Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. Galaxy Watch Ultra: Which one should you pick?

Galaxy Watch 6 Classic fans are in for a treat this year as Samsung has finally launched the much-awaited Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. After skipping the Classic model with the Watch 7 series, the new Watch 8 Classic sports a new design with a blend of the standard model and the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

This begs the question: between the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. Galaxy Watch Ultra, which smartwatch offers better value? If all you care about are fancy looks and need that third button of the Ultra on your watch, the Watch 8 Classic makes a compelling case for itself. Let's see which one is the better buy.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. Galaxy Watch Ultra: Design and display

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The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic features a design similar to the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which is either a good or bad thing depending on your aesthetic taste. The good news is that apart from inheriting the design, the Watch 8 Classic also gets the third Quick Button, which is useful.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is available in only one size, 46mm, but it can be purchased with either Wi-Fi or LTE connectivity. Interestingly, it features a smaller 1.34-inch AMOLED display compared to the 1.5-inch display of the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The resolution is also a bit lower, but you do get the Sapphire Crystal glass for protection.

The dimensions of the Watch 8 Classic are 46.4mm x 46mm x 10.6 mm, making it smaller and slimmer than the Watch Ultra. They both weigh roughly the same, though, with the Watch 8 Classic being a bit heavier at 63.5 grams.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is large and imposing, weighing 60 grams and measuring 12.1mm in thickness (excluding the sensors). The design is also quite striking, as the case doesn't look like your typical smartwatch. In fact, it bears a striking resemblance to the Apple Watch Ultra, another very expensive smartwatch. The titanium frame around the display gives the Galaxy Watch Ultra an added level of durability.

It also has one of the best displays on any Samsung watch. The Watch Ultra features a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 480 x 480 pixel resolution and a maximum brightness of up to 3,000 nits. It comes in three colors: Titanium Silver, Titanium Gray, and Titanium White. It lacks a rotating bezel, which the Watch 8 Classic will most likely have, but you do get a third customizable Quick Button for jumping in and out of activities.

Besides the usual durability certifications like MIL-STD-810H, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is also rated for 10ATM water resistance, which is double that of most other watches. It's also tested to survive in chlorinated or salty water, which means you can safely go swimming with it in a pool or the ocean.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. Galaxy Watch Ultra: Hardware and specs

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic starts at roughly $520, which is significantly lower than the $649 price tag for the Ultra. The Watch 8 Classic comes with 2GB of RAM, along with 64GB of storage. The latter is twice as much as what you get on the Ultra, which means more room for files and apps. The Watch 8 Classic only comes in two colors and features a rugged build with 5ATM, MIL-STD-810H, and IP68 certifications.

As for battery capacity, the Watch 8 Classic has a 445mAh battery, so slightly larger than the standard Watch 8 (and Watch 7) but smaller than the Watch Ultra. Fast charging is also supported using the bundled charger.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra launched at $649, although Samsung is now officially selling it for roughly $450 to $490. That's a significant discount and brings it even lower than what the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic costs. This really makes you think long and hard before making a choice.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is powered by the Exynos W1000 SoC, and it has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Health and fitness tracking performance was very good, although GPS positioning wasn't as accurate as a Garmin watch. Overall, we found the fitness hardware to be much stronger compared to previous generations when we reviewed it.

The Watch Ultra is the best Samsung watch for those who require the ultimate battery life. Samsung promises 60 hours with the always-on display enabled, and this is something we managed to achieve in our testing. Charging is not the fastest, as in our experience, it typically takes about two hours to fully charge the watch from an empty battery.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. Galaxy Watch Ultra: Software

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic comes with the latest One UI 8 Watch, which is based on Wear OS 6. One of the significant additions is Gemini replacing Google Assistant. Some of the new things you can do are ask Gemini to remember your gym locker number or summarize your last email, all from the watch.

There are also new Samsung Health upgrades given to the Watch 8 Classic. A few notable ones include a new metric called "vascular load," which monitors your daily cardiovascular system and provides alerts if you're engaging in excessive activity. An Antioxidant Index is another new addition, although getting a reading for it requires you to remove the watch from your wrist and hold your thumb up against the sensor.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic vs. Galaxy Watch Ultra: Which one is better?

With prices of the 2024 Galaxy Watch Ultra down to sub-$500 levels, it would be foolish not to buy the Ultra over the Watch 8 Classic. You're getting a much larger battery with longer battery life, a more durable casing, a larger and brighter display, and it should get all the new features once it gets the latest One UI update.

The Watch 8 Classic will no doubt eventually make it to our best Samsung watches list, but up against the likes of the Ultra, which keeps getting heavily discounted, it's going to be a tough sell. The rotating crown and an extra year of updates are probably the only unique features it can brag about, but the Ultra has it beat pretty much everywhere else.