The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is the latest addition to the brand’s wearable lineup, headlining the Galaxy Watch 6 lineup that is the successor to the very popular Watch 5 lineup that was launched last year. While I did not get a chance to play around with the older Watch 5 Classic, when the Watch 6 Classic showed up at the Digit Test Labs, I wasted no time and got my hands on the watch or the watch on my hands 😉 Whatever. The watch comes with a host of improvements over its predecessor, many of which I covered in my reel posted on Digit’s Instagram and YouTube channels. These include an improved rotating bezel, better and more personalised health tracking features, and a faster CPU to name a few.
I did spend my fair share of time with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, handing it to my peers at the Test Labs and getting their views, all of which have been put into this article. So, read on to find out whether the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic makes for a good purchase at ₹43,999 for the top-of-the-line 46mm LTE variant!
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic – Build and design take charge!
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is a looker. With its stainless steel case, a watch face that could be (in my opinion) the literal definition of class, and a strap which looks awesome in its pastel colourway, it makes for a watch that I could easily pair with most of my outfits for a variety of occasions. The way Samsung has played around with the brushed and glossy finish on the watch face is something that I loved. The legend on the rotating bezel is sometimes hard to read, but if you are someone who is trying to keep it low-key, I guess that helps.
The strap uses a soft-to-touch silicon finish on the inside, which touches your skin, with a leatherette inlay on the front and a stitch running along the edge of the strap. Even when I was sweating during my runs, wearing the watch was a comfortable experience overall. The number of holes on the strap that came factory-fitted on the watch was also fine for most people in the Test Labs. Talking about the strap, the replacement is super easy, and you can get additional straps to change the look of the watch without much hassle.
Now, if you have a lean wrist, please go for the smaller 42mm variant because the round dial will look massive on your wrist. Or you can go for the regular Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. Now, if you are a fan of that chunky look, then definitely go for the Watch 6 Classic! As for the weight of the watch, it came in at 85 grams, with the strap attached.
Coming to the materials on the watch's body and face, the stainless steel that was used to make the watch case, as expected, held up well against all the (minor) bumps. As for the crystal on the watch face, Samsung has labelled it to be a sapphire crystal glass. When using the watch, it did not pick up any scratches on the screen, and I don’t think, until you are intentionally doing activities that will scratch the watch face, it should be a problem for you in the long run.
But, for the one-off situations, especially when you are outdoors when the watch might get exposed to certain conditions which are not favourable at all, I would recommend you put on a scratch guard on it. A case is not warranted, as the stainless steel will be able to withstand almost everything you send its way.
Also Read: Switching from a Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro to the new Galaxy Watch 6: Good upgrade?
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic – Features and day-to-day use
As for the features in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, there are some inclusions which I cannot help but love, but there are some others which I did not find as mesmerising as the brand advertised them to be. Let’s rip the band-aid right away and start with the ones I wasn’t impressed with.
The first one is the bezel control. At times, I found the scrolling and other tasks that required me to use the bezel to be a bit out of sync. There were instances where the bezel’s ratcheted action was stuck at half and was accidentally triggered when the watch brushed against my body or sometimes when I was moving my hand as well. The second is automatic activity tracking. There were a couple of instances when I was out for a walk, and the watch recorded a swim. I did not jump into the pool with the watch and was on the sidewalk. I think, especially with the LTE version, the watch should also make smart use of my location data to know whether I am close to a pool or not.
It was not something that happened every time, but if I were to pay for this watch, even a single instance of that happening would irk me. Lastly, in two very distinct instances when I was on a call in an area with good cellular reception, the watch’s reception went to zero and the call ended. However, this was when I slid my hand into the pocket of my jeans, and I tried replicating the same thing after the first two times it happened, but I wasn’t successful. Maybe it is a one-off, but again, if there’s anything that would prevent that, I would love to know. Otherwise, calling and using the cellular connectivity on the watch was a charm!
Now, coming to the good part. Let’s start with the activity tracking. It was on point all the time. It did pick up the wrong activity on a couple of occasions as I mentioned before, but for the most part, it was something that impressed me. I pitched the numbers recorded by the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic against that of my Apple Watch Series 7, and the results were on point all the time. Having used the Apple Watch for some time now, and having walked the same route a fair number of times, I am pretty confident of the metrics of the Apple Watch, that’s why the comparison.
The watch was able to handle almost everything that I sent its way. The Samsung Wallet worked when needed, sleep tracking was also accurate almost every single time. There were one or two occasions when I did feel that it was off by like 10-15 minutes, but that I guess, can be attributed to a whole lot of factors which come into the picture when you are asleep. The BIA analysis was something that I personally had never experienced on a watch before. I did not have any way to verify the readings taken by the watch, but from what I knew from my historical medical data, the watch did a good job.
Lastly, in terms of battery life, on a day of regular use, with inconsistent cellular reception, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic lasted through my workday, with me needing to juice it up at the end of every day.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic – Does it hold up against the heavy hitters?
In the Android space, there are very few watches that come close to Samsung’s lineup in terms of their capabilities and pricing as well. If you are a hardcore fitness enthusiast, then you might look at a Garmin watch, which would cost a bomb. Fitbit is not as charming as it used to be, and other manufacturers are playing the budget game. Apple, which is the brand that comes closest to this, is trapped in its own ecosystem, where it's winning a race that it is running alone. They are doing a good job, but the constraints of the “ecosystem” drag it down when it comes to a market outside of Apple users.
So, if you have the money, and are looking to take the plunge, then I can say you should get your hands on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. It gives you what you would expect from the money you are shelling out for it and more. I believe it is meant for a crowd that would go to office, workout, cook, and want to do everything under the sun with the watch on. And, it nails it! If you are a hardcore fitness enthusiast, then I would say you can look at the Garmin Venu 2 Plus or if you are looking for almost the same specs at a slightly lower price, then you can go with the regular Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.
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Satvik Pandey
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile
