Is It Time to Upgrade? Samsung Watch 4 vs 6 Detailed Review

The Samsung Galaxy Watch series has consistently been a highlight in the smartwatch market, with the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 6 representing two key milestones in its evolution. Released in 2021, the Galaxy Watch 4 was the first to feature Google’s revamped Wear OS platform, breathing new life into Samsung's wearable ecosystem. Two years later, the Galaxy Watch 6 builds on that foundation with significant enhancements—offering a larger display, improved battery life, a sleeker design, and more advanced health tracking features, signaling a refined return to form.

So, for those who already own a Galaxy Watch 4, is it worth upgrading to the Galaxy Watch 6? This article dives deep into a side-by-side comparison of the two models across essential categories including performance, system experience, health features, and everyday usability. Whether you're new to smartwatches or considering an upgrade, this comprehensive Galaxy Watch 4 vs. Galaxy Watch 6 review provides valuable insights to help you make an informed decision.

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Samsung Watch 4 vs 6 - Specifications

Samsung Watch 4 vs 6 - Design, Material and Size

In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 6 share a similar overall look, maintaining the classic round watch face that suits everyday wear, sports, and formal occasions. However, there are notable differences in details such as materials, bezel treatment, color options, and style variations.

The Galaxy Watch 4 features a lightweight aluminum body with smooth, rounded edges, giving it a youthful and sporty vibe. It comes in two sizes—40mm and 44mm—and offers color options like black, green, silver, and a standout rose gold. The right side houses two physical buttons arranged simply for intuitive operation. Despite being released a few years ago, its design remains attractive, especially for users who prefer a lightweight and comfortable fit.

In comparison, the Galaxy Watch 6 refines the design while keeping a similar body size. The aluminum version is still lightweight but with slimmer bezels and sharper lines, delivering a more mature and premium feel. Color options include Starlight White, Cloud Gray, and Galaxy Silver, offering a more subdued and sophisticated palette. Additionally, the Watch 6 Classic comes in stainless steel with sizes of 43mm and 47mm and features the iconic rotating bezel, appealing to those who prefer a traditional watch aesthetic. The button layout remains similar to the Watch 4, ensuring a familiar and comfortable user experience.

Winner: Galaxy Watch 6

It offers a more refined design with richer material and color choices while maintaining the comfortable fit users love, better meeting modern demands for style and quality.

Samsung Watch 4 vs 6 - Watch Bands

Both the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 6 feature a standard 20mm width strap design, compatible with various materials to meet different users’ needs for comfort and durability. Compared to the Watch 4, the Galaxy Watch 6 introduces a quick-release button design, making strap changes more convenient and enhancing the overall wearing experience.

While official straps offer reliable quality but limited styles, some third-party straps on the market may fall short in craftsmanship and comfort. To address this, Bandletic has specially launched a range of high-quality Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Bands and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Bands for these two watches, focusing on nylon and silicone materials to meet diverse preferences.

Strap Materials & Recommended Models

Both watches support multiple materials such as silicone, nylon, fabric, leather, and metal. Bandletic recommends the following models:

• R-Nylon 1 Samsung Watch Band 20mm: Lightweight and breathable, ideal for everyday wear and sports.
• R-Nylon 2 for Samsung Watch Band 20mm: Offers great elasticity, balancing comfort and style.
• R-Lite Fit-Magnetic 1 for Samsung Watch Band 20mm: Soft silicone with a magnetic clasp, perfect for intense workouts.

Quick-Release Design & Compatibility

The Galaxy Watch 6’s quick-release button enables easy one-click strap removal and installation, greatly improving convenience. Although some third-party straps may have compatibility issues due to connector differences, the 20mm width standard ensures basic interchangeability between the two watches. Bandletic straps are optimized for the quick-release design, ensuring compatibility and ease of use.

Comfort & Versatility

The Galaxy Watch 6 strap design is more flexible, suitable for various daily and sports scenarios. Bandletic’s nylon and silicone straps are made from premium materials, emphasizing breathability, elasticity, and durability, suitable for all-day wear — whether at work, exercising, or during leisure.

Samsung Watch 4 vs 6 - Display

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 features significant upgrades in display compared to the Galaxy Watch 4. Both use round AMOLED screens, but the Watch 6 offers larger sizes—with 1.3-inch screens for the 40mm and 43mm models, and 1.5-inch screens for the 44mm and 47mm models—boasting a higher resolution of 480×480 for sharper and more detailed visuals. In contrast, the Watch 4 comes with 1.2-inch (40mm) and 1.4-inch (44mm) screens with lower resolution, resulting in slightly less vivid display quality.

Additionally, the Galaxy Watch 6 adopts a flat screen design with slimmer bezels, increasing screen-to-body ratio for a better viewing experience. Its brightness is boosted up to 2000 nits, greatly improving visibility under direct sunlight. Both watches feature scratch-resistant sapphire glass, but the Watch 6 offers a more durable and premium screen protection.

