How can i have access to more data with Samsung health I'm using non Samsung phone it feels like Samsung health app is a bit empty and doesn't have much info especially compare to apple watch. Strava with Galaxy watch 4 is a wreck.
Did you turn on "Improve Accuracy" in the watch location settings? This setting isn't on by default and for many users on Reddit has improved the GPS tracking of the watch dramatically. No excuses for the HR dropouts though, that's awful for a $350 watch.
Heart rate drop out is a common issue with Samsung watch. I have sent mine for repair. I don't think they have a solution for this. Everyone seems to be talking about it
Totally different watches IMO. Price points as well. I'm just excited to see them push these features out on a cheaper device so that Garmin feels pressure to improve.
The dropping of data was pretty normal on the old Galaxy watch. I once ran a PB only to find halfway through the run that it was not recording. Had to uninstall apps, re-pair to my phone, troubleshoot, and attempt to run that PB again. Safe to say I bought a Garmin right after that incident.
I recently had my body fat measured at a clinic for a physical assessment and just picked up the the watch. It is within 1% of the that clinic reading. I would say that's pretty accurate and incredible.
@@Dcrainmaker Apparently there was an update to improve the reliability of the sensors. I only got mine yesterday and did all the updates before using it. Is it possible your testing was before this update? Otherwise, that's a shame to hear for your use case.
I was nearly convinced in buying new GW4 in terms of fitness functions and to keep the devices in Samsung ecosystem. I am very happy I chose Garmin instead. Thank you for awesome review! :)
I bought the Watch 4 and facing the same problems like in this video. The heart rate suddenly stops and never recovers. Sleep accuracy sucks big time. It gives very little deep sleep. HR sensor didn't do much, not so good. As a smartwatch it's good. As a fitness watch it's year 2015. I wanna sell it already.
@@stb3987 I had Gear S3 Frontier for almost 4 years and it was great piece! - but in 2016 .... It is sad I see quite the same problems in 2021. I like Samsung products pretty much but regarding the smartwatch, I am very disappointed. Good luck with your next watches buddy! :)
Ray, thank you for your great review. I am using a Samsung Watch 3 starting from the first generation and I'm quite familiar with it's ups and downs. Syncing SHealth running data to Strava is a major issue for it's inconsistencies and you'll find many titles for it in Redditt, Strava and Samsung forums; it's an unsolved issue for years. GPS consistency is mainly ok if you are not a pro athlete like a casual runner who runs 3-4 times a week in a town or city; like most of us; if you are a triathlete or going on trails, doing endurance work outs etc. this watch is not for you. HR sensor is mainly ok; one main reason for the dropouts is the band you are using; when the strap is loose and it slips on your wrist during the activity you'll see the drops; please tighten it before the activity. Most of the lacking or negative things in your review are software related; I'm sure most of them will be corrected in a six months period; since Google is also behind this product up to a point and many developers will update their apps as well along with Samsung. So I would definitely like you to kindly make these same tests in the future. Please note that this is a smart watch, a jack of all trades, master of none; believe me it's smart features make me forget many of these downsides in daily usage, like talking on the watch (when your phone is in your deep pocket) during running, or to be able to take written notes using voice dictate with Gboard on Watch 4 on Google Keep while running or walking; or using the best amoled screen out there during strong sunlight which is way better than any other watch like Garmin, Coros etc. This last feature is I think underrated. And you'll have all this functionality with 2 two days of battery time in 46 mm version. So, I thought a lot about using a Fenix or Coros watch for running for years but every time I remember what will I lose, then I stick with my watch; it may not be perfect but I am not a professional athlete anyway, like may be 80% of the users. Thank you again for this great review, as always.
I agree with every point you make, as I noted above I have no issues with GPS or HR accuracy, it is fine for most people. The Strava inconsistencies that you mention is because Samsung Health applies extra smoothing to the raw GPS data and ends up with a less wobbly route (if you see the maps in both apps, the Strava one is more zigzaggy). To be honest the only thing that would make me switch to a Garmin again is the improved battery life, but I feel is not worth it given what I would lose.
I have galaxy watch 3 and I think it's suck. Selecting Other workout, then leaving it on the table, calories still counted. Also when I do HIIT workout, 20 mins HIIT give me the same calories burned as 20 mins weight lifting. Tried Circuit Training option, pretty much the same result. In my case, every 20mins, it gave me 100-115 calories burned and 1 hour gives me 300 calories burned no matter which activities I'm doing. For smart features, maybe ok. But for fitness, I feel like it's useless
Ray, you were very generous with this review. IMO, as it stands unless you're just using it to count reps this watch is pretty useless as a fitness tracker. Battery life is terrible, which I could work-around if it actually charged at a reasonable rate but it charges at a slow 50% per hour. Based on my testing it uses between 25 and 30% battery PER HOUR if you track GPS while playing music/podcast over bluetooth. GPS-only it burns about 13% per hour so you an forget about tracking long days of skiing or biking if you track sleep and don't charge it back up in the AM. Sleep tracking with SpO2 (no snoring) uses 1.5% per hour so not bad. HR sensor likes to go crazy... I've seen it ramp up to >2x my actual HR with me just sitting on the couch. Seems to happen most for activities that don't track GPS but that could just be coincidence... I don't have a large enough sample size. For the body composition analysis you need to input your weight so you'll need a scale anyway... might as well get a scale that does the measurement. GPS is terrible, not sure why, it supposedly has GLONASS, Galileo and the like - maybe they're not enabled. I did some walk tracking comparisons between it and the Venu2 on the other wrist. The Venu2 was pretty darn close to my actual path... the GW4 trace was a mess. Over a 15km twisty MTB trail ride the GW4 showed ~10% less distance covered... Venu2 was really close to my bike ODO. I can provide traces if anyone is interested. Stress has been pegged at minimum for 99% of the time I've had the watch. Altitude is off by at least 50m at my house and there's no way to calibrate it. OTOH the build and buttons of the GW4 are much better than that of the Venu2. Based on the ~2 week of usage the sleep tracking on the GW4 is better than on the Venu2 which seems to always give me credit for time I'm in bed but haven't fallen asleep.
I don't think my battery was taking anywhere near that long to charge. I'll check again though. In terms of being generous, I think it's what people read into it. I mean, I went through most of the new features and explained how they didn't actually work, followed up by a trifecta of accuracy chunks showing those weren't good either.
Excellent review, but my experience so far has been a bit different: 1. I consistently get two full days of battery life (48 hours) without AOD but with everything else on including one of hours of GPS workout and one hour of non-GPS workout 2. I get consistent Body Composition measurements 3. I have not experienced any HR drops so far and the HR response seems better compared to my Vivoactive. But I know people that have had them with cycling. 4. For some reason I do not get wobbly GPS data on Samsung Health but I get those when it syncs to Strava (which also gives me slightly higher distance). When I export the GPS data directly from Samsung Health to a GPX viewer, there is not much "wobble."
True, my experience with my watch 4 classic is the same as yours. 2 days of battery with most features on. Consistently reliable heart rate and GPS tracking, comparing it with my Garmin Instinct. Perhaps the reviewer had a less accurate/faulty device?
Good to hear! Yeah, there's no way I was getting 48hrs, even on a single hour of GPS (or even no activity days). Pretty consistently in the 30hrs range. And in fact, the phone these were paired to didn't even get the majority of notifications my main phone gets. I have three different Watch4 units (2xregular, 1xClassic), and they seem pretty consistent. I think the HR reliability is sometimes hard to see until you plot the two charts side by side (or atop) and realize all the times it drops out or hangs a bit.
My experience is almost the same. I haven't had any dropouts with the HR for GW4 Classic...which is something that I've experienced all the time with the GW3. I typically run with another watch...either a Fenix 6 sapphire or Coros Apex Pro. And when I spot check the HR on both during the activity they're usually the same or close enough for me. However I would still use the Sporty Go app so I can connect an external HR monitor and my stryd.
Thank you for the SGW4 review. Would like to see a SGW4 to FC5 comparison review of accuracy in the future if you can. Currently using a FC4 and I am looking at one of the two but I do not like the fact that Fitbit makes you pay a monthly subscription for features and I also don't like how long they take to roll out features. The FC4 took forever to get Sp02 and Temp features added.
Thanks for the thorough review. I was holding out hope it could replace my Venu 2, but it looks like I'd be giving up too much if I switched. Too bad, as I'm all-in on Samsung otherwise. Do you plan to do follow-ups in the future with this watch? e.g., after they release more updates?
I may take a look another look at things down the road, but historically speaking, every single Samsung watch release has been the same for 4+ years/generations: It's got optical HR & GPS issues, they say they might fix it, but they never really do. Each fall, they release another watch. Rinse...repeat.
@@DylanTK Yeah, not a bad idea, but I'd probably switch to a Vivosmart 4 plus the Galaxy Watch and wear the Garmin all the time, and the Watch just during the day. Anybody want to buy a Venu 2? 🤣
@@Dcrainmaker DesFit's results seem to show that the inconsistencies in HR and BIA became less frequent after a few firmware updates. Maybe it would be worthwhile revisiting it.
The fact the watch's sensors don't reacquire lock & resume collecting telemetry after an interruption is a 100% showstopper for people serious about tracking their performance. If you're just recording your morning walks and occasional gym/yoga studio workouts, then it's totally fine to lose HR for 45 mins. But if you're even a semi-serious athlete working a training program to better your PB, these are fatal flaws that can't be overlooked. Maybe FW patches will fix this. Until then, hard pass.
@@francisdayon ikr?!!! Even worse... say you're running a fast event like a 5k or 10k and it craps out mid-race. You have to freakin' STOP running before the watch will reacquire GPS & HR! Like WHAT?? Bye-bye PB.
That's reason why sport/running watches exist. Serious sport user should always go for sport watch like Garmin or Fitbit. Nothing is perfect, choose the one that suits you the most.
@@MrJones019 Hey Dipshit, an athlete is ANYONE who engages in REGULAR TRAINING to improve their performance for ANY number of reasons. Nobody said anything about being a professional athlete with sponsorship. A 14yo training to make JV soccer is an athlete. A 38yo investment banker who trains for their annual sub-3:30 marathon is an athlete. A 65yo retiree who trains for & runs NYC annually for the past decade in 5+hrs IS AN ATHLETE.
I am really enjoying mine much more than the previous year. I still use my Fenix 6 for tracking...but I do run with both. The optical heart rate sensor is much better than the previous year. I haven't experienced any drop out like you, but I have with the Watch 3. I am using the Sporty Go app so that I can connect my Stryd and Polar Sense.
Enjoyed the review. So far, your's is the first to show the watch being used in the water instead of just rain or washing dishes. So, the watch should be ok for just being in a pool or horsing around in the pool and are there any precautions that should be taken before entering the water?
My GWA2 touchscreen died after 4 times swimming in the sea despite rincing it each time, so adding to this the accuracy issue, not a safe bet for open water.
My watch 3 got wrecked on one day of pool swimming. Samsung will not honor warranty for water even tho it's a stated capability. I don't risk it with smart watches now because i just wear something else.
I've managed to get about 36 hours out of my Watch 4 battery life, and that's with at least 2 GPS workouts a day, but perhaps my hour long workouts don't compare to others. I am disappointed that this watch is not tracking steps taken while on an elliptical machine, no one ever seems to mention this. I spent 45 minutes on the elliptical at my gym today and it counted approximately 250 steps. Very disappointing since my previous watch, a Garmin, counted steps on the elliptical just fine. Otherwise, I've been happy with the features and quality of this product.
So battery life is one day VS the 5-7 I get with my garmin So the heart rate monitor can't handle high cadence running or cycling So the touchscreen can't handle rain And it can't handle swimming Super useful information Ray! If you are a sports nerd it is reasonable to avoid this watch
Your findings generally match my experience with the watch. Heart rate often gets lost and sometimes is ridiculously high (compared to Wahoo Tickr). GPS mostly okay but wobbles around my real track. I like the auto pause but wish I could adjust the limit for pausing like I can on a real bike head unit. Sleep tracking is interesting. I found the body fat measurement way off my scale's readings (watch = 23.5% vs scale 15.2%) and inconsistent. Don't know if the metrics being shown should be comparable. Buttons don't work very well for a left-handed user. I'm hoping Samsung will be able to address some of these issues via software, but don't know how serious they are about making this a competitive device.
I believe the watch 4 is much better now after the updates. Like u said this was 3 weeks ago. Since then Samsung had 2 major updates where even battery life improved! Please do a new review before and after
I have had both the 3 and now the 4. I had many issues with both when wearing the watch on the top of your wrist. The moment I wore it on the inside of my wrist it didn't miss a heartbeat. The GPS was always bang on. And it never would actually stop and not start up again. Alot of people especially men have different bone density and it's harder for the watch to monitor when it's on the top of the wrist. Think about when you go see a doctor and get your BP checked. He holds the underside or inside of your wrist to check heart beat!!! There is a reason for that.
Currently using the Garmin venu 2 and watch 4 classic. Prefer Garmin for (workouts,HR,Sleep Tracking), however Watch 4 has great haptic feedback and feels much more premium, better notifications and BIA is very close to the gym equipment.
@@Fozzee.1970 Venu 2 is a fundamentally better watch when it comes to health tracking. Watch 4 is a smart watch with the health features as a side dish 😂. Maybe the firmware updates down the lane ( the hardware seems promising atleast) might fix it, until than I wouldn't really recommend it.
Hey, I went for a walk today using the inbuilt walk exercise tracking function on when I finished the walk it showed me a map of my route on the phone, so there is some mapping functionality in there :) I can then see the route map within the Samsung Health app on my phone (a Samsung Galaxy S10).
As the new update should have been rolled out in Europe by now( Firmware Build No. ends with DUJA ) , it would be great if you can test if something really has improved. Samsung states it has now an improved HR sensor algorithm, whatever that may be. Last run I did with the new update was almost flatlining I thought, every time it checked on my watch distance , time and hr , it showed 158bpm. After the run I checked on strava what the hr curve is looking like, but there was no flatlining, it just measured very steady heart rates, which could have been realistic.
I still use the Polar chest strap for HR on the stat bike. Counting steps, continuous HR for reference during the ordinary course of the day is fine for me, and sleep tracking is good. I dont need the watch to tell me I am slightly obese. Thats what the mirror is for. As far as snoring, my wife reports on that every am.
@@Dcrainmaker sure thing! And totally off subject. But someone mentioned that whoop tracks HRV all the time but only displays the calculation before wake up. Have you found that to be true?
@@fitgearhunter Whoop confirmed to me that they changed their algorithm earlier this summer to incorporate full-night HRV readings, as opposed to their previous last 5 minutes of deep sleep before waking up HRV methodology (which, sucked). I haven't heard anything about 24x7 HRV readings though, but I'll ask on the next volley.
I also have problems with the heart beat sensor where it misses data for some time during a workout sometimes 10 mins at a time. It mostly happens when the heart rate reaches 150-160 bpm. Already returned one unit the replaced unit also has the same problem. It seems better when i do light workouts where my heart rate is not higher than 130-140 bpm
I think something about the Samsun watches that I don't see brought up is their incompatibility with Samsung Health and syncing to Strava. After you finish a run with your Galaxy Watch (any version) and it uploads to strava the data gets all jumbled up. In general, compared to my Forerunner 645 I have not found the GW4 to be too bad at getting time distance and heart rate within an acceptable range. However, after that info from the native Samsung Health goes into Strava it adds about a 1/2 mile onto the run and thus also drops your pace by about 20 seconds per mile. Similar issues have been around since the first Galaxy watch Active and I am disappointed that this is still unresolved.
@@Dcrainmaker looks like UA-cam are removing my links - it seems a common issue for Samsung Health to display different stats to Strava. Not really impressed so far, I never had this issue with the Garmin 235.
I am watching the most of your videos. You always make excellent reviews and you always go into the point. I do have now a difficult question for you, if you can help. Using the Watch 4 as a tracker, in order to track my route with a car or with a bike theoretically should be possible. However, it can not be done. The watch can not record speeds above 90km/h. Do you know if there is any reason for that and a possible solution? Kind regards
Thanks for the review! Black Friday deals are making me consider this watch. It will integrate with Samsung Health, which lost all HR/O2/Stress measurements as Samsung removed the sensor from their newer phones. That being said, what good is integrating faulty data into a health tracking app? One could use the data as a baseline and then see how it shifts over time, but that's ...well ....not too scientific. I may wait for full Google Assistant integration and see if the LTE version becomes a loss leader at my carrier (T-Mobile). I will probably look elsewhere for a true fitness watch.....back to DCR reviews for that.
Can I set while for eg: while using running workout tracking the followings: - High heart rate notification, - set heart rate range notification min-max values, - set pace alert, - set duration, distance, pace, etc? Same for biking, etc. Like in a cheap fitness band like Xiaomi Mi Band 4-5-6 etc Thank you
I was really hopeful about the body composition. That would be something I'd really like to have, and they claimed that they had drastically increased accuracy, but I was skeptical. Figured you'd provide some better information about it, and it's about what I figured it would be. A gimmick. My Garmin Index isn't super accurate in an absolute sense, but it's very consistent, so I'll just stick to that.
Other reviewers have actually compared the watch to the 6000$ BC machine and the results were accurate. I think in this case it is this reviewer at fault. Maybe he is using it wrong or taking the readings after doing some things which are known to cause false readings.
@@hr7936 Well, firstly, Ray called out those things specifically that Samsung says will cause inaccurate measurements. Somehow I doubt he specifically called those things out but then did them anyway. He's also someone that I trust to provide both in-depth and accurate testing. When things don't work as advertised, he works with manufacturers to find out why and if it can be fixed. I'd be much more inclined to think that those other reviewers are not to be trusted.
@@reginalb124 There was an update over the last week that has been reported to improve the accuracy, perhaps he didn't have that installed. My readings have been quite accurate from the watch.
Whats your opinion about Samsung Health app elevation measure by activity? GPS in watches are ok, elevation in Strava and other apps are ok, but in Samsung Health is still 10 meters difference maybe in few minutes of the activity. Later is good maybe after 20 minutes of activity. Thanks.
Just wanted to add some thoughts and experience from the last 4-6 weeks: - haven't had outages of the HRM during sport , but before the last update I've seen that the green led's went off, so the watch had to be restarted , maybe this explains what some people had, like half the bpm etc. I remember a similar thing some years ago with the first Galaxy Watch, when the LEDs were off, I had a resting heart rate of 30, and sometimes it was the other way around , that I had 140bpm sitting in front of my computer, almost falling asleep.... but most of the time the HR dropped to around half of the actual HR - GPS accuracy seems to be pretty good, at least the distance was really solid at the Spartan Race in Zandvoort last weekend. The 5K was officially 5.5km , watch measured 5.44km ; and the 10K I did the day after was officially 11.3km , watch measured 11.32km Haven't checked if it was cutting corners, but after all, there was no mentionable difference between the advertised and measured distance. But that run should have been pretty easy as there were no huge buildings or trees in our way. - Body composition sensor: yeah, it's more or less off , I just delete the numbers I don't want to see.....hahaha, will take an inbody measurement in about 2 weeks , so I have some newer values to compare with.... looks like my data from the GW4 is the most accurate when I don't use it as advised (i keep my arms low and narrow to the body, so the armpits are "closed") ; then the measurements are in the 16% range, otherwise 18-19% ( inbody was at 13.4% , but that was the first and only measurement so far ).
@@aaronoregan9404 Pretty sure that improved accuracy was enabled. Both runs were recorded with the strava app. Unfortunately the HR measurements are totally off now, seems to be climate-related. Will try this now with Sportywatch App and my Polar OH1 connected via BLE , GPS is still working good enough for me.
I have also noticed that the actual GPS tracking is out compared to the Garmin 235, not accurate even with 'improve accuracy' selected. I can post examples. Also, the stress feature doesn't work for me.
Can you do a run with the bluetooth watch 4 without also carrying the phone? If I don't bring the phone, will I be able to tell mileage and minutes per mile or is that only available once I get back and pair it with the phone?
Yes, it'll record the activity and without your phone. You'll also see the data in real time on the watch. Once it connects back to your phone, then it'll sync with Samsung Health on your phone and upload the activity.
@@dianelee7471 I do have the LTE version of the watch. However I still run with a Garmin watch. I got the GW4 as a smartwatch first and fitness watch second. But the reason I got the LTE version is so that I don't have to carry my phone with me to receive or make emergency calls. I have a S21 Ultra and I'm not a fan of carrying that phone with me during my runs. I'd rather wear 2 watches. :)
Hi I have two questions. In which program you make the graphs are joined together. And second question is how accurate is elevation altitude and barometer by Galaxy Watch 4. Thank you.
The sports that they are not in watch (just in phone app) does they support some more info? F.E: in WA2 during squash or tenis you had select type of sport in phone. Howerver they provided from watch only heartrate.
Thanks for the review! Very interesting stuff. Just curious, have you ever taken a look at the ticwatch pro 3? I've seen a few fitness reviewers take a look at it and say it has decent gps and heart rate accuracy? Just wondering your thoughts?
@@Dcrainmaker Okay sorry for all the bother, but you and desfit have gotten me to try all these fitness watch, and I can't find the perfect one haha. But once again thank you so much for the work you do!
@@Dcrainmaker it would be cool if you could review a rugged Amazfit/Zepp watch. They are priced as entry-level watches with a lot of features and sports. Would be good to know if they have those features on paper only
In openwater swimming mode it'll use GPS and an openwater swim algorithm that accounts for the fact the watch is underwater at least half the time (and thus, no signal). Whereas in pool mode it uses the accelerometer to detect your turns at the end of each length, combined with the pool size you enter in.
Hi there, I have the 46 Classic LTE version, did an obstacle cours run yesterday (most track lead through woods, trails, not very much non-obstructed sky above us, it drained 30% battery in 2,5 hours while having LTE on/connected and live broadcasting my running data with that strava beacon option. So unless you are planning to do some 12h/24h ultra endurance runs, you should be ok.
@@der_woe wow, thanks for the input! That's what I was looking for! So about... 12% an hour. Not bad. So at hour marathon would be 48%. So pretty good for a smart watch. Plus, you have the lte version, so that would use now battery because it's trying to find cell signal? Did you find the accuracy pretty good? Oh, sand obstacle course run? So it got muddy and stuff, and still held up, huh?
@@funkyjohnhuie I've bought a Spigen Tough Armor Case for the watch, it's rock solid then, and looks like a Gshock. Rotating Bezel is accessible but you don't want to use it. I just start the activity in Strava, then Turn on Waterlock Mode and go for the run. Accuracy wise, just checked the GPS data of my last runs I did in Zandvoort at a Spartan Race. In terms of distance, both the Sprint distance and Super Distance ( in that case 5.5km and 11.3km ) were spot on. But tbh even with the high accuracy gps, it will cut corners, go through buildings and might do some zig-zag lines here and there or go from one side of the street to the other one. You can't compare this to let's say a dedicated runnings/sportswatch like the Garmin products. I'm perfectly fine with this, as that device currently does everything I ever hoped for what a single device should be capable of.
Forgot to add: If LTE is always-on , I think the most critical battery drain is searching for reception when it drops. If you are in the middle of nowhere it could be possible that the battery drain is worse than what I experienced by now. But it's always possible to just shut down LTE completely if necessary. I just find it convinient to use the beacon feature, so friends+family can see where I am now and how many km's I already did.
I don't get all the hate this watch is getting. I got mine for under $200 with a trade in. I don't have to be glued to my phone all day since I get all my notifications on my watch. Then again, I'm not a runner. I sit in front of a computer 8 hrs a day. I think that's most people. At least the people I know. My favorite feature is that when I cast to Chromecast, I can pause and adjust the volume from my watch. That is a game changer.
Is it true that Samsung galaxy watch 4 do not include your pulse into the calories burned calculation, when doing actinides !! That would explain why the results are so different from when I am using watch 4 compared to my forerunner 245 and/or Apple Watch 6(they are pretty close in the measurements). Question: Do galaxy watch 4 use the pulse to measure calories burned ?
The back cover of my Galaxy Watch Active 2 fell off after 1.5 years use. I take it to repair, it fell off again 6 months later. Any similar problems about the back cover of Galaxy Watch 4? The design of the back cover looks so similar.
Excellent review as always. I have an Active 2 but it looks like for this watch, they should have not bothered about the body composition and focused on the most important features. Samsung often likes their gimmicks. I might just keep what I have and save up for any new Garmin watches coming out. Hopefully Garmin gets better at their smartwatch features.
Hey I am from India looking to buy a smart watch my budget is 20 to 25k INR. I want fair accuracy in fitness tracking, third part app integrations, call controls from watch. Any suggestions I have fitbit versa 3 and garmin venu sq in my mind. Which one should I go for?
Hello. I can't navigate with lte maps without my smartphone ... I see my gps position but it writes up CONNECT TO THE PHONE even if I have the esim inside and it works and I can't set any route even if I have the 4g connection on the watch. can you help me? Is it normal that I can't use maps if I leave my phone at home? Thank you
I've been using the classic version for about a month now. I'm always getting almost constant results for the body fat percentage. I'm confused about what's happening in your case!
It is a bummer about the HR sensor. I do a lot of training on the mountain bike and it will lose its lock through rough parts of the trail and not regain it for 20-30min. Also the sleep tracking is pretty useless for me. Somehow it thinks I never get into deep sleep. Lastly I wish it was supported on the Fitbit app. I prefer that to Samsung health but I guess it's a lot to ask to have Samsung partner with Google who's partnered with Fitbit...
Does any one know how to stop your Samsung galaxy watch 4 from counting steps whilst cycling on a stationary bike? Also, in the same exercise bike mode, it records activity for up to 20minutes then all of a sudden stops (as though I've ended the workout). So I have to start it over? I've made sure it's all up to date and have even tried a factory reset and still not fixed
Still sucks, but I have this watch and I'm getting 48hours. I don't know what settings he has the watch on, but I doubt mine is a fluke getting 100% more battery life than him with my sensors constantly on and measuring.
My settings are all simply default. No optimizations (or other things added). There can be a boatload of reasons, including potentially activity-driven (movement for example), or how hard the optical HR sensor has to work due to skin tones/hair/etc... HR sensors when they struggle will add more power to increase brightness (for example).
Body composition measurement: The watch tells you to move it away from your wrist/hand, just an inch or so, and it also tells you to stand still and raise your arms, so your armpits are "open". With that kind of stand/measurement I can usually reproduce what I've been measuring before, currently it's more or less 16.3% , maximum spike up was 17.1% and lowest reading so far 16.1%. A measurement with an inbody 770 was 13.4% which I think is less realistic than what the GW4 (in my case the classic 46 / lte version ) was showing. My home scale is reading around 23% which I think is not realistic as well. Did you take the measurements when you were wearing both watches? Maybe that is irritating the sensors somehow? :) GPS and HR-recovery after loss should be fixed with an update I hope. Haven't encountered those problems yet, but looks like I will some day Btw. as you are living near Amsterdam, will you be on the next Strong Viking?
No, measurements only wearing a single watch. I’ve done a lot of them, and it’s sorta everywhere. I got slightly less variance (+\- 3%) the more similar I could make conditions, but realistically it suffers from the same issues as bia.
Samsung debió haber priorizado la vida de sus baterías, en vez del look del propio reloj. El galaxy 3 tiene una buena apariencia. Quería hacerme del 4 pero me desilucionó su duración. Supongo que iré por el Coros Apex. No tienes que andar preocupado por la carga.
Those mountains are GORGEOUS!
Indeed, love the Alps! In this case, shot in the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps!
The famous Amsterdam Alps!
@@ralr What is it?
Man! So awesome you decided to do a video on this device. Thank you.
Thanks!
Yes, awesome because it helps to ratify that Samsung's watches are worthless.
Can we talk a bit more about this shirt? It’s awesome
It's a fav! Here ya go: www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Eat-Pasta-Run-Fasta-by-aaronarthur/4326471.XNZKR
The perfect t-shirt doesn’t exi- …
How can i have access to more data with Samsung health I'm using non Samsung phone it feels like Samsung health app is a bit empty and doesn't have much info especially compare to apple watch. Strava with Galaxy watch 4 is a wreck.
Did you turn on "Improve Accuracy" in the watch location settings? This setting isn't on by default and for many users on Reddit has improved the GPS tracking of the watch dramatically. No excuses for the HR dropouts though, that's awful for a $350 watch.
Heart rate drop out is a common issue with Samsung watch. I have sent mine for repair. I don't think they have a solution for this. Everyone seems to be talking about it
@@SS-kg8qw Yep, other reviewers have had the same exact issue.
I'm so glad I stuck with my Garmin watch!
Totally different watches IMO. Price points as well.
I'm just excited to see them push these features out on a cheaper device so that Garmin feels pressure to improve.
which garmin watch is best for under $450 USD
If you like having a real smartwatch, get the Samsung. If you like having a hardcore sports watch with minimal smart watch features, get a Garmin.
Yeah it's all about what you want to do with said watch
The dropping of data was pretty normal on the old Galaxy watch. I once ran a PB only to find halfway through the run that it was not recording. Had to uninstall apps, re-pair to my phone, troubleshoot, and attempt to run that PB again. Safe to say I bought a Garmin right after that incident.
I recently had my body fat measured at a clinic for a physical assessment and just picked up the the watch. It is within 1% of the that clinic reading. I would say that's pretty accurate and incredible.
That may be the case. But when the fluctuations swing from 19% to 29%, that’s not accurate or reliable for me.
@@Dcrainmaker Apparently there was an update to improve the reliability of the sensors. I only got mine yesterday and did all the updates before using it. Is it possible your testing was before this update? Otherwise, that's a shame to hear for your use case.
@@JJS-GamingandTech Yeah, I haven't seen any body fat-specific measurement updates recently. The last update was the 10th I believe.
I was nearly convinced in buying new GW4 in terms of fitness functions and to keep the devices in Samsung ecosystem. I am very happy I chose Garmin instead. Thank you for awesome review! :)
Happy to help!
I bought the Watch 4 and facing the same problems like in this video.
The heart rate suddenly stops and never recovers.
Sleep accuracy sucks big time. It gives very little deep sleep.
HR sensor didn't do much, not so good.
As a smartwatch it's good. As a fitness watch it's year 2015. I wanna sell it already.
@@stb3987 I had Gear S3 Frontier for almost 4 years and it was great piece! - but in 2016 .... It is sad I see quite the same problems in 2021. I like Samsung products pretty much but regarding the smartwatch, I am very disappointed. Good luck with your next watches buddy! :)
@@stb3987 I sent mine for repair.
Even after charging and you put the Watch on wrist it doesnt recover your heartrate
Ray, thank you for your great review. I am using a Samsung Watch 3 starting from the first generation and I'm quite familiar with it's ups and downs. Syncing SHealth running data to Strava is a major issue for it's inconsistencies and you'll find many titles for it in Redditt, Strava and Samsung forums; it's an unsolved issue for years. GPS consistency is mainly ok if you are not a pro athlete like a casual runner who runs 3-4 times a week in a town or city; like most of us; if you are a triathlete or going on trails, doing endurance work outs etc. this watch is not for you. HR sensor is mainly ok; one main reason for the dropouts is the band you are using; when the strap is loose and it slips on your wrist during the activity you'll see the drops; please tighten it before the activity. Most of the lacking or negative things in your review are software related; I'm sure most of them will be corrected in a six months period; since Google is also behind this product up to a point and many developers will update their apps as well along with Samsung. So I would definitely like you to kindly make these same tests in the future. Please note that this is a smart watch, a jack of all trades, master of none; believe me it's smart features make me forget many of these downsides in daily usage, like talking on the watch (when your phone is in your deep pocket) during running, or to be able to take written notes using voice dictate with Gboard on Watch 4 on Google Keep while running or walking; or using the best amoled screen out there during strong sunlight which is way better than any other watch like Garmin, Coros etc. This last feature is I think underrated. And you'll have all this functionality with 2 two days of battery time in 46 mm version. So, I thought a lot about using a Fenix or Coros watch for running for years but every time I remember what will I lose, then I stick with my watch; it may not be perfect but I am not a professional athlete anyway, like may be 80% of the users. Thank you again for this great review, as always.
