Galaxy Watch 9 vs. Galaxy Watch 8: I've compared both models, here's my advice

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Close Home Tech Wearables Smart Watches Galaxy Watch 9 vs. Galaxy Watch 8: I've compared both models, here's my advice Samsung just unveiled its latest Galaxy Watch 9, but how much better is it than the previous-gen Galaxy Watch? Written by Nina Raemont, Editor, Wearables & Health TechEditor, Wearables & Health Tech July 22, 2026 at 6:00 a.

m. PT Written by Nina Raemont, Editor, Wearables & Health TechEditor, Wearables & Health Tech July 22, 2026 at 6:00 a.m.

PT Nina Raemont/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.Product launch season is upon us, and Samsung kicked things off at its Galaxy Unpacked event in London with its new lineup of smartwatches: the flagship Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 and the more accessible Galaxy Watch 9. Also: Everything announced at Samsung Unpacked 2026: New foldables, smartwatches, moreAs Samsung's base model smartwatch, the Galaxy Watch 9 has a handful of upgrades that could make the Pixel Watch or other Android watch owners convert.

But how does it compare to its predecessor, the Galaxy Watch 8? Specifications Galaxy Watch 9 Galaxy Watch 8Display Super AMOLED, 3,000 nitsSuper AMOLED, 3,000 nitsBattery 390 mAh325 mAhProcessor Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite Exynos W100 RAM/Storage2GB memory, 32GB storage 2GB memory, 32GB storage SensorsSamsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Bio-signal Sensor + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light SensorAccelerometer, Barometer, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Sensor, Electrical Heart Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Infrared Temperature Sensor, Light Sensor, Optical Heart Rate SensorWater resistance5ATM / IP68 5ATM / IP68 ConnectivityBluetooth, Bluetooth LTE, GPSBluetooth, Bluetooth LTE, GPSPrice Starting at $379Starting at $249 You should buy the Galaxy Watch 9 if... Kerry Want/ZDNET Buy the Galaxy Watch 9 View now at Samsung 1.

You plan on wearing it 24/7 There are two types of smartwatch users: those who wear it only during their workouts or for or sleep monitoring, and those who keep it on all day. They're the people taking the smartwatch on a 20-mile run, and also wearing it to a wedding to track their dancefloor cardio. Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs.

Z Fold 7: After a year of usage, I'm ready to upgradeIf you resonate more with the latter category, you also, presumably, want a smartwatch to be powered at all times. The Galaxy Watch 9 gets an upgraded battery, with capacity extended to 390 mAh, around 30 hours of life with Always-On Display enabled.2.

You want to try some of the newest Samsung health featuresSamsung packs several new features that bring its health-monitoring software closer to rivals, specifically Oura, Google, and Apple. You'll find a new cardio score on your Samsung Health app that tracks your training, heart rate data, and recovery to fine tune workout intensity. It also introduces a sleep apnea score to the app, to track nighttime breathing disturbances and alert you of any anomalies.

Kerry Wan/ZDNETFollowing with this scoring theme, Samsung adds a heart health score to the watch, which feels similar to Oura's cardiovascular age feature. By taking your seven-day sleep time average, activity average, body mass index, and blood pressure into account, the heart health score offers up a rating of heart health alongside helpful