Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: unboxing and setup with Wear OS

I unboxed the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and set it up right away. I was especially looking forward to the new features, above all Wear OS and the new sensors. As always, I bought the watch myself, so this is not an ad. This is a first impression.

Unboxing and what’’s in the box

I configured the watch myself on the Samsung website: the case and a different strap. That is why it came in plain packaging. I don’’t find it quite as nice as the original packaging.

In the box you get:

• a quick start guide in several languages
• a warranty card
• the charger. It looks like the one for the predecessor. I will still try it out, but the fact that it is included is already a big plus.

I chose the 40 mm variant, which is entirely sufficient for my wrist. I find the new design very stylish and slim, and compared to the Galaxy Watch 3 the case is much slimmer. The aluminum frame has a matte brushed finish. I ordered the strap separately, in a dark, subtle, matte green. It matches my olive green Galaxy Tab. The feel is high-quality, and the silicone is soft and flexible. The watch also goes very nicely with the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

Specs

	Galaxy Watch 4 (40 mm)
Frame	Aluminum
Display	1.2-inch Super AMOLED
Storage	16 GB
Battery	247 mAh, up to 40 hours according to Samsung
Weight	25.9 g

You can definitely wear the watch for swimming. Besides the familiar sensors like ECG and sleep analysis, it can now measure blood pressure. For that, you need an external blood pressure monitor at the start for calibration. Bioelectrical impedance analysis is new as well. A new sensor analyzes weight, body fat, muscle mass and water balance. This is supposed to help you use nutrition and exercise in a targeted way to reach fitness and weight goals.

Wear OS and the end of iPhone support

The biggest novelty is the operating system. The Galaxy Watch 4 and the Watch 4 Classic are the first Samsung watches with Google Wear OS, powered by Samsung. Many Google apps can be used via a compatible Samsung smartphone, some already, some are supposed to be unlocked. I am especially looking forward to Google Pay, Google Maps and Google Assistant.

A bold change: the watch can no longer be used with the iPhone, only with Android. I know many iPhone owners who chose a Galaxy Watch because of its nice design and longer battery life. These users will probably drop out in the future.

Setup

1. The Galaxy Wearable app is needed on the smartphone. I add the Galaxy Watch 4 there.
2. Choose language and region. I had to set the region a second time, and then a restart was needed.
3. The watch is detected, the code is confirmed, and the software downloads.
4. Confirm the privacy notice and Google’’s terms of use. These include cloud sync, error reports and location. I just agree to everything.
5. The Google account is copied to the watch. That wasn’’t the case before. To confirm, I unlock the device with my fingerprint. The sensor on the power button of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is super reliable and fast.
6. I skip restoring from a backup.
7. The watch explains the navigation: swipe left for the tiles, right for notifications, down for the Quick Panel, up for apps. The Home button always leads to the watch face. A small orange dot indicates a notification.

First impression

I really like the large, round, flat display. Preinstalled are, among others, Phone, Messages, Samsung Pay, Weather and Calendar. Google Maps is on board. The mini map looks really cool. I haven’’t found Google Pay yet, maybe it can be installed afterward. I had also hoped for Google Assistant, which will probably still come.

With gestures, you can accept or decline calls and dismiss alarms by shaking your arm. I find that interesting. The size is perfect for my wrist.

Body composition measurement

I have been waiting for this the whole time. You find it in its own tile. I enter gender, height and weight. A warning appears: the measurement is for well-being and not for the diagnosis or treatment of diseases. If you wear a pacemaker or another implanted medical device or are pregnant, you shouldn’’t perform it.

For the measurement, you place your middle and ring finger on the two buttons and lift your arms away from your body. As a left-hander, I wear the watch on my right arm. That is not so nice for left-handers, but the sensors have to go somewhere. The watch showed body fat, skeletal muscle, fat mass, body water, BMI and daily calorie needs. The results contradicted each other, though, and in the end the watch showed a different body fat value than on the first display. I suspect that the body fat analysis is defective and wanted to contact support.

Verdict

As a first impression, I like the Galaxy Watch 4 a lot, with its slim design, high-quality strap and Wear OS. I still have to clear up the body fat measurement. I will test the watch extensively over the next few days, especially the battery.