After two years of waiting, Samsung has finally brought back the Classic lineup, and Malaysian smartwatch enthusiasts couldn't be more excited.
At RM1,799 (Bluetooth), the Galaxy Watch8 Classic isn't just another smartwatch – it's Samsung's answer to those who've been missing that iconic rotating bezel experience while wanting cutting-edge health tracking.
Here's our review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic.
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic Full Specifications
- Display: 1.34-inch (438x438) Super AMOLED, Full Color Always On Display
- Processor: Samsung Exynos W1000 (5 core, 3nm)
- Operating System & UI: One UI 8 Watch, Wear OS 6 powered by Samsung, Google Gemini built-in
- Memory: 2GB RAM + 64GB ROM
- Battery: 445mAh, Fast Charging (WPC-based wireless charging)
- Built: Sapphire crystal (display), 5ATM + IP68
- Connectivity: LTE 6 , Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 2.4+5GHz, NFC, L1+L5 Dual-Frequency GPS
- Compatibility: Android 12.0 or higher and with more than 1.5GB of memory
- Dimensions: 46.4mm x 46mm x 10.6t (63.5g)
- Sensors:
- Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Bio-signal Sensor + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis)
- Temperature Sensor
- Accelerometer
- Barometer
- Gyro Sensor
- Geomagnetic Sensor
- Light Sensor
- 3D Hall sensor
Design and Display
Galaxy Watch8 Classic comes only in one size— 46mm, and either in classic Black or White. Although it looks bulky at a glance, the watch feels lightweight and comfortable to wear.
On the Galaxy Watch8 Classic is a 1.34″ display and comes with Sapphire crystal protection, maintaining Samsung's premium build quality standards. The watch is MIL-STD-810H compliant, meaning it meets military-grade durability standards for shock, vibration, and environmental resistance.
One of the nicest feature the Galaxy Watch8 classic has over the regular model it its iconic physical rotating bezel, which you can use to maneuver through apps and settings with a simple turn, either clockwise or anticlockwise. And this was a missing feature on the previous Watch7 series. So if you had loved the rotating and functioning bezel, you may want to upgrade to this series.
Samsung has also designed the Watch8 series, including the classic, to be 11% slimmer than the Watch7 series. Despite the slimness, the Watch8 classic remains comfortable to wear, as it includes an improved Dynamic Lug System that ensures the watch hugs the wrist snugly, reducing gaps and improving the fit with better sensor accuracy and comfort.
Performance & Battery
In this generation, the Galaxy Watch8 Classic brings with it an updated Bioactive sensor with more advanced tracking. It's also now powered by a 3nm Exynos W1000 chipset that offers bigger performance and battery capabilities—now with 8% larger battery—while remaining a small size.
Sleep & health tracking
Introduced in the Watch8 models is a world-first Antioxidant Index, which measures carotenoids in your skin in just five seconds. By placing your thumb on the sensor, the watch will let you know if you've had adequate or inadequate levels of an antioxidants.
While this seems like a non-necessary feature to use, Samsung's decision to include this sensor is likely thanks to Samsung's increasing social efforts into the health segment. In Malaysia itself, .
Other than that, you can expect the typical vitals measure features, such as Vascular Load metric that assesses overnight body stress and heart recovery. Plus, it also offers a comprehensive view of your daily energy levels. The watches also offer a Bedtime Guidance that suggests your ideal bedtime based on your sleep patterns in the last three days. Samsung has also improved its Running Coach that provides better analysis, real-time feedback, and personalised coaching after a 12-minute test run.
Battery life
This time around, you'll get a 445mAh battery, which is an increase from 425mAh on the Watch6 Classic. Charging is done via a 10W wireless charger pad, and takes about an hour and a half to fully charge the Galaxy Watch8 Classic. On average, we experience at least 2 days of battery under circumstance we deemed normal, which includes turning off "always on display" feature, a 30-minutes fitness tracking per day and checking notifications.
Others
Both the Galaxy Watch8 and Galaxy Watch8 Classic are the first smartwatches to run Google Wear OS 6 and One UI 8 Watch out of the box. Wear OS 6 brings with it better customisation and AI assistance support, as well as better battery optimisation.
The Watch8 Classic is also 50% brighter at 3,000 nits peak than the previous model. The Watch8 Classic also has a better dual GPS precise tracking feature according to Samsung.
What We Liked
Design
Both the software and hardware aspects are deserving of praise. Unlike the Galaxy Watch7 series, the Watch8 Classic now features a functioning, rotating bezel that lets you navigate the menu, adding a touch of sophistication to the watch's aesthetics. Its UI functionalities and experience also feels smooth and responsive instantly. This is likely all thanks to its new CPU and OS update that works in tandem with AI to deliver a user-firnedly experience.
Lightweight
Although bulky, I have to give it to Watch8 Classic for feeling quite lightweight. Yes, it's slimmer, and is still just as bulky for small wrists, but at times the weight did not bother me. Unless you're moving a lot in your sleep, you'll not feel much weight during the night.
Fit
Not forgetting, the watch hardly slipped off my thin wrists, and that analysis were much quicker than on the Galaxy Watch7 series, so the Dynamic Lug System seems to be working well despite its bulky design.
Storage
For those who are anxious about storage on their watch, the Galaxy Watch8 Classic now comes with double the storage at 64GB than previous generation with only 32GB. This means you can enjoy a bigger music library (or so) without needing to clear your data immaturely.
What We Disliked
Size
This is a real concern. The Classic models have always come only in bigger sizes above 44mm. With how long Samsung has been producing the Classic models, it was a tad disappointing to see that there's no smaller Classic model in this generation. For the sake of aesthetics and for a larger user adoption base, having a smaller 40mm Galaxy Classic watch would have attracted a new wave of users—like me— that prefer a dainty watch to go with their dainty hands.
Who is this for?
In short, the Galaxy Watch8 Classic definitely felt just as premium as the previous generations. With a bit of a boost in battery, bigger storage, new vitals tracker (antioxidant) as well as having the rotating bezel; these specifications are already good reasons to upgrade even from the Watch6 Classic back from 2023.
All in all, if you're someone who values that tactile rotating bezel experience and wants the absolute best health tracking Samsung offers, this watch deserves serious consideration. However, if you're budget-conscious or new to smartwatches, starting with the regular Galaxy Watch8 might be the smarter financial move.
Interested? Check out the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Classic here. Stay updated with ProductNation on here, Instagram & TikTok as well.
More related recommendations: