Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

As a Galaxy Watch 4 owner, I can say that after almost four years, I'm not very happy with this watch, and the main reason is just one: the damn software! The battery still lasts a full day with everything turned on, but the software is beyond terrible!

Let's start with the SpO2 oxygen saturation sensor: in manual measurement mode, it shows 99%, while every night, according to it, I should already be dead with an oxygen level of 70%. Heart rate measurements are almost never taken—or rather, lately, the green LED decides to turn off whenever it feels like it, making it highly unreliable. The funny thing? If I set heart rate monitoring to automatic, the green LED turns off; if I set it to manual, it stays on all the time! Damn software!

But now, let's talk about the main reason I absolutely HATE this damn watch. Over the past two years, I must have accumulated at least 500 disconnections, and that wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have to RESET the watch every single time just to redo the pairing! This is unacceptable. They introduced a bug in the software because in the first few years, it NEVER, and I mean NEVER, disconnected even once. Now, it happens almost all the time.

Not to mention that when it disconnects, two or three identical devices appear on my phone, but with different MAC addresses. Maybe these constant disconnections are related to the random MAC address setting—I don't know. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll buy a Samsung watch again. I might try a Chinese brand instead. It’s a shame because the hardware is great (I’ve never changed the strap and have worn it 24/7 for almost four years!), but the software is truly awful!

So i'm usually a classic watch guy, so i've been out of the loop on digital watches as i have basically refused to buy one so far. That also means i have limited knowledge. I have recently started to work out more, mostly running, and i find that i really could use a lot of the features from smartwatches. I do not want to spend a lot of money on one, as i don't see myself using it every single day, and i want to find out if i actually enjoy using one first. So under $200 is preferable. I know there are many brands outside the "phone brands" like Garmin, