Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 Classic brings back a heritage look, a stainless-steel case with a tactile rotating bezel, while packing modern sensors and a boosted chipset. We wore the 46mm Classic daily in Indian conditions (bright sun, humid monsoon evenings, city commutes) to see whether the traditional styling still makes sense on a modern smartwatch. The short take: it’s a premium, fully-featured watch that favours style without skimping on substance.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Design, materials and fit
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is clearly built to feel like a proper timepiece. The case is stainless steel, the display is protected by sapphire crystal, and Samsung has reintroduced a satisfying rotating bezel for navigation and control. The 46mm case measures roughly 46 × 46 × 10.6mm and the watch tips the scales at about 63.5g, substantial, but well balanced on most wrists. The “Quick Button” and Dynamic Lug System are nice touches that make swapping straps and launching routines simpler.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Display
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic uses a 1.34-inch Super AMOLED panel with a square 438 × 438 resolution that looks crisp and punchy. Samsung says the display can reach up to 3,000 nits peak brightness, which translates into excellent legibility in harsh sunlight, a big plus for outdoor runs or simply checking notifications on Delhi’s brightest afternoons. The rotating bezel remains not only nostalgic but genuinely useful for gloved or wet fingers.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Performance, RAM and storage
Under the hood is Samsung’s new Exynos W1000 chipset (a 3nm design); the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic ships with 2GB RAM and 64GB storage, generous for a watch and useful if you want to keep playlists or several apps locally. The watch feels snappy in daily use, switching between tiles, tracking workouts, and handling notifications without lag. The combination of the new silicon and Wear OS 6 with Samsung’s One UI watch layer gives a smoother, more app-friendly experience than older Tizen days.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Battery life
Samsung lists a 445mAh battery for the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and quotes up to ≈30 hours with Always-On Display (AOD) enabled; real-world endurance varies with usage, but expect roughly one to two days depending on GPS, AOD and how many apps you run. We found typical real-world use around a day-and-a-bit; switching off AOD and trimming background activity pushes that further. In short: better than many compact watches, but not a multi-day champion if you insist on heavy GPS/AI usage.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Health, fitness and sensors
Samsung continues to pack serious sensor capability into the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. It includes the BioActive sensor suite (optical heart-rate + ECG + body composition/BIA capabilities), dual-frequency GPS (L1 + L5) for improved tracking accuracy, sleep and stress insights, an Energy Score and newer metrics such as Vascular Load and Antioxidant Index. For everyday health monitoring and guided workouts, the Classic is comprehensive, and the added sensors help produce richer long-term trends.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Software and smart features
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic runs Wear OS 6 with Samsung’s One UI Watch layer, and includes Galaxy AI features like quick voice assistance and smarter tiles. The rotating bezel combined with the Quick Button makes navigation tactile and less swipe-heavy, which is handy while moving or exercising. App support is far better than older Samsung watches thanks to Wear OS, and the 64GB of storage means you can keep music and podcasts on the watch for phone-free runs.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Practical use in India
Two things stand out in Indian usage: the screen brightness and the build. The 3,000-nit peak brightness makes the watch genuinely usable on bright Mumbai verandas and open India Gate walks, while the stainless steel and sapphire crystal shrug off daily knocks. Water resistance (5ATM/IP68) means you can wear it in monsoon drizzle and while washing up, though you should still avoid heavy, dusty conditions for prolonged periods.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Price and variants in India
Samsung launched the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic in India with the Bluetooth model starting around ₹46,999 and the LTE variant near ₹50,999 at launch; offers and seasonal discounts often change those figures, so it’s worth checking Samsung’s store and retailers for deals. Given the build, storage and sensors, the Classic sits at the premium end of Samsung’s wearable line-up.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Pros and cons
Pros: premium stainless-steel + sapphire build, tactile rotating bezel, very bright display for outdoor use, Exynos W1000 performance and 64GB storage, rich health sensors (BIA/ECG/HR, dual-band GPS).
Cons: relatively hefty for small wrists, battery life is good but you’ll still charge daily if you use GPS/AOD heavily, price is at the higher end of the market, and the Classic’s size may not suit everyone.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic review: Verdict
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is Samsung’s best “traditional” smartwatch in years: it looks like a proper watch while delivering modern silicon, ample storage and serious health tracking. For buyers in India who want premium build, excellent outdoor readability and robust sensor data (and who don’t mind daily or near-daily charging under heavy use), it’s a very strong option. If you prioritise ultra-light comfort or multi-day battery above everything else, look at lighter models or fitness-first alternatives.
