Samsung just gave Galaxy Watch owners a reason to upgrade

Samsung has revealed two new smartwatches – the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic – during its latest Galaxy Unpacked event, which took place in its own backyard of Seoul, South Korea for the first time. Samsung also revealed the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 during the same keynote.

If you’ve got an ageing Samsung smartwatch strapped to your wrist, the Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic offer a number of new benefits perks that could push you to upgrade. For our money, there are three brilliant new additions to these smartwatches compared to the previous generation.

First up, Samsung has slimmed the bezels to squeeze bigger screens – 20% larger, according to the official figures – into both of these watches without dramatically altering the footprint of these devices when on your wrist. Galaxy Watch 6 is available with either 40mm or 44mm screens, while the Watch 6 Classic is between 43mm and 47mm.

For the Galaxy Watch 6, Samsung has managed to shave 30% from the bezel compared to its predecessor, while the Watch 6 Classic enjoys a more modest 15% reduction because of the spinning bezels used to quickly scroll through menus with a satisfying twist.

As well as more screen real estate on your wrist, Samsung has increased the peak brightness on its new Galaxy Watch series – topping out at an impressive 2,000nits (matching the £849 Apple Watch Ultra and roughly twice what you’ll see on the £419 Apple Watch Series 8) which should mean the screen stays visible outdoors, even in direct sunlight in summer.

Samsung has increased the size of the battery inside the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic to support the bigger brighter displays, but we’ll need to spend some time with these smartwatches to assess the impact on battery life.

Lastly, Samsung has redesigned its proprietary quick-release clasp for straps on the latest generation of Galaxy Watch. Don’t worry – these tech-packed timepieces are still compatible with any standard 20mm or 22mm strap depending on your model. But if you’re using the Samsung-designed bands, these now use a button to detach from the watch, replacing the fiddly toggle found on earlier models.

If you need to quickly switch straps (handy if you want to ditch a soggy strap after a swim, smarten the timepiece for a formal occasion, or colour-match to your outfit) the process is much easier and faster on the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic, Samsung says.

There is a slew of other improvements to the new smartwatches, including support for Samsung Wallet (which replaces Samsung Pay) to bring boarding passes and loyalty cards to your wrist for the first time, warnings if you’ve had an elevated heart-rate while stationary for more than 10-minutes, a clever skin temperature sensor, and enhanced sleep coaching that puts sleep insights into action with tailored instructions, tips, and reminders.

The Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic are available for preorder today, with the first smartwatches set to arrive on store shelves from August 11, 2023.

Prices start from £289 for the Bluetooth-only Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm), with a £50 premium to add support for 4G to make and receive calls when your phone isn’t nearby. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic tops-out at £459 for 4G-compatible model with a 47mm screen.

Preorder the latest generation of Galaxy Watch and you’ll find a £75 gift voucher for the Google Play Store included as a freebie.