The Galaxy Watch 4 was the first Samsung wearable to ship with Wear OS (co-developed with Google), replacing Tizen. It established the design language and the BioActive sensor stack used in every Galaxy Watch since. Samsung removed it from the lineup after the Watch 7 launch.
Galaxy Watch 5, 6, and 7 all added newer Exynos W-series chips, brighter Sapphire displays, faster charging, and sleep apnea detection (Watch 7). Battery life improved each generation. Wear OS 5 on the Watch 7 also brings tighter AI integration with Galaxy phones.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 was discontinued in 2024. Galaxy Watch 5, 6, and 7 all added newer Exynos W-series chips, brighter Sapphire displays, faster charging, and sleep apnea detection (Watch 7). Battery life improved each generation. Wear OS 5 on the Watch 7 also brings tighter AI integration with Galaxy phones. If you find one new or refurbished at a deep discount, it can still be a sensible buy — otherwise the alternatives below offer meaningful upgrades for the same money.
Galaxy Watch 5, 6, and 7 all added newer Exynos W-series chips, brighter Sapphire displays, faster charging, and sleep apnea detection (Watch 7). Battery life improved each generation. Wear OS 5 on the Watch 7 also brings tighter AI integration with Galaxy phones. Manufacturers typically retire a flagship after two to three generations to focus engineering and software updates on newer hardware.
Based on our scoring, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra is the strongest direct Samsung successor — see the full list below for scoring and price details.
Samsung typically provides software support for several years after retiring a product, but new feature rollouts (such as on-device AI capabilities) are generally exclusive to the newest hardware. Check Samsung's official support pages for the current update window.
Compare every model we've scored — sortable by price, score and release year.
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