Samsung Galaxy Watch 9: Ultimate Buyers Guide

Samsung’s next generation of smartwatches is here with Samsung having announced both the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 at its annual Summer Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22, and there’s a lot of refinements, new features, and a slightly updated design that brings the Galaxy Watch series forward into the new era of wearables.

Like last year’s models, Samsung is launching the Galaxy Watch 9 in two variants, Bluetooth/Wi-Fi and LTE, and it’ll come in two sizes, which are 40mm and 44mm. Samsung is hailing the Galaxy Watch 9 as the everyday companion smartwatch, whereas the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is designed for extreme adventures, or in other words, people who like to hike, dive, climb, run, and cycle often. Much like the Galaxy Watch 8, the Galaxy Watch 9 features the squircle shaped watch case that was first introduced with the original Galaxy Watch Ultra, and that shape seems to have been popular enough for Samsung to keep it around for another generation of watches.

While the design hasn’t really changed or been upgraded much, Samsung has upgraded plenty of other stuff with this new watch. Including the battery life and battery capacity, and added several new features that help users make the most of their active lifestyles.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 Specs

Samsung didn’t do a complete spec overhaul with the Galaxy Watch 9 but it has thrown in some upgrades where it seems like they would count the most. In this particular case, that boils down to the processor, and the battery. Just like the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, the Galaxy Watch 9 comes with a bigger battery than its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch 8. This bigger battery is about 20% larger, totaling 390mAh. That might not seem like much, but it will be enough to get you a little extra time, and that extra time could mean the difference between having battery life left when you get home to toss it on the charger and not.

As for the processor, Samsung has moved away from its Exynos chipsets and is now using Qualcomm. Specifically, the Snapdragon Wear Elite Platform, allowing for better performance, and an overall smoother user experience because of that. In fact, Qualcomm is powering all of Samsung’s latest devices, with the three new foldables using the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy.

Display size hasn’t changed, and remains 1.34 inches for the 40mm size watch and 1.47 inches for the 44mm. Display brightness remains unchanged as well, and is still up to 3,000 nits for peak brightness. The watch still has the same durability and water resistance rating as well. On the software side, the Galaxy Watch 9 comes running on Wear OS 7 with One UI 9 Watch right out of the box.

How much does the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 cost?

Samsung has increased the price of basically every device it has released so far this year, and this includes the new Galaxy Watch 9 as well as the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. The Galaxy Watch 9 differs a bit since there are multiple variations of it that you can buy. The price for the Galaxy Watch 9 starts at $379.99, and this is for the Bluetooth model of the 40mm watch size. The LTE model bumps the price up to $429.99. If you’re going for the 44mm size of the watch, then you’re looking at a price of $409.99 for the Bluetooth model or $459.99 for the LTE model. This is about $40 cheaper than the launch price of Google’s 45mm LTE Pixel Watch 4, although you can now find that for around $400 when it’s on sale.

Another thing to keep in mind is that those full retail prices may come down if you have trade-ins, and/or if you take advantage of any existing promotions that may be going on at your retailer of choice.

Where can I buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9?

You’ll be able to buy the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 at a wide variety of retailers, both online and eventually, in stores locally. For online buyers, the Galaxy Watch 9 is already available for pre-order with Samsung opening pre-orders up on July 22. The watch officially launches for general sales availability on August 7. As for where you can buy it, you can pick it up from the usual places.

This includes getting it from Samsung directly, which might be the best option as Samsung usually offers the best deals and promotions when it launches new devices. In addition to Samsung, you’ll be able to buy the Galaxy Watch 9 at retailers like Amazon (which is giving away a gift card when you pre-order), and at the major carriers, including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. The carriers only have the LTE models, which is expected since they have the capability to attach service to the watch.

Samsung – $379.99

Buy from

Amazon – $379.99

Buy from

AT&T – $379.99

Buy from

T-Mobile – $379.99

Buy from

Verizon – $379.99

Buy from

What carriers does it work on?

