How the Galaxy Watch 7 differs from the Galaxy Watch 6

At the Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung showcased its next generation of foldable devices and debuted new health-focused wearables, including the first-ever Galaxy Ring and the premium Galaxy Watch Ultra.

While both of these products have received a lot of attention, the updated Galaxy Watch 7 has flown under the radar a bit. Even though it features a design similar to the previous generation, the Galaxy Watch 7 comes with a host of meaningful improvements and changes. Here’s everything you need to know.

1 Faster performance

Exynos W1000 is a major upgrade compared to the previous generation W930

The first, and probably the most significant, change in the Galaxy Watch 7 is the inclusion of the new Exynos W1000 processor. This chipset, built on a 3nm node process, delivers up to three times faster CPU performance compared to the previous generation, according to Samsung. The company also claims that the new processor is 30% more power-efficient.

Specs-wise, the Exynos W1000 is a penta-core chipset with one high-performance Cortex-A78 CPU core and four Cortex-A55 CPU cores. In addition to the faster processor, the new smartwatch packs half-a-gig more RAM and 32GB of storage, roughly double that of the Galaxy Watch 6.

All of this means you can expect a noticeable performance boost on the Galaxy Watch 7. Also, with these high-end specs, you can expect longer software support, although Samsung has yet to officially comment on this.

2 Galaxy Watch 7 runs Wear OS 5 out of the box

Galaxy Watch 6 is still on Wear OS 4

Alongside featuring better internal hardware, the Galaxy Watch 7 also runs on Google’s latest Wear OS 5 out of the box. In fact, the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra are the only two smartwatches right now to run on Wear OS 5 — not even the Google Pixel Watch 2 or Samsung’s Watch 6 series have received this update.

While it doesn’t bring major visual changes, Wear OS 5 includes many under-the-hood improvements. Google claims you can expect improved battery life and performance on Wear OS 5, and there are improvements to health tracking as well. Coupled with the new Exynos W1000, the Galaxy Watch 7 could deliver the best performance and power efficiency of any Wear OS smartwatch.

3 Galaxy Watch 7 has a more accurate GPS system

Finally, dual-frequency GPS

While Samsung Galaxy Watches have long featured built-in GPS for outdoor activity tracking, they have (slightly) lagged behind Garmin smartwatches and the Apple Watch in terms of location accuracy.

The company has finally upgraded to a dual-frequency GPS system that allows for more precise location tracking, especially in challenging areas, such as when surrounded by tall buildings or trees. This means the Galaxy Watch 7 will be able to pinpoint a user’s location more quickly and accurately than the Watch 6.

4 Improved BioActive sensor

More accurate health reading compared to the previous generation

Galaxy Watches have used the 3-in-1 BioActive sensor since the Galaxy Watch 4, which combines optical heart rate, electrical heart signal, and bioelectrical impedance analysis into a single sensor. The Galaxy Watch 7 takes this to the next level with an improved BioActive sensor that includes more LEDs for even more accurate health metric readings and better accuracy across multiple health parameters.

Moreover, in addition to providing metrics like body composition, stress levels, ECG, blood pressure monitoring, irregular heart rate detection, and sleep apnea, the Galaxy Watch 7 will also introduce the AGEs Index. This feature will help users track their body’s biological aging process and provide an indication of their metabolic health. Both the AGEs Index and the improved BioActive sensor are exclusive to the new Galaxy Watch 7.

5 Galaxy Watch 7 lets you control your watch in more ways

You can now double-pinch to control your watch

Similar to the Apple Watch, the Galaxy Watch 7 lets you control on-screen elements when your hands are full using a new double-pinch gesture. It’s worth noting that this is disabled by default and must be enabled through the Galaxy Wearable app. Additionally, the double-pinch functionality will only work when the watch is paired with a Galaxy smartphone running One UI 6.1.1 or newer.

Galaxy Watch 7 is a bigger upgrade than you think

All things considered, the Galaxy Watch 7 is a bigger upgrade than expected. While it may look similar to the previous generation, Samsung has made numerous improvements on the specs side that will deliver faster performance and better health-tracking capabilities. The Galaxy Watch 7 is already up for pre-orders, starting at $300 in the US, with great deals available right now to save even more.