Samsung Galaxy Watch6 44mm LTE Smartwatch in review - Now with exceptional brightness

The Galaxy Watch6 is equipped with both speakers and microphones, making it capable of handling phone calls. In the LTE version, calls can be made even without a paired smartphone when the SIM card is activated.

Through the phone app, users can dial a number using the numeric keypad. Additionally, the smartwatch provides access to the entire phone book of the paired smartphone or the contacts saved in the Google account. The software also displays a call list.

The Watch6 excels in phone quality, reproducing the voice of the other party clearly and without background noise. However, the smartwatch's speaker could be a bit louder. Call quality remains consistent, whether using the internal eSIM or connecting via a paired smartphone.

Notifications pose no issues; the Samsung smartwatch reliably displays all incoming notifications categorized by app. Emojis and pictures are also shown on the Galaxy Watch6. The response options are extensive, including predefined quick answers, emojis, voice input, or a full-fledged keyboard. Despite the small display size, entering responses is smooth and trouble-free.

Thanks to WearOS, the Galaxy Watch6 includes an independent WhatsApp app. This allows users to receive and send voice messages, and it can also be used to compose new messages instead of just replying.

In the LTE version, the watch features an eSIM. The setup is primarily designed for multi-SIM. If a multi-SIM matching the SIM card in the paired smartphone is used, there are no issues. However, if a standalone SIM is to be set up in the smartwatch, constant error messages are displayed, indicating that the setup cannot be completed. Despite these error messages, the card functions properly during testing, allowing the smartwatch to make calls and receive data without a smartphone connection.

The collected fitness data is consolidated within the Samsung Health app, where the Galaxy Watch6 automatically uploads the information after setup. The app is categorized into sections: Home, Community, Fitness, and Profile. The Home section functions as a dashboard, providing an overview of daily activity, workouts, food consumption, sleep patterns, pulse rate, stress levels, body composition, period tracker, water intake, and blood oxygen levels. Users are required to manually input data regarding food and water. 

The tiles on the screen can be rearranged or removed as needed. Pressing a specific area opens the corresponding submenu. Synchronization with Google Fit is possible via Google Health Connect.

In the Community section, users can compare their training results with those of their friends. The Fitness section offers a wide range of video workouts, encompassing activities from mindfulness exercises and muscle building to endurance and running training. These offerings include content not only from Samsung but also from external providers like Blesslife, Keep, 300FIT, and others.

Within the Profile section, the app displays earned badges and provides a weekly summary of the average time spent on physical activity and sleep.

The smartwatch represents daily activity goals using circles, or more specifically, hearts. Samsung uses different colored hearts to represent daily steps, active time, and "activity calories." This display is available both in the Health app and directly on the watch. Both platforms also provide information about the distance covered and the total calories burned. Moreover, activities can be categorized and assigned to specific times of the day using a timeline.

For a more detailed analysis of steps taken, the app provides comprehensive information, including steps, distance covered, calories burned, and floors climbed. Users can also compare their average number of steps with other users as well as those in their own age group.

The Health app and the smartwatch, monitor the user's stress level and stress states throughout the day. Samsung uses a color scheme, ranging from green to yellow and orange to red, instead of a numerical scale. The software provides an hourly summary of stress levels. To help reduce stress, the watch suggests breathing exercises. VO2max data is displayed only after completed workouts.

The Galaxy Watch6 offers pulse, blood oxygen saturation, ECG, and blood pressure measurements. However, Samsung imposes some limitations; ECG and blood pressure readings are only available when the smartwatch is paired with a Samsung device. Unlike the Huawei Watch D, the Galaxy Watch6 cannot measure blood pressure independently and requires regular calibration with a dedicated blood pressure monitor.

To assess the accuracy of the Galaxy Watch6 readings, we compared them with data from reference devices. For pulse measurements, we used a Polar H10 chest strap during a bike ride.

Regarding resting pulse, the deviation between devices was three beats per minute or 5.17 percent. We measured performance pulse at different times, with an average deviation of 1.21 percent. In each case, the smartwatch displayed higher values than the chest strap.

A Braun pulse oximeter 1 served as the reference device for blood oxygen saturation measurements. After three readings, the average deviation was 3.06 percent. The watch's readings fluctuated significantly more than those of the reference device, consistently showing lower values.

For blood pressure measurements, we used a Braun ExacFit 5 Connect as the reference device. The average deviation for systolic values was 2.84 percent, and for diastolic values, it was 1.21 percent over three measurements.

In summary, the Samsung Smartwatch provides useful health monitoring results. However, there are other smartwatches, such as the Huawei Watch D, that offer more precise measurements of pulse and blood oxygen saturation.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 provides detailed sleep-tracking capabilities. The software offers a total sleep duration as well as individual sleep phase timings, distinguishing between REM sleep, light sleep, and deep sleep. Waking phases are accurately recognized, and these phases are graphically represented on a timeline.

Additionally, the Smartwatch can record skin temperature during sleep if desired. However, during the test, measuring blood oxygen levels at night was unsuccessful. The smartphone app includes additional parameters such as a weekly overview of nights slept through and a count of sleep cycles.

The app also provides estimated values for physical and mental recovery, expressed as a percentage. Total sleep quality is assessed with points ranging from 0 to 100. These values can be compared across weeks, months, and years.

The software allows users to create sleep logs and can even detect snoring if the smartphone remains paired and active. Samsung offers sleep coaching based on the user's sleep data. However, features like recording breathing during sleep (available in the Huawei Watch 4 Pro) and a smart alarm clock that considers sleep phases are absent in the Galaxy Watch6.

The Galaxy Watch6 offers diverse training records, capable of tracking 90 different types of sports. Users can set specific goals for each sport, such as duration, calorie consumption, or sets. Moreover, the training screen, displaying workout metrics, can be customized for individual sports. For certain activities like jogging, users can define a target heart rate window to optimize peak performance or facilitate optimal fat burning. 

With its integrated satellite connection, the Smartwatch can record routes even without a smartphone, and saved routes can be revisited and completed during future training sessions. Depending on the sport type, the Galaxy Watch6 displays various fitness metrics. For walking, it shows steps taken, distance covered, and calories burned. Furthermore, it provides statistics on speed and pulse rate, with heart rate data being associated with specific phases of the activity.

The automatic training recognition feature is impressively efficient. The Watch6 promptly identifies activities like walking, running, and cycling, initiating data collection upon request. Movement is swiftly recognized without any delays. The smartwatch also adeptly detects pauses and resumes tracking after a break, ensuring seamless data capture. However, it's worth noting that automatic recording gathers less data compared to manually starting a training session.