Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 review: New Galaxy smartwatch delivers a huge performance leap

Unlike with smartphones and tablets, Samsung does not provide any information on the carbon footprint of its smartwatches or details about the materials used and their recyclability.

To set up and manage the Galaxy smartwatch, you need the Galaxy Wearable app from the Play Store. In our test, the Galaxy Watch9 was recognized by our Galaxy S25 Ultra immediately after it was turned on. The entire setup process is handled through the companion smartphone. 

The Galaxy Wearable app features a well-structured, easy-to-navigate dashboard with shortcuts to all important settings. This is certainly a matter of taste, but we find the app visually appealing and intuitive. Tiles and the quick menu can be customized. Samsung also provides a very large selection of free watch faces, many of which offer extensive customization options. Owners of the LTE version can also set up their eSIM here.

Some settings, such as notifications, display options, and gestures, can be configured either through the smartphone app or directly on the smartwatch.

All health and fitness data is recorded in Samsung Health. The app provides a wealth of information on measured data such as heart rate and sleep. The Fitness section also offers numerous workout options, ranging from yoga to strength training. However, some content comes from third-party providers and requires payment.

The Galaxy Watch9 is operated via an OLED display—in our case, a 1.5-inch panel—and two buttons. The digital bezel detects movements along the edge of the display, allowing users to scroll through menus.

Navigation is primarily handled through swipe gestures. Swiping from the left opens the notification center, while swiping from the right brings up the customizable information tiles. Swiping down from the top opens the quick settings menu, while swiping up from the bottom opens the app overview.

There are also two buttons on the right side of the case. The Home button returns to the watch face, opens the most recently used app with a double press, and launches the voice assistant with a long press. The Back button goes back one step or, by default, opens Samsung Wallet with a long press.

The smartwatch also supports a double-tap gesture with the thumb and index finger. Its function depends on the context and can be used, for example, to control music playback or end a call. In our testing, gesture recognition worked reliably.

The Galaxy Watch9 features a speaker and microphone, allowing calls to be made directly from the Samsung smartwatch. In our testing, call quality was convincing, with sufficient volume and clear voice reproduction—our call partners even praised the audio quality. For short calls, the Watch9 is therefore a useful alternative to a paired smartphone.

The Phone app provides access to contacts, call logs, and a keypad for manual dialing. Notifications, including emojis, are displayed reliably. However, images are not always shown on the smartwatch, and replies via quick responses, voice input, or the reasonably usable keyboard are only supported by certain apps. For example, emails are displayed without image attachments by default. After installing the Gmail app, however, emails from a Google account can also include photos and reply options.

WhatsApp is available as a standalone app, allowing chats to be started directly from the watch.

The data collected by the Galaxy Watch9 is processed in the Samsung Health app. The home screen provides an overview of health metrics such as steps, sleep data, body composition—including muscle mass, fat, and water—as well as vital and activity data.

Continuously recorded heart rate and nighttime blood oxygen readings are displayed only as a range. This makes it more difficult to analyze heart rate trends over the course of the day and night. Measurement errors, such as inaccurate nighttime blood oxygen readings caused by the smartwatch shifting on the wrist, are therefore difficult to identify.

Samsung visualizes progress toward activity goals using its familiar heart-shaped chart, which fills up as progress is made. The colors represent steps, active time, and calories burned. The Health app also displays additional details, such as workout highlights.

In addition to health data, the Health app offers breathing and mindfulness exercises as well as various “coaches,” for example for sleep and running. The latter is also intended to benefit from Galaxy AI, with recorded data being used to create personalized workouts.

In addition to heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, the Galaxy Watch9 can also measure ECG and blood pressure. However, these features require a Samsung smartphone and the Samsung Health Monitor app; otherwise, ECG and blood pressure measurements are unavailable.

Since blood pressure is determined optically and is therefore an estimate, the Galaxy Watch9 must be calibrated with a blood pressure monitor at least once every four weeks. As a result, the absolute readings are only as reliable as the accuracy of the cuff-based blood pressure measurement used for calibration. For users who want to measure blood pressure with a smartwatch, we recommend our review of the Huawei Watch D3.

For comparison, we used a Braun ExacFit 5 Connect as our reference device. It is certified for a deviation of ±3 mmHg. Based on the average of three measurements, the systolic reading showed a deviation of 1.1%, while the diastolic reading deviated by an average of 0.4%. There was no clear tendency toward either overestimation or underestimation. However, you can read this article to learn more about the limitations of smartwatch testing.

For blood oxygen saturation measurements, we used a Braun Pulse Oximeter 1 as our reference device. Across our three measurements, the average deviation was 0.7%, with the Watch9 differing from the pulse oximeter in only one measurement, by -2%.

Finally, we took a closer look at the heart rate data. To better assess the measurements, we compared the data recorded by the Samsung smartwatch with readings from a Polar H10 chest strap.

We measured exercise heart rate during a bike ride. The average deviation was 4.3 beats per minute, or 1.5% (n=3). At rest, the readings were identical.

As with its predecessor, sleep tracking on the Galaxy Watch9 is quite comprehensive. It records sleep duration as well as light, deep, and REM sleep stages. Even brief periods of wakefulness were reliably detected in our test. However, the recorded sleep start and end times are not always accurate.

To assess sleep quality, Samsung assigns a sleep score from 0 to 100, which is also compared with those of users in the same age group. The assessment takes into account sleep duration, physical and mental recovery, rest periods, and sleep cycles.

If enabled by the user, the smartwatch also measures blood oxygen saturation, skin temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate during sleep. Snore detection is also available, but it requires a paired smartphone to be placed near the bed at night. Samsung smartphone owners can also use the Monitor app to monitor possible sleep apnea.

With the update to the new One UI 9.0 Watch, the recorded measurements are now combined after waking and evaluated as part of a vital-signs analysis. If significant deviations are detected, the Watch9 issues a notification to help users better recognize changes in their well-being.

The Watch9 supports tracking for more than 100 different workouts and sports, along with the familiar automatic detection of core activities such as walking, running, cycling, and elliptical training. In our test, the first two activities were detected quite reliably and recognized on the smartwatch after 10 minutes.

A new feature is the Fitness Index, which is intended to help users better track their training progress. To do this, the Watch9 analyzes heart rate, maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂max), and daily step count. Based on this data, it identifies areas for improvement and sets personalized goals.

The Samsung smartwatch is very well suited for navigation. Google Maps and Komoot run directly on the Galaxy Watch9, which supports all major satellite systems, including dual-band GPS. Compared with a Garmin Venu 2, the route from our bike ride was recorded very accurately overall. Minor inaccuracies were sometimes visible on the Samsung Watch and sometimes on the Venu 2.

Routes recorded during manually started workouts can subsequently be exported as GPX files.