Samsung has done a great job of smoothing the transition from its long-standing Tizen watches to the Galaxy Watch 4 and this new era of Wear OS. You get all the appealing components of classic Tizen Samsung Watches, including great-quality hardware, intuitive software and an optional rotary controller, with a potentially brighter future for third-party apps. Should you buy one instead of a Galaxy Watch 3? Probably yes, unless the price drops through the floor. Should you be a bit miffed if you bought a Galaxy Watch 3 three months ago and now find yourself living with a (probably) dying smartwatch platform? Definitely.

Whether you're looking for an all-singing, all-dancing smartwatch or just a smart-looking fitness tracker, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series seemingly does it all. These watches are slimmer and more powerful than their predecessors - and more affordable too. It's quite the showcase for how far Wear OS has come in a short period of time.

Attractive design and fully round screen; Stacks of sensors to track in depth; Tracking basics and exercise specifics; Smooth and fluid operation in Wear OS;

Do you really need all those in-depth tracking options?; Rotational bezel on Classic might be less useful in Wear OS update; Question mark over battery life;

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4’s headline feature is a revamp of its software, which combines the look and feel of Samsung's existing Tizen platform with the functionality of Wear OS. Aside from that, this is similar device to the Galaxy Watch 3, which is fine by us as that was a fantastic smartwatch, and fans of Samsung’s wearables are likely to be very happy with what's on offer here.

Interesting new software; Lightweight design; ;

Lacks rotating bezel; Limited fitness upgrades

The high-end Galaxy Watch4 Classic features a stainless steel design and a rotating bezel backed by a better software experience and more third-party apps than previous Samsung smartwatches, though you can get a similar experience for $100 less with the standard Watch4 model.

Attractive classic watch design, Rotating physical bezel for easy navigation, Bright, sharp display, Fast processor, Body fat and composition measurements, Tracks snoring, More third-party apps than previous Samsung watches

Short battery life, Third-party app selection still trails Apple's watchOS

It’s Google’s new smartwatch OS, but it’s Samsung’s watch

Snappy interface, Improved third-party app support, Expanded health tracking, Rotating bezel, Improved third-party app support, Expanded health tracking

Locked in to Samsung’s ecosystem, Bixby, Samsung’s privacy policy should be clearer, Locked in to Samsung’s ecosystem, Bixby, Samsung’s privacy policy should be clearer

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4’s headline feature is a revamp of its software that combines the look and feel of Samsung’s existing Tizen platform and the functionality of Wear OS. It has good fitness features, strong battery life and a comfortable design. There are some compatibility issues, which may frustrate some potential buyers, but largely the Galaxy Watch 4 is an interesting iteration of Samsung’s top smartwatch formula.

Excellent performance; Interesting new software; Lightweight design;

Limited compatibility; Lacks rotating bezel; No exciting fitness upgrades

Even if you aren't a huge Samsung fan, you'll find a lot to like....

The Galaxy Watch 4 is finally here, acting less as an update to last year’s Samsung wearable and more as the first in a long line of next-generation smartwatches. Very few tech products this year have garnered quite the same level of anticipation as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.

Wear OS at its finest, The digital bezel works like a charm, Flat, minimalist design is stunning, Gorgeous collection of original watch faces, If you want the best Apple Watch alternative: Samsung and Google have knocked it out of the park with the Galaxy Watch 4, setting a new bar for Android...

Still a lot of features yet to come, Doesn’t work with iPhone, Bixby is a mess, If you’re set with Apple: The Galaxy Watch 4 has zero functionality with Apple’s ecosystem, so if you’re an iPhone user then it’s better to steer clear.

Advanced processor. Third-party app ecosystem seems promising. Gives more customizability to Android users.

Battery life is a little disappointing. Body composition feature is tricky. Really, no Google Assistant? Drops iOS compatibility.