The data collected by the Galaxy Watch7 is not recorded in the Wear app; the Samsung Health app must be downloaded from the PlayStore for this purpose. The data for steps, heart rate, sleep values, training, ECG and blood pressure as well as the composition of the body in terms of muscle mass, fat and water are collected in the application's start menu.

It is a pity that the permanently recorded values for pulse and blood oxygen at night are only displayed in a fluctuation range. The export is also restricted to this very limited bundling of data. As a result, the development of the pulse values for a day/night can hardly be evaluated. In the case of blood oxygen at night, the lack of an export option also makes it difficult to read erroneous measurements, which makes evaluation much more difficult.

Activity targets, such as steps, time in motion and calories burned, are displayed in a heart graph. The target values can be adjusted as desired in the Health app. The Watch7 can also measure stress levels and AEGs.

There is a choice of over 100 different workouts and various exercises with workout routines, such as swimming, cycling or running. A new "Multisport" exercise tracks triathlon training across all sections of the course. In addition, the Galaxy Watch now measures maximum performance during cycling using the new FTP (Functional Threshold Power) function with Galaxy AI-supported metrics.

Finally, we took a look at the heart rate data. In order to be able to classify the measured values of the Galaxy Watch7, we compared them with the Polar H10 chest strap as a reference device. We measured the heart rate during a bike ride. Here, the deviations are around five beats per minute or 0.1 percent (n=3). At rest, the value of the Galaxy watch is significantly closer to our reference (value: 71 beats per minute, Polar H10: 70 beats per minute).

In our opinion, the sleep tracking of the Galaxy Watch7 is quite plausible and comprehensive. Waking times are reliably recognized and the duration of sleep corresponds to personal perception. Sleep is divided into different sleep phases, with a distinction made between REM sleep, light sleep and deep sleep. Total sleep is also rated with points between 0 and 100.

If desired, the smartwatch can also record skin temperature and blood oxygen during the night, which are made available in a diagram. However, it is not possible to export this data. In our test, the blood oxygen values fluctuated greatly in a range between 100 and 71 percent.

In the LTE version that we tested, the satellite connection is established for a training route even without a smartphone connection. Depending on the type of sport, the Galaxy Watch7 displays different measurement and fitness values. When hiking, for example, steps, distance, calories burned, speed and heart rate are displayed. The heart rate is also divided into individual heart rate zones .

For some sports, the Galaxy watch also has automatic training recognition. For example, the Watch7 reliably recognizes running and cycling after a few minutes and starts the workout and data recording on request.