Do you even antioxidant bruh? Samsung’s latest smartwatch can help answer that question and provide receipts, should you need it. The Galaxy Watch 8 series, which the company unveiled at its Unpacked event today, comes with a new test that uses existing optical sensors to gauge the level of antioxidants in your body. That’s present in both the standard Watch 8 as well as the new Watch 8 Classic, which comes with the rotating bezel that has historically been popular with Samsung smartwatch fans.
The Watch 8 is also what Samsung calls “the thinnest Watch 8 ever,” which I think is supposed to mean it’s the slimmest Galaxy Watch to date. Despite the smaller profile, the Watch 8 also has bigger batteries, a new “dynamic lug system” for its bands, as well as other hardware tweaks like a brighter screen and a possibly polarizing “cushion design.”
Gemini comes to the Galaxy Watch 8 series
The Galaxy Watch 8 series is the first to launch with Wear OS 6 out of the box. With that, it’s also getting support for Google’s Gemini AI assistant. Theoretically, this means Gemini can do on the Watch 8 what it can on your phone. But at the large, busy demo area where I checked out the new watches this week, the Gemini integration was laggy at best.
Using the prompt suggested by Samsung’s reps. I asked Gemini to tell me “two cool things to do in New York City.” There was a noticeable multi-second pause before the Watch 8 Classic I was testing registered the request and showed the words on its screen. It then took another second or so for the answer to be displayed (we have a video of this sluggishness, check it out below).
To its credit, Gemini’s answers were fairly accurate, depending on your definition of “cool.” For example, it recommended the High Line park and an observation deck at Top of the Rock as candidates. But when Samsung reps and I followed up with “Add that to Samsung Notes” or “Add that to Google Tasks,” both of which are apps the assistant is supposed to be able to interact with, the system never completed either action. On one attempt, Gemini said I would first need to connect Google Workspace to the device, while on another try I got a more general error message.
It’s most likely the demo units were either failing due to spotty Wi-Fi or not set up for certain apps, and we’ll need to properly test Gemini on a review unit in the real world to see how responsive and effective it actually is.
Preview of the new antioxidant test on the Galaxy Watch 8
Of all the new features coming to the Galaxy Watch 8 series, I was most intrigued by the antioxidant test. It doesn’t require specialized hardware and uses what appear to be the same optical sensors that were on previous Galaxy watches. You do need to remove the watch from your wrist and place your thumb on the heart rate scanner on the underside, though, so this is definitely a test that can’t passively track data in the background.
Samsung says this should help you “gain insight into the accumulated antioxidants in your skin,” and you’ll receive recommendations on how to improve your score and tips on adopting healthier habits. The company said this uses its “bioactive sensor” to measure carotenoid levels so you can “make informed lifestyle choices,” and cautions in fine print that this isn’t intended for medical use. My ears twitched at the mention of “antioxidants,” which I assume is the effect Samsung was hoping for. They’re nutrients like Vitamin C and Vitamin E, and are generally considered to be good for health.
I was frankly shocked and borderline offended to find out that in all three tests I ran on a demo unit of the Watch 8 Classic, my antioxidant index number was “very low.” I scored 38, 41 and 39 on a scale of one to 100.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
To run the test, you have to open the Samsung Health app on the watch and scroll all the way to the third tile from the bottom to launch it. From there, you just have to tap the “Measure” button, swipe through three pages of guidance and then flip the watch around to put your thumb on it.
As the Watch suggested, I made sure my thumb covered the entire sensor and felt a quick vibration quickly after. I continued to hold my finger in place until the device buzzed more aggressively, which was a cue that the reading was complete. The process, after I placed my thumb on the sensor, took only about five seconds. I did find that my score jumped from 38 to 41 when I made sure to leave my finger firmly on the scanner for the full five seconds.
You can see your result on the Watch 8 (and this test requires a Watch 8 to work, which is possibly sad news for those who have older Galaxy watches). The Samsung Health on your phone can provide more information, and I noticed that the Z Flip 7 my Watch 8 unit was connected to was responding in tandem when I started a test. A small panel popped up on the phone’s screen, and the results appeared on both devices at the same time.
Over on the phone, I tapped various parts of the screen to find more details on my performance, but nothing responded until I tried the small info icon to the top right of my score. This brought up a page with paragraphs of information titled “About antioxidant index.” It explained what “free radicals and oxidative stress” were, saying the harmful unstable molecules were exacerbated by “unhealthy lifestyle habits” like smoking, heavy drinking, overeating and stress.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
It also included the World Health Organization’s recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables, as well as a table explaining all the possible ranges of results on Samsung’s Antioxidant Index. The company said these numbers are based on analysis of “clinical trials at Samsung Seoul Hospital.”
Surprisingly, the highest level is simply “Adequate” while those with levels below 75 get assigned “Low” (74 to 50) or “Very Low” (below 50). A footnote clarifies that “the above criteria may be adjusted based on future clinical results,” and this index doesn’t appear to be a scale used in non-Samsung medical settings.
I’m not sure if my low number is the result of a lack of antioxidants or a high level of stress, but it’s certainly motivated me to eat more vegetables (I already consume a fair amount of fruit). I’ll need more time with a review unit to see if changes to my diet will make any difference and whether the feature actually is effective at motivating longterm consistent lifestyle change.