I agree with every point you make, as I noted above I have no issues with GPS or HR accuracy, it is fine for most people. The Strava inconsistencies that you mention is because Samsung Health applies extra smoothing to the raw GPS data and ends up with a less wobbly route (if you see the maps in both apps, the Strava one is more zigzaggy). To be honest the only thing that would make me switch to a Garmin again is the improved battery life, but I feel is not worth it given what I would lose.
I have galaxy watch 3 and I think it's suck. Selecting Other workout, then leaving it on the table, calories still counted. Also when I do HIIT workout, 20 mins HIIT give me the same calories burned as 20 mins weight lifting. Tried Circuit Training option, pretty much the same result. In my case, every 20mins, it gave me 100-115 calories burned and 1 hour gives me 300 calories burned no matter which activities I'm doing. For smart features, maybe ok. But for fitness, I feel like it's useless
Thanks for this, Ray. I've been waiting for a review of this thing from a fitness side since it was announced.
I’m sticking with my Fénix 6, good job in your video 😁
I read there was a huge software update for the watch. Do you plan on doing a follow up as it relates to heart rate monitoring and gps accuracy?
Another fantastic detailed review, keep up the great work!
Looking forward to some New Garmin watches, shortly I hope as I'd like to Upgrade 😊
Samsung watches always have some issues at release but after a few updates it becomes highly accurate!
If the accuracy issues get resolved in a couple of months plus with the usual price drop, I might replace my active 2 for this.
@@quiCksilvieZzz I just received a new update on my watch now so Samsung have already begun to fix things. 😊
Ray, you were very generous with this review. IMO, as it stands unless you're just using it to count reps this watch is pretty useless as a fitness tracker. Battery life is terrible, which I could work-around if it actually charged at a reasonable rate but it charges at a slow 50% per hour. Based on my testing it uses between 25 and 30% battery PER HOUR if you track GPS while playing music/podcast over bluetooth. GPS-only it burns about 13% per hour so you an forget about tracking long days of skiing or biking if you track sleep and don't charge it back up in the AM. Sleep tracking with SpO2 (no snoring) uses 1.5% per hour so not bad. HR sensor likes to go crazy... I've seen it ramp up to >2x my actual HR with me just sitting on the couch. Seems to happen most for activities that don't track GPS but that could just be coincidence... I don't have a large enough sample size. For the body composition analysis you need to input your weight so you'll need a scale anyway... might as well get a scale that does the measurement. GPS is terrible, not sure why, it supposedly has GLONASS, Galileo and the like - maybe they're not enabled. I did some walk tracking comparisons between it and the Venu2 on the other wrist. The Venu2 was pretty darn close to my actual path... the GW4 trace was a mess. Over a 15km twisty MTB trail ride the GW4 showed ~10% less distance covered... Venu2 was really close to my bike ODO. I can provide traces if anyone is interested. Stress has been pegged at minimum for 99% of the time I've had the watch. Altitude is off by at least 50m at my house and there's no way to calibrate it. OTOH the build and buttons of the GW4 are much better than that of the Venu2. Based on the ~2 week of usage the sleep tracking on the GW4 is better than on the Venu2 which seems to always give me credit for time I'm in bed but haven't fallen asleep.
I thought the battery life was prohibitive as well. Not worth the trouble if it can't make 24 hours.
ok
I don't think my battery was taking anywhere near that long to charge. I'll check again though. In terms of being generous, I think it's what people read into it. I mean, I went through most of the new features and explained how they didn't actually work, followed up by a trifecta of accuracy chunks showing those weren't good either.
I was going to purchase solely for the fat percentage calculations. I'm glad I found this first.
Excellent review, but my experience so far has been a bit different:
1. I consistently get two full days of battery life (48 hours) without AOD but with everything else on including one of hours of GPS workout and one hour of non-GPS workout
2. I get consistent Body Composition measurements
3. I have not experienced any HR drops so far and the HR response seems better compared to my Vivoactive. But I know people that have had them with cycling.
4. For some reason I do not get wobbly GPS data on Samsung Health but I get those when it syncs to Strava (which also gives me slightly higher distance). When I export the GPS data directly from Samsung Health to a GPX viewer, there is not much "wobble."
True, my experience with my watch 4 classic is the same as yours. 2 days of battery with most features on. Consistently reliable heart rate and GPS tracking, comparing it with my Garmin Instinct. Perhaps the reviewer had a less accurate/faulty device?
Good to hear! Yeah, there's no way I was getting 48hrs, even on a single hour of GPS (or even no activity days). Pretty consistently in the 30hrs range. And in fact, the phone these were paired to didn't even get the majority of notifications my main phone gets. I have three different Watch4 units (2xregular, 1xClassic), and they seem pretty consistent. I think the HR reliability is sometimes hard to see until you plot the two charts side by side (or atop) and realize all the times it drops out or hangs a bit.
My experience is almost the same. I haven't had any dropouts with the HR for GW4 Classic...which is something that I've experienced all the time with the GW3. I typically run with another watch...either a Fenix 6 sapphire or Coros Apex Pro. And when I spot check the HR on both during the activity they're usually the same or close enough for me. However I would still use the Sporty Go app so I can connect an external HR monitor and my stryd.
GW4 dropped hard on sleep tracking. An hour and change after I got up to piss
My experience is exactly the same with GW4 C 46mm. ❤
I've been waiting for this review!!!! Digging in now
Thank you for the SGW4 review. Would like to see a SGW4 to FC5 comparison review of accuracy in the future if you can. Currently using a FC4 and I am looking at one of the two but I do not like the fact that Fitbit makes you pay a monthly subscription for features and I also don't like how long they take to roll out features. The FC4 took forever to get Sp02 and Temp features added.
Thanks for the thorough review. I was holding out hope it could replace my Venu 2, but it looks like I'd be giving up too much if I switched. Too bad, as I'm all-in on Samsung otherwise. Do you plan to do follow-ups in the future with this watch? e.g., after they release more updates?
I may take a look another look at things down the road, but historically speaking, every single Samsung watch release has been the same for 4+ years/generations: It's got optical HR & GPS issues, they say they might fix it, but they never really do. Each fall, they release another watch. Rinse...repeat.
why not wear both (its what I do lol)
Garmin cant be beat fitness wise, but the Watch4 is an excellent smartwatch in ways the Garmin never can be.
@@DylanTK Yeah, not a bad idea, but I'd probably switch to a Vivosmart 4 plus the Galaxy Watch and wear the Garmin all the time, and the Watch just during the day.
Anybody want to buy a Venu 2? 🤣
@@VietnamEli, funny you mention that as I had the Vivoactive 3, 245, Venu2, and now back to 245 all alongside various editions of Galaxy Watch haha.
@@Dcrainmaker DesFit's results seem to show that the inconsistencies in HR and BIA became less frequent after a few firmware updates. Maybe it would be worthwhile revisiting it.
The fact the watch's sensors don't reacquire lock & resume collecting telemetry after an interruption is a 100% showstopper for people serious about tracking their performance. If you're just recording your morning walks and occasional gym/yoga studio workouts, then it's totally fine to lose HR for 45 mins. But if you're even a semi-serious athlete working a training program to better your PB, these are fatal flaws that can't be overlooked. Maybe FW patches will fix this. Until then, hard pass.
