Unlike last year’s Galaxy Watch5, this year’s Watch6 Classic brings back the fabulous clickable rotating bezel (7/10, WIRED recommends). It’s fun and tactile and not a feature you’ll find on many other smartwatches and fitness trackers. Other than that, it doesn’t look or feel much different from the Watch5, which is good. The Watch6 Classic comes in a 43 or 47mm case, and the standard Watch6, which does not have a mechanical rotating bezel, is available in 40 and 44mm cases.
The Watch6 runs Wear OS, which means it has access to Google Maps and Google Assistant, and it also has access to Samsung’s pretty robust health features. In addition to the usual set of SpO2 measurements, automatic workout detection and sleep tracking, now features FDA-approved irregular heart rate notifications and blood pressure monitoring (the latter is not available in the US or approved by the FDA). Some features are also restricted to users who pair the watch with Samsung phones, rather than other Android phones, such as ECG. If you prioritize design, you might want to stick with a Pixel Watch; If you don’t have a Samsung phone, you might want to stick with a Garmin. All that said, it’s a pretty capable watch with a fun party trick.
★ Alternative: Stick with a Garmin, you say? Garmin’s entry in this category is the Place 3 ($460), which has a stainless steel bezel, Corning Gorilla Glass for the lens, and an incredible two weeks of battery life. It has Garmin’s multi-band satellite capabilities for workout tracking, along with Garmin’s excellent proprietary health software, which now includes a new sleep coach with nap detection, along with Morning Report and Body Battery. However, it’s expensive, has no temperature sensor, and the built-in microphone and speakers sound pretty terrible.