What else is new on the Galaxy Watch 8 series?
I’ll also have to spend more than an hour with the Watch 8 series to know how I feel about the updated interface, but my early impressions are positive. This was my first interaction with Wear OS 6, and while I’m not sure how much of the tweaks are exclusive to Samsung’s One UI overlay, I have to say the seemingly larger tiles and rearrangement of how information is displayed made the screen feel roomier. One thing I can say is certainly a Samsung tweak is the Now Bar, which sat at the bottom of the home screen. I didn’t interact with it much during my time with the demo unit, but so far it seems to display too little information at a glance to be very helpful.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
New design and lug system
Most of the other updates I was able to check out at the hands-on event were related to the hardware. I have to admit I wasn’t a fan of the so-called “cushion design” when I saw pictures of the Watch 8, which basically looks like a round screen encased in an aluminum squircle (squarish circle or round square?). The same goes for the Watch 8 Classic, except that its rotating bezel is large enough to hide some of the metallic case around the watch face, and it has markings in the bezel to denote time.
In person, I didn’t mind the new look as much, and was actually quite taken by the Watch 8’s thinness. At 8.6mm thick, this model is 11 percent slimmer than the Watch 7. Plus, Samsung says it improved the strap’s angle using a “dynamic lug system,” which makes it easier to swap out different bands and minimizes the gap between the watch and your wrist. Altogether, the company says these changes result in “11 percent more accurate heart rate tracking.”
Do I think the idea makes sense in theory? Yes. Do I also find the multiple occurrences of “11 percent” suspicious? Extremely so. I’ll grant that coincidences can happen, and numbers like 11 percent don’t really mean anything, so I won’t get too skeptical about that right now. I will say it’s also very convenient (and weird) that Samsung said in a briefing that the improved “pressure uniformity” makes for a 12 percent increase in comfort, as if that’s something you can quantify.
Now, the button to release the watch straps is on the case itself rather than the bands, which gives me a firmer backing to push against. But I could see it being an adjustment for those who have gotten used to pushing down on the strap and pulling away. You’ll have to buy new bands if you’re upgrading to the Watch 8 or Watch 8 Classic, though, since the system won’t be compatible with older straps or devices. That’s mildly annoying, especially when you consider that companies like Apple and Google generally make their bands compatible with new and old models.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Watch 8 Classic’s rotating bezel and other hardware tweaks
I also want to shout out the Watch 8 Classic’s rotating bezel, which looks more like a toothed gear than that on the Watch 6 Classic. When I tried spinning it to scroll through apps on the new Classic and its predecessor (there wasn’t a Watch 7 Classic), I found the later model slightly stiffer, but it wasn’t sluggish or difficult to use. I remain a fan of the mechanical bezel as a way to interact with Wear OS.
I’ll run through a few quick hardware specs for the Watch 8: it comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes. These will have batteries that are 325mAh and 435mAh respectively, representing an 8 percent increase over the previous generation. Both versions of the Watch 8 have displays that are 50 percent brighter than before, up to 3,000 nits. The same goes for the Watch 8 Classic, which is only available in a 46mm model and has a 445mAh battery. Finally, across the lineup, the devices have what Samsung says is a durable Armor Aluminum 2 frame, and are rated 5ATM and IP68 for water (and dust) resistance, as well as MIL-STD-810H.
Software, fitness and health updates I didn’t get to test
I didn’t get to test some other new software features coming to the Watch 8 series, including vascular load insights, running guidance and bedtime suggestions. Vascular load requires you wear the watch overnight and it tracks your heart health while you sleep. Samsung says it will provide insight into your sleep, exercise and stress, and make suggestions for bringing down your vascular load
Meanwhile, after you’ve worn the watch for at least two nights in a row, the Watch 8 can recommend an ideal bedtime, based on sleep and activity patterns. According to Samsung, prompts to get ready for bed will be delivered on the watch about two hours prior to the suggested window, so you’ll have ample time to wind down.
Of course, I didn’t spend that much time with the demo units, so I can’t say how accurate or effective they are. I also didn’t use the Watch 8 enough to check out the running guidance feature, but it sounds similar to existing versions across the smartwatch ecosystem. In fact, based on Samsung’s description, it’s most reminiscent of the Workout Buddy that Apple recently announced for watchOS 26. Both will offer motivational messages, insights and real-time feedback during your workout. Apple’s does support more types of exercises, though, including biking, strength training and HIIT. It’s also unclear whether Samsung’s version will analyze your past workouts for the insights it delivers.
After years of incremental updates, it’s nice to see a fairly significant set of changes coming to the Galaxy Watch series. As usual, I recommend waiting till we’re able to review these in the real world before spending your money, but if you’ve already decided to get one, you won’t have long to wait. The Watch 8 will start at $349.99 and $379.99 for the 40mm and 44mm (Wi-Fi only) models, while the Watch 8 Classic will cost $499.99 and $549.99 for the Wi-Fi and LTE versions respectively. All are available for pre-order today and will retail more broadly on July 25.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/samsung-galaxy-watch-8-hands-on-new-look-new-ai-and-new-antioxidants-140039472.html?src=rss
