Samsung Galaxy Watch 8

The Galaxy Watch 8 feels like Samsung finally rethinking how a smartwatch should sit on your arm. The new squircle case and noticeably slimmer profile are the headline changes, and they matter more day-to-day than any single new sensor. Being able to talk to Google's Gemini assistant from your wrist also makes the watch feel more modern than its predecessors.

This is Samsung's entry-level smartwatch for 2025, so it's aimed at Android users, and especially Galaxy phone owners, who want a capable, good-looking Wear OS watch without paying for the Classic. If you loved the physical rotating bezel, though, it isn't here. You get a touch-based alternative where you run a finger around the screen edge, which is serviceable but not the same tactile experience.

On balance, the Watch 8 is a meaningful refinement rather than a reinvention, and the comfort gains are the most convincing part of the package. The thinner, flatter-sitting design should make it far more pleasant for all-day and overnight wear. That matters for a device whose health features depend on being worn constantly.

The software story is more mixed. Gemini integration is a genuine step forward for on-wrist assistance. The new AI-powered Running Coach is a different matter. Reviewers disagree on it: TechRadar highlights its 160 plans, while others found it half-baked or insufficiently personalised. We'd treat it as promising rather than a reason to buy.

On health, the new antioxidant and vascular load metrics are interesting additions. The underlying sensor, however, is carried over from earlier generations. ECG and blood pressure tracking remain, but owners of a recent Galaxy Watch shouldn't expect a leap in core health tracking.

The weak spots are familiar ones:

• Battery life: improved over the Watch 7, but still short by smartwatch standards.
• Durability: the raised glass screen is reportedly easy to damage.
• Straps: the new Dynamic Lug system makes swaps quick, but currently works only with official straps.
• Price: it costs more than previous entry-level models, which slightly undercuts its "entry-level" positioning.

None of these are dealbreakers, but together they keep the Watch 8 from being an easy recommendation for upgraders. For first-time buyers or owners of much older Galaxy Watches, it's an easy watch to like. Owners of last year's model can comfortably skip it.