Winner: Galaxy Watch 6
With a larger, brighter screen and more advanced design, the Galaxy Watch 6 delivers a clearer and more comfortable visual experience, especially suited for users with higher display quality demands.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Watch 4 - Health and Fitness

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 offers significant upgrades in health and fitness features compared to the Galaxy Watch 4. Both watches are equipped with Samsung’s BioActive sensor, supporting heart rate, ECG, blood oxygen, and body composition monitoring. The Watch 4 provides over 90 exercise modes, automatic workout detection, sleep scoring, and apnea monitoring, making it well-suited for basic health management. In contrast, the Watch 6 adds a skin temperature sensor for menstrual cycle tracking and non-contact temperature measurement, along with fall detection and irregular heart rhythm monitoring, enhancing user safety and heart health support.

Moreover, the Galaxy Watch 6 supports over 100 workout types and introduces personalized heart rate zones and a “Track Run” mode tailored for track training, helping users create more effective exercise plans. Its sleep analysis is also more comprehensive, offering personalized recommendations developed with the National Sleep Foundation to help optimize sleep quality. Overall, the Galaxy Watch 6 delivers more accurate data, richer features, and smarter health management, making it the better choice for users seeking comprehensive health tracking.

Winner: The Galaxy Watch 6 stands out as the best option for health and fitness tracking thanks to its more advanced sensors, expanded workout options, and intelligent sleep management.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Watch 4 - Battery Life

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 6 each have their strengths in battery capacity and endurance. The Galaxy Watch 4’s 40mm model features a 247mAh battery lasting about 24 hours, while the 44mm model has a 361mAh battery with around 34 hours of use. With Always-On Display and other power-hungry features turned off, the battery life can extend up to two days, and it takes about 1.5 hours to fully charge.

In contrast, the Galaxy Watch 6 comes with larger batteries—300mAh for the 40mm and 425mAh for the 44mm model. However, due to the bigger and brighter screen, actual battery life is slightly shorter. When Always-On Display and continuous heart rate monitoring are enabled, the 40mm lasts about 22 hours and the 44mm around 28 hours. Turning off the Always-On Display can extend battery life to approximately 36 hours. Charging speed has also improved, with a full charge taking only about 70 minutes.

Winner:

The Galaxy Watch 6 offers faster charging and better battery life with the Always-On Display enabled, making it ideal for users who want quick charging and all-day screen visibility.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Watch 4 - Price

The Galaxy Watch 4 was released in 2021 with a starting price of $249.99 for the 40mm Wi-Fi version and $279.99 for the 44mm model. The Classic version cost around $50 more. Over time, the Watch 4 has become more affordable, making it a solid choice for budget-conscious buyers looking for value.

The Galaxy Watch 6 launched in 2023 with slightly higher pricing: $299 for the 40mm version and $329 for the 44mm model. The Classic version saw a bigger jump, retailing at $399 - $70 more than the Watch 4 Classic and $100 more than the standard Watch 6. The higher price reflects its upgrades in design and performance.

Winner:

If you’re on a budget, the Galaxy Watch 4 offers better value. But for those seeking the latest features and design, the Galaxy Watch 6 is worth the extra investment.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Watch 4 – Hardware and Performance

Both the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 6 are powered by 5nm Exynos chips, delivering stable performance. However, the Watch 6 features an upgraded Exynos W930 processor with a higher clock speed and 2GB of RAM (compared to the Watch 4’s 1.5GB), offering smoother multitasking and improved system responsiveness. Both models come with 16GB of storage and the Mali-G68 GPU, ensuring smooth operation for daily apps.

In addition, the Watch 6 supports Bluetooth 5.3 (vs. 5.0 on the Watch 4), providing more stable connectivity. It also runs on the latest Wear OS 4 with One UI Watch 5, delivering a more refined and responsive user experience. Overall, the Galaxy Watch 6 stands out in terms of hardware improvements and is better suited for users who prioritize performance.

Winner:

Galaxy Watch 6 – Notable upgrades in processor and RAM lead to faster response times and a smoother overall experience.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Watch 4 - Software and User Experience

The Galaxy Watch 4 was Samsung’s first smartwatch to run on Wear OS 3, combined with the One UI Watch interface. It offers essential health tracking, app notifications, and integration with Samsung Pay and Bixby. Although it was later upgraded to Wear OS 3.5 and One UI Watch 4.5, its overall feature set remains relatively basic.

In contrast, the Galaxy Watch 6 comes pre-installed with Wear OS 4 and One UI Watch 5, providing a more intuitive interface and smoother performance. It introduces new features such as an AI-powered health assistant, personalized heart rate zones, sleep coaching, and smart gesture controls. Additionally, the Watch 6 benefits from a longer software support cycle, making it ideal for users who value advanced functionality and long-term use.

Winner:

Galaxy Watch 6 – thanks to its smarter features, smoother experience, and extended software support.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 vs. Watch 4 - Recommended User Groups & Summary

Who should choose the Galaxy Watch 4:

• First-time smartwatch users
• Budget-conscious buyers seeking good value
• Users needing basic health tracking
• Those looking for practical everyday use

Who should choose the Galaxy Watch 6:

• Users with advanced health monitoring needs
• Those requiring longer battery life
• Users who want stronger performance and smoother experience
• Those seeking more smart features and system updates

Summary:
The Galaxy Watch 4 offers reliable performance and affordability, meeting the needs of entry-level users. The Galaxy Watch 6 delivers comprehensive upgrades in hardware and software, ideal for users with higher demands for functionality and experience. Choose the smartwatch that fits your budget and needs to make your life more convenient and healthier.