As you would expect, the Galaxy Watch 9 will work on most carriers if you’re getting the LTE model. If you’re getting the Bluetooth model, then it will just connect to your phone via Bluetooth and it gets data connectivity that way. For the LTE models, these will work on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, as well their MVNO carriers. These should also work on smaller MVNO carriers if they offer data connectivity for smartwatches. That being said, if your carrier doesn’t see the Galaxy Watch 9, and you’re wanting to use one with it, you should check with your carrier first before buying an LTE version of the watch from Samsung or Amazon.

Outside of the US, the LTE model should work the same way. It’ll be available at certain carriers, and may work on others even if not sold directly through them.

What colors does the watch come in?

Samsung is being a little more generous with the Galaxy Watch 9 when it comes to colors, but not really by much. It technically comes in three colors total, but each size will come in one exclusive color, with a second color that’s shared between them. So there’s not a whole lot of choice there. That being said, this is more or less what Samsung has done with most of its watches. Whereas something like the Pixel Watch 4 comes in four colors for the smaller 40mm model, and three colors for the larger 45mm model.

For the Galaxy Watch 9, you can grab the 40mm model of the watch in either Cream or Graphite. If you’re going for the 44mm model, it’ll come in either Silver or Graphite. The good news is that Samsung will be offering several color options for the bands, along with multiple band options. So, you’ll be able to personalize things a little more that way.

What new features does the Galaxy Watch 9 have?

The Galaxy Watch 9 basically comes with all of the same new features as the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, save for any that are specific to the hardware that the Galaxy Watch Ultra has that the Galaxy Watch 9 does not. This means users who go for the Galaxy Watch 9 will get things like the new Hearing feature which alerts you after recognizing that you may be encountering unsafe hearing levels. If you’re not really concerned about the hearing levels of your music or other ambient sounds around you, then you might not use this a lot. But it’s definitely going to be a necessary feature if you want to minimize the risk of damaging your hearing where it’s possible to avoid making it worse.

There’s also plenty of other health-related features coming to the Galaxy Watch 9. For instance, Samsung has unveiled a new Vitals feature that will be very easy to use for most people. Specifically because you don’t really have to interact with it much, as it does its job while you sleep. The way Vitals works is it monitors for deviations in your personal health baseline while you’re asleep. It can then give you personalized guidance on how to adjust anything that needs adjust once you wake up the next morning.

Another new feature is the Fitness Index. This is sort of like a way to get personalized coaching but it also serves as a way to get motivated in a competition-like manner. Fitness Index will show you how you compare to other users who are around the same age. So you can basically see their stats and how you stack up against them. it’s not really a leaderboard, but you might be able to think of it that way if it helps with the motivation.

Heart Health Score is new to the Galaxy Watch 9 as well. With the Heart Health Score, you’re getting just what it sounds like. A simple score for your heart health. With the scores, the watch can also make personalized recommendations on how to improve it.

What bands are available for the watch?

As of the launch of the Galaxy Watch 9, there are initially three different types of bands that Samsung is officially offering. This includes the Sport Band, available in Black, Blue, Cream, Olive, and Yellow. The Sport Band is like your traditional silicone sport band that most smartwatches will come with.

Then there’s the Fabric Band. This is the perfect band for anyone who wants something more casual to wear with everyday outfits and most occasions where you aren’t exercising a whole lot. Though it does work perfectly fine for when you are exercising. The Fabric Band comes in Black, Blue, Mocha, Olive, and Yellow.

Finally, there’s the Misty Band, which is made from a similar silicone-like material, but it differs from the Sport Band in that it doesn’t have the carved-out section down the center, and it comes in a dual-tone color design. The colors that the Misty Band comes in include Black, Blue, Cream, Green, and Yellow.

Images and Video

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9?

The Galaxy Watch 9 provides users with several new features and improved battery life compared to the Galaxy Watch 8, and things only get better if your smartwatch is even older. Or if you don’t have a smartwatch at all. It won’t be the right fit for everyone, as some will prefer a more advanced option like the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

However, the Galaxy Watch 9 is going to be a great everyday smartwatch for the users who don’t need something with those extra “extreme adventure” features. Plus, the Galaxy Watch 9 will be significantly less expensive, making it a better value if you don’t need or want those extras. In that case, you should definitely buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9.

The post Samsung Galaxy Watch 9: Ultimate Buyers Guide appeared first on Android Headlines.