Can you imagine the rage when you get home after a 21k run and it stopped recording halfway?
@@francisdayon ikr?!!! Even worse... say you're running a fast event like a 5k or 10k and it craps out mid-race. You have to freakin' STOP running before the watch will reacquire GPS & HR! Like WHAT?? Bye-bye PB.
That's reason why sport/running watches exist. Serious sport user should always go for sport watch like Garmin or Fitbit. Nothing is perfect, choose the one that suits you the most.
Wow... The amount of people here calling themselves "athletes". People are a bit delusional
@@MrJones019 Hey Dipshit, an athlete is ANYONE who engages in REGULAR TRAINING to improve their performance for ANY number of reasons. Nobody said anything about being a professional athlete with sponsorship. A 14yo training to make JV soccer is an athlete. A 38yo investment banker who trains for their annual sub-3:30 marathon is an athlete. A 65yo retiree who trains for & runs NYC annually for the past decade in 5+hrs IS AN ATHLETE.
I am really enjoying mine much more than the previous year. I still use my Fenix 6 for tracking...but I do run with both. The optical heart rate sensor is much better than the previous year. I haven't experienced any drop out like you, but I have with the Watch 3. I am using the Sporty Go app so that I can connect my Stryd and Polar Sense.
Are you able to share the sporty go data to strava easily?
@@kundansingh914 yes you can setup that up pretty easily. And it supports Training Peaks and Final Surge uploads.
@@mherald Thank you. Does the exercise data also get synced to the native Samsung Health app ?
Enjoyed the review. So far, your's is the first to show the watch being used in the water instead of just rain or washing dishes. So, the watch should be ok for just being in a pool or horsing around in the pool and are there any precautions that should be taken before entering the water?
No issues at all for swimming or pool. I had plenty of other water/pool time not covered here. Fully good there!
@@Dcrainmaker Great. Just wasn't sure about the "Water Lock" toggle in settings.
My GWA2 touchscreen died after 4 times swimming in the sea despite rincing it each time, so adding to this the accuracy issue, not a safe bet for open water.
My watch 3 got wrecked on one day of pool swimming. Samsung will not honor warranty for water even tho it's a stated capability. I don't risk it with smart watches now because i just wear something else.
I've managed to get about 36 hours out of my Watch 4 battery life, and that's with at least 2 GPS workouts a day, but perhaps my hour long workouts don't compare to others. I am disappointed that this watch is not tracking steps taken while on an elliptical machine, no one ever seems to mention this. I spent 45 minutes on the elliptical at my gym today and it counted approximately 250 steps. Very disappointing since my previous watch, a Garmin, counted steps on the elliptical just fine. Otherwise, I've been happy with the features and quality of this product.
So battery life is one day VS the 5-7 I get with my garmin
So the heart rate monitor can't handle high cadence running or cycling
So the touchscreen can't handle rain
And it can't handle swimming
Super useful information Ray! If you are a sports nerd it is reasonable to avoid this watch
Welp, you just saved me a chunk of change! Thanks again for another great review!
Your findings generally match my experience with the watch. Heart rate often gets lost and sometimes is ridiculously high (compared to Wahoo Tickr). GPS mostly okay but wobbles around my real track. I like the auto pause but wish I could adjust the limit for pausing like I can on a real bike head unit. Sleep tracking is interesting. I found the body fat measurement way off my scale's readings (watch = 23.5% vs scale 15.2%) and inconsistent. Don't know if the metrics being shown should be comparable. Buttons don't work very well for a left-handed user. I'm hoping Samsung will be able to address some of these issues via software, but don't know how serious they are about making this a competitive device.
Thanks for the added data points!
I believe the watch 4 is much better now after the updates. Like u said this was 3 weeks ago. Since then Samsung had 2 major updates where even battery life improved! Please do a new review before and after
I have had both the 3 and now the 4. I had many issues with both when wearing the watch on the top of your wrist. The moment I wore it on the inside of my wrist it didn't miss a heartbeat. The GPS was always bang on. And it never would actually stop and not start up again.
Alot of people especially men have different bone density and it's harder for the watch to monitor when it's on the top of the wrist.
Think about when you go see a doctor and get your BP checked. He holds the underside or inside of your wrist to check heart beat!!! There is a reason for that.
Currently using the Garmin venu 2 and watch 4 classic. Prefer Garmin for (workouts,HR,Sleep Tracking), however Watch 4 has great haptic feedback and feels much more premium, better notifications and BIA is very close to the gym equipment.
Bia?
@@Fozzee.1970 body composition
Yup, I like the feel of the Watch4 Classic (far more than the Watch4, in terms of build quality and such). And the day to day UI is pretty good.
@@Dcrainmaker but completely let down by GPS, heart rate accuracy and battery. Been trialling the Venu 2 and will be keeping that over GW4.
@@Fozzee.1970 Venu 2 is a fundamentally better watch when it comes to health tracking.
Watch 4 is a smart watch with the health features as a side dish 😂.
Maybe the firmware updates down the lane ( the hardware seems promising atleast) might fix it, until than I wouldn't really recommend it.
Helpful video. Do you know if there is a way that steps counted can be viewed as miles?
Hey, I went for a walk today using the inbuilt walk exercise tracking function on when I finished the walk it showed me a map of my route on the phone, so there is some mapping functionality in there :) I can then see the route map within the Samsung Health app on my phone (a Samsung Galaxy S10).
Ray you falling into the muscular n lean that data was certainly just a show of it's inaccuracy , 💘 yr work .
As the new update should have been rolled out in Europe by now( Firmware Build No. ends with DUJA ) , it would be great if you can test if something really has improved.
Samsung states it has now an improved HR sensor algorithm, whatever that may be.
Last run I did with the new update was almost flatlining I thought, every time it checked on my watch distance , time and hr , it showed 158bpm. After the run I checked on strava what the hr curve is looking like, but there was no flatlining, it just measured very steady heart rates, which could have been realistic.
FINAAAAAAAAALLLY!!!!
I still use the Polar chest strap for HR on the stat bike. Counting steps, continuous HR for reference during the ordinary course of the day is fine for me, and sleep tracking is good. I dont need the watch to tell me I am slightly obese. Thats what the mirror is for. As far as snoring, my wife reports on that every am.
Awesome!
Thanks, appreciate t!
@@Dcrainmaker sure thing! And totally off subject. But someone mentioned that whoop tracks HRV all the time but only displays the calculation before wake up. Have you found that to be true?
@@fitgearhunter Whoop confirmed to me that they changed their algorithm earlier this summer to incorporate full-night HRV readings, as opposed to their previous last 5 minutes of deep sleep before waking up HRV methodology (which, sucked). I haven't heard anything about 24x7 HRV readings though, but I'll ask on the next volley.
@@Dcrainmaker Awesome, you’re the best. Thanks so much! That is at least better accuracy
I also have problems with the heart beat sensor where it misses data for some time during a workout sometimes 10 mins at a time. It mostly happens when the heart rate reaches 150-160 bpm. Already returned one unit the replaced unit also has the same problem. It seems better when i do light workouts where my heart rate is not higher than 130-140 bpm
I think something about the Samsun watches that I don't see brought up is their incompatibility with Samsung Health and syncing to Strava. After you finish a run with your Galaxy Watch (any version) and it uploads to strava the data gets all jumbled up. In general, compared to my Forerunner 645 I have not found the GW4 to be too bad at getting time distance and heart rate within an acceptable range. However, after that info from the native Samsung Health goes into Strava it adds about a 1/2 mile onto the run and thus also drops your pace by about 20 seconds per mile. Similar issues have been around since the first Galaxy watch Active and I am disappointed that this is still unresolved.
I find that when running with the Samsung Health app on the watch, then syncing with Strava, the data is out. Winds me up!
Interesting - out in what way?
@@Dcrainmaker looks like UA-cam are removing my links - it seems a common issue for Samsung Health to display different stats to Strava. Not really impressed so far, I never had this issue with the Garmin 235.
@@fishchipsandmushypeas Strava reports longer distances from my watch 4 than from the Samsung health app.
I also faced this issue... is there a sol.? I need the running stats of health app and i also need strava analytics..
@@Dcrainmaker you just see duration of your run on strava. Nothing else. No pace.. no HR..
I am watching the most of your videos. You always make excellent reviews and you always go into the point.
I do have now a difficult question for you, if you can help.
Using the Watch 4 as a tracker, in order to track my route with a car or with a bike theoretically should be possible. However, it can not be done. The watch can not record speeds above 90km/h. Do you know if there is any reason for that and a possible solution?
Kind regards
Thanks for the review! Black Friday deals are making me consider this watch. It will integrate with Samsung Health, which lost all HR/O2/Stress measurements as Samsung removed the sensor from their newer phones. That being said, what good is integrating faulty data into a health tracking app? One could use the data as a baseline and then see how it shifts over time, but that's ...well ....not too scientific. I may wait for full Google Assistant integration and see if the LTE version becomes a loss leader at my carrier (T-Mobile). I will probably look elsewhere for a true fitness watch.....back to DCR reviews for that.
Can I set while for eg: while using running workout tracking the followings: - High heart rate notification, - set heart rate range notification min-max values, - set pace alert, - set duration, distance, pace, etc?
Same for biking, etc.
Like in a cheap fitness band like Xiaomi Mi Band 4-5-6 etc
Thank you
I was really hopeful about the body composition. That would be something I'd really like to have, and they claimed that they had drastically increased accuracy, but I was skeptical. Figured you'd provide some better information about it, and it's about what I figured it would be. A gimmick. My Garmin Index isn't super accurate in an absolute sense, but it's very consistent, so I'll just stick to that.
Other reviewers have actually compared the watch to the 6000$ BC machine and the results were accurate. I think in this case it is this reviewer at fault. Maybe he is using it wrong or taking the readings after doing some things which are known to cause false readings.
@@hr7936 Well, firstly, Ray called out those things specifically that Samsung says will cause inaccurate measurements. Somehow I doubt he specifically called those things out but then did them anyway. He's also someone that I trust to provide both in-depth and accurate testing. When things don't work as advertised, he works with manufacturers to find out why and if it can be fixed.
I'd be much more inclined to think that those other reviewers are not to be trusted.
@@reginalb124 There was an update over the last week that has been reported to improve the accuracy, perhaps he didn't have that installed. My readings have been quite accurate from the watch.
Latest firmware update has fixed HR tracking, can you please test again?
How is da battery life per hour when you track hiking or cyceling?
Great review thanks 😀
Bad.... Arround 15-20% per hour...
That blood oxygen measurement result (while sleeping) was really strange. The whole night under 90%? I'm surprised you didn't say anything about it.
Whats your opinion about Samsung Health app elevation measure by activity? GPS in watches are ok, elevation in Strava and other apps are ok, but in Samsung Health is still 10 meters difference maybe in few minutes of the activity. Later is good maybe after 20 minutes of activity. Thanks.
What software do you use for see the difference in One graphics? For comparing GPS, hearth rate.... Thanks for Your answer
Can or not we connect external heart rate sensors?
Not with the native app, but third party apps support it.
Although a decent watch with good potential, flawed rather look into a Venu 2 more reliable sensors and consistent.
Just wanted to add some thoughts and experience from the last 4-6 weeks:
- haven't had outages of the HRM during sport , but before the last update I've seen that the green led's went off, so the watch had to be restarted , maybe this explains what some people had, like half the bpm etc.
I remember a similar thing some years ago with the first Galaxy Watch, when the LEDs were off, I had a resting heart rate of 30, and sometimes it was the other way around , that I had 140bpm sitting in front of my computer, almost falling asleep.... but most of the time the HR dropped to around half of the actual HR
- GPS accuracy seems to be pretty good, at least the distance was really solid at the Spartan Race in Zandvoort last weekend. The 5K was officially 5.5km , watch measured 5.44km ; and the 10K I did the day after was officially 11.3km , watch measured 11.32km
Haven't checked if it was cutting corners, but after all, there was no mentionable difference between the advertised and measured distance. But that run should have been pretty easy as there were no huge buildings or trees in our way.
- Body composition sensor: yeah, it's more or less off , I just delete the numbers I don't want to see.....hahaha, will take an inbody measurement in about 2 weeks , so I have some newer values to compare with.... looks like my data from the GW4 is the most accurate when I don't use it as advised (i keep my arms low and narrow to the body, so the armpits are "closed") ; then the measurements are in the 16% range, otherwise 18-19% ( inbody was at 13.4% , but that was the first and only measurement so far ).
Quick question for you if you don't mind. Did you have the "Improve Accuracy" enabled on the location settings?
@@aaronoregan9404 Pretty sure that improved accuracy was enabled. Both runs were recorded with the strava app. Unfortunately the HR measurements are totally off now, seems to be climate-related. Will try this now with Sportywatch App and my Polar OH1 connected via BLE , GPS is still working good enough for me.
I have also noticed that the actual GPS tracking is out compared to the Garmin 235, not accurate even with 'improve accuracy' selected. I can post examples. Also, the stress feature doesn't work for me.
Can you do a run with the bluetooth watch 4 without also carrying the phone? If I don't bring the phone, will I be able to tell mileage and minutes per mile or is that only available once I get back and pair it with the phone?
Yes, it'll record the activity and without your phone. You'll also see the data in real time on the watch. Once it connects back to your phone, then it'll sync with Samsung Health on your phone and upload the activity.
@@mherald Thanks so much. This is very helpful. To me, an LTE version seems duplicative so I'd rather the bluetooth. Thanks Michael.
@@dianelee7471 I do have the LTE version of the watch. However I still run with a Garmin watch. I got the GW4 as a smartwatch first and fitness watch second. But the reason I got the LTE version is so that I don't have to carry my phone with me to receive or make emergency calls. I have a S21 Ultra and I'm not a fan of carrying that phone with me during my runs. I'd rather wear 2 watches. :)
@@mherald I have the Ultra also and I love it but it is quite hefty!
Hi I have two questions. In which program you make the graphs are joined together. And second question is how accurate is elevation altitude and barometer by Galaxy Watch 4. Thank you.
Does the 4 have all the golf courses pre-loaded like the 2?
The sports that they are not in watch (just in phone app) does they support some more info? F.E: in WA2 during squash or tenis you had select type of sport in phone. Howerver they provided from watch only heartrate.
Thanks for the review! Very interesting stuff. Just curious, have you ever taken a look at the ticwatch pro 3? I've seen a few fitness reviewers take a look at it and say it has decent gps and heart rate accuracy? Just wondering your thoughts?
I haven't yet. It's somewhat on my rainy day list to check out. :)
@@Dcrainmaker Okay sorry for all the bother, but you and desfit have gotten me to try all these fitness watch, and I can't find the perfect one haha. But once again thank you so much for the work you do!
@@Dcrainmaker it would be cool if you could review a rugged Amazfit/Zepp watch. They are priced as entry-level watches with a lot of features and sports. Would be good to know if they have those features on paper only
Hello, did you get track elevetion during your cycling test?
The SW4 Works with Power meters or BT Heart Rate Monitor?
Can you connect the watch to a bike computer and use it for HR? Thanks
What is this watch like to use for hiking with apps like outdooractive
Can you explain the differences of the two swim-modes (Open Water / Pool)?
In openwater swimming mode it'll use GPS and an openwater swim algorithm that accounts for the fact the watch is underwater at least half the time (and thus, no signal). Whereas in pool mode it uses the accelerometer to detect your turns at the end of each length, combined with the pool size you enter in.
Is it possible to upload a route in the Samsung Watch 4?
Hey, great video! Question, how much battery drains during a run? Like, an hour run drains how much? Thanks!
Hi there, I have the 46 Classic LTE version, did an obstacle cours run yesterday (most track lead through woods, trails, not very much non-obstructed sky above us, it drained 30% battery in 2,5 hours while having LTE on/connected and live broadcasting my running data with that strava beacon option. So unless you are planning to do some 12h/24h ultra endurance runs, you should be ok.
@@der_woe wow, thanks for the input! That's what I was looking for! So about... 12% an hour. Not bad. So at hour marathon would be 48%. So pretty good for a smart watch. Plus, you have the lte version, so that would use now battery because it's trying to find cell signal?
Did you find the accuracy pretty good? Oh, sand obstacle course run? So it got muddy and stuff, and still held up, huh?
@@funkyjohnhuie I've bought a Spigen Tough Armor Case for the watch, it's rock solid then, and looks like a Gshock. Rotating Bezel is accessible but you don't want to use it.
I just start the activity in Strava, then Turn on Waterlock Mode and go for the run.
Accuracy wise, just checked the GPS data of my last runs I did in Zandvoort at a Spartan Race.
In terms of distance, both the Sprint distance and Super Distance ( in that case 5.5km and 11.3km ) were spot on.
But tbh even with the high accuracy gps, it will cut corners, go through buildings and might do some zig-zag lines here and there or go from one side of the street to the other one. You can't compare this to let's say a dedicated runnings/sportswatch like the Garmin products.
I'm perfectly fine with this, as that device currently does everything I ever hoped for what a single device should be capable of.
Forgot to add: If LTE is always-on , I think the most critical battery drain is searching for reception when it drops. If you are in the middle of nowhere it could be possible that the battery drain is worse than what I experienced by now.
But it's always possible to just shut down LTE completely if necessary. I just find it convinient to use the beacon feature, so friends+family can see where I am now and how many km's I already did.
@@der_woe thanks! Very excited for this watch I think!
hello, what is the battery life it offers when GPS is on? I couldn't understand from the video because I don't speak English.
I don't get all the hate this watch is getting. I got mine for under $200 with a trade in. I don't have to be glued to my phone all day since I get all my notifications on my watch. Then again, I'm not a runner. I sit in front of a computer 8 hrs a day. I think that's most people. At least the people I know. My favorite feature is that when I cast to Chromecast, I can pause and adjust the volume from my watch. That is a game changer.
Ultimately, this is a fitness review. If you aren't using it for fitness - then most of the issues won't apply to you.
Thank you
What about Strava Live Segments?
Any way we can track football sessions?
Is it true that Samsung galaxy watch 4 do not include your pulse into the calories burned calculation, when doing actinides !! That would explain why the results are so different from when I am using watch 4 compared to my forerunner 245 and/or Apple Watch 6(they are pretty close in the measurements).
Question: Do galaxy watch 4 use the pulse to measure calories burned ?
I have my watch 4 for 2 years now and have never had my hr and GPS drop once.
Cool shirt!
Where did you get that?
Here ya go! www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Eat-Pasta-Run-Fasta-by-aaronarthur/4326471.XNZKR
The back cover of my Galaxy Watch Active 2 fell off after 1.5 years use. I take it to repair, it fell off again 6 months later. Any similar problems about the back cover of Galaxy Watch 4? The design of the back cover looks so similar.
Excellent review as always. I have an Active 2 but it looks like for this watch, they should have not bothered about the body composition and focused on the most important features. Samsung often likes their gimmicks. I might just keep what I have and save up for any new Garmin watches coming out. Hopefully Garmin gets better at their smartwatch features.
What is the app that your use for compare the watches
DCR Analyzer is your friend: dcrainmaker.com/analyze
whered you get that awesome shirt?
Ask and you shall receive! www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Eat-Pasta-Run-Fasta-by-aaronarthur/4326471.XNZKR
Hey I am from India looking to buy a smart watch my budget is 20 to 25k INR. I want fair accuracy in fitness tracking, third part app integrations, call controls from watch. Any suggestions
I have fitbit versa 3 and garmin venu sq in my mind. Which one should I go for?
How accurate was the blood pressure readings ?
I’m having the same question. I’ve been an Apple user but this high blood pressure is driving me to Samsung.
Hello. I can't navigate with lte maps without my smartphone ... I see my gps position but it writes up CONNECT TO THE PHONE even if I have the esim inside and it works and I can't set any route even if I have the 4g connection on the watch. can you help me? Is it normal that I can't use maps if I leave my phone at home? Thank you
Wow really disappointed that the body fat sensor is all over the place...was really looking forward to that
I wonder how this watch standa against forerunner 945 lte?
Reset time and time how,?
I've been using the classic version for about a month now. I'm always getting almost constant results for the body fat percentage. I'm confused about what's happening in your case!
How are you getting bp when it's not yet approved by FDA in the US?
Because I don't live in the US. ;)
It is a bummer about the HR sensor. I do a lot of training on the mountain bike and it will lose its lock through rough parts of the trail and not regain it for 20-30min. Also the sleep tracking is pretty useless for me. Somehow it thinks I never get into deep sleep. Lastly I wish it was supported on the Fitbit app. I prefer that to Samsung health but I guess it's a lot to ask to have Samsung partner with Google who's partnered with Fitbit...
You live in Switzerland... Cool...
Top 👍👍👍👍⭐
i had the classic version and it can't measure the heart rate at all...i was at 160hrm but the watch shows 85hrm throughout the ride ...
Thanks for confirming that this Watch is no different than my previous galaxy watches.
Wats for sprinting?? Like 100m
Does any one know how to stop your Samsung galaxy watch 4 from counting steps whilst cycling on a stationary bike? Also, in the same exercise bike mode, it records activity for up to 20minutes then all of a sudden stops (as though I've ended the workout). So I have to start it over? I've made sure it's all up to date and have even tried a factory reset and still not fixed
HR drops is not something new with Samsung watches that were based on tizen. Seeing it repeat on wear os is a big disappointment.
Indeed, been a long running thing, unfortunately.
I cannot imagine using a smart watch with 24hrs battery life... Especially after the Garmin Venu 2.
Love my garmin venu 2. HR is pretty accurate too.
Still sucks, but I have this watch and I'm getting 48hours. I don't know what settings he has the watch on, but I doubt mine is a fluke getting 100% more battery life than him with my sensors constantly on and measuring.
My settings are all simply default. No optimizations (or other things added). There can be a boatload of reasons, including potentially activity-driven (movement for example), or how hard the optical HR sensor has to work due to skin tones/hair/etc... HR sensors when they struggle will add more power to increase brightness (for example).
The apple watch gives you a whopping 15 hours. :-D
That body fat measurement is basically a roulette wheel :)
Not nearly as much fun as a wheel of cheese...
Those Ducht stroopwaffels in the background make me hungry.
Body composition measurement:
The watch tells you to move it away from your wrist/hand, just an inch or so, and it also tells you to stand still and raise your arms, so your armpits are "open".
With that kind of stand/measurement I can usually reproduce what I've been measuring before, currently it's more or less 16.3% , maximum spike up was 17.1% and lowest reading so far 16.1%. A measurement with an inbody 770 was 13.4% which I think is less realistic than what the GW4 (in my case the classic 46 / lte version ) was showing. My home scale is reading around 23% which I think is not realistic as well.
Did you take the measurements when you were wearing both watches? Maybe that is irritating the sensors somehow? :)
GPS and HR-recovery after loss should be fixed with an update I hope. Haven't encountered those problems yet, but looks like I will some day
Btw. as you are living near Amsterdam, will you be on the next Strong Viking?
No, measurements only wearing a single watch. I’ve done a lot of them, and it’s sorta everywhere. I got slightly less variance (+\- 3%) the more similar I could make conditions, but realistically it suffers from the same issues as bia.
Samsung debió haber priorizado la vida de sus baterías, en vez del look del propio reloj. El galaxy 3 tiene una buena apariencia. Quería hacerme del 4 pero me desilucionó su duración. Supongo que iré por el Coros Apex. No tienes que andar preocupado por la carga.
The more I watch these videos of watches, the more mistakes I see. Any ideas o best watch for some phone messages, basic fitness etc
Am I the only one who finds Rays voice calmer/softer than usual? Maybe the mic, or the Alps. Regardless, thanks for the review!
Haha...maybe the Alps are calming! Or, I'm just exhausted from them!