Price
The Galaxy Watch 8 comes in 40mm or 44mm versions and starts at $349.99 for the smaller, Bluetooth-only version. The larger size costs an extra $30, and both sizes offer LTE connectivity for a $50 premium. The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic only comes in one 46mm size and costs $499.99 for the Bluetooth-only variant or $549.99 for a version equipped with LTE.
The Galaxy Watch 8 comes in two different sizes (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Both the Watch 8 and the Watch 8 Classic have two color options: graphite or silver for the Watch 8 and black or white for the Classic.
Winner: Galaxy Watch 8
Design
Aside from the price, the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Watch 8 Classic share a lot of similarities in specs and features. The main differentiator between the two is design.
The Watch 8 Classic encircles its screen with a notched bezel you can rotate to cycle through the interface, a beloved feature among Galaxy Watch fans that we last saw on the Watch 6 Classic. The Classic also features an inset bezel with number markings corresponding to the minutes in an hour, a design detail missing from the Watch 8, and it has an extra physical button that you can customize. Overall, the Classic looks more eye-catching than the base Watch 8.
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (Credit: Eric Zeman)
On the other hand, the Watch 8 has a much more streamlined design than the Classic, with a fixed bezel and a thinner case. The design is simple but pleasing, and the Watch 8’s thin body allows it to easily vanish under a sleeve.
Both the Watch 8 and the Classic feature a slightly squarish frame surrounding the circular watch face (a “cushion shape,” according to Samsung) and a dynamic lug system for watch bands, similar to the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Additionally, both are equally durable, with 5ATM of water resistance, an IP68 rating for water and dust protection, and a military grade MIL-STD-810H certification, meaning they can withstand extreme temperature changes, blowing sand, and other environmental stressors such as vibration and shock.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is thinner than the Galaxy Watch 7 (Credit: Eric Zeman)
Even on the design front, where they are the most different, the Watch 8 and the Watch 8 Classic have a lot in common. That said, the Classic’s chunky, functional bezel stands out and will strike a chord with longtime Galaxy Watch fans and anyone who likes the old-school look.
Winner: Galaxy Watch 8 Classic
Screen
The Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic screens can reach 3,000 nits of brightness, a 50% increase from the 2,000-nit cap of the Galaxy Watch 7. That means both new watches should be easier to see in bright sunlight than the previous generation.
Otherwise, the Watch 8 Classic screen matches the size and resolution of the smaller 40mm Watch 8 instead of the 44mm version, despite being 46mm itself. The 44mm Watch 8 has a 1.5-inch, 480-by-480-pixel Super AMOLED screen. Both the Watch 8 Classic and the 40mm Watch 8 have a 1.3-inch, 438-by-438-pixel screen. If you want the biggest screen of the bunch, the surprising choice is the 44mm Watch 8.
Winner: Galaxy Watch 8
Battery Life
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic crushes its more affordable sibling on battery life in our real-world tests.
The 40mm Watch 8 has a 325mAh battery, while the 44mm version has a 435mAh capacity. The Watch 8 Classic tops the trio with a 445mAh cell. Samsung says both Watch 8 series models offer roughly the same battery life, quoting 30 hours with the always-on display enabled and 40 hours without.
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However, given that the Watch 8 Classic has the biggest battery while matching the smaller Watch 8 in screen size, it ended up significantly outperforming the base model in practice. The Classic lasted 49 hours with the always-on display enabled, edging out the premium Galaxy Watch Ultra’s 46 hours in our testing and nearly doubling the Watch 8’s 26-hour result. Even with the always-on display disabled, the Classic still performed better, lasting 60 hours compared with 39 hours for the base model.
All models have more capacity than their respective predecessors.
Winner: Galaxy Watch 8 Classic
Power
All members of the Galaxy Watch 8 family have a five-core Exynos W1000 processor with 2GB of memory. The base Watch 8 has 32GB of storage, with 64GB on the Watch 8 Classic. They both come with Samsung’s One UI 8 interface on top of Google’s Wear OS 6 software installed at launch, and both platforms are one version ahead of what’s currently available on the Galaxy Watch 7.
Winner: Galaxy Watch 8 Classic
Fitness and Health
The Galaxy Watch 8 and the Watch 8 Classic match exactly in terms of health and fitness features, and in this category, they offer the biggest upgrades over the Galaxy Watch 7.
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The Watch 8 series can measure your antioxidant levels with a short test requiring you to place your finger on a sensor on the back of the watch. This feature is unique among smartwatches. Antioxidant tests typically require going to the doctor and having your blood drawn, so this is a much simpler and less invasive way to get that information. After measuring your antioxidant levels, the watch provides tips to improve your score.
Place your finger on the back of the Watch 8 for the antioxidant test (Credit: Eric Zeman)
The Watch 8 Series also measures your vascular load while you sleep to gauge your overall stress levels. It also has a built-in Sleep Coach to monitor your habits and help you find the best time to go to bed.
A Running Coach offers feedback as you go, similar to Apple’s Workout Buddy, which will launch as part of watchOS 26. The Watch 8 series also provides a 12-minute running test to gauge your current aptitude for the activity from 1 (beginner) to 10 (pro). It uses your running test results to build a specific workout plan, whether you’re just aiming for improved fitness or working toward a particular goal like running a marathon on a specific date.
These new features build on the Galaxy Watch line’s extensive list of activity, exercise, sleep, and stress tracking features. That includes FDA-approved sleep apnea monitoring, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) index tracking for a detailed picture of your metabolic health, and AI-powered holistic health insights, features that debuted last year on the Galaxy Watch 7.
Samsung smartwatches can also monitor blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, and sleep cycles and snoring. Similar to a smart scale, they can measure body fat and body composition. The Galaxy Watch 8 series carries these established features forward while offering even more wellness insights.
Winner: Tie
Lifestyle
Google’s Gemini AI on the Galaxy Watch 8 series allows for convenient AI voice assistance. Gemini can answer questions, send texts, and interact with Samsung apps like Calendar, Clock, Health, and Reminder, providing a new hands-free way to interact with the watch.
The Galaxy Watch 8 series offers access to the Google Play Store for third-party smartwatch app downloads. Samsung’s latest smartwatches also continue to support contactless payments. They can make calls, send texts, and do everything else you’d expect from a fully featured smartwatch.
Winner: Tie
