Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 tickers ditch Tizen, ship in two distinct styles

Ever wondered what would happen if Samsung combined the stainless steel style of its smartwatches with software based on Wear OS? Wonder no more: the new Galaxy Watch 4 is the first to run Wear OS 3. Playing nice with Google means a bigger app catalogue, while Samsung’s One UI overlay gives the Watch 4 a slick, icon-based interface which harks back to Tizen. Four variants will hit shelves on 27 August: the streamlined and sporty Watch 4 will ship in 40mm (£249) and 44mm (£309) sizes, while the more traditional Watch 4 Classic – complete with rotating bezel – measures in at 42mm (£349) and 46mm (£369). Dropping an additional £40 bags you 4G eSIM connectivity, but you don’t need to spend an extra penny to access the suite of fitness features. Besides familiar activity modes, a new Body Composition tool analyses body fat, water weight and bone density for a more accurate measure of your lifestyle. Add 40-hour battery life into the mix, plus a new Exynos processor and the promise of streamed TV workouts, and the Apple Watch Series 6 has some serious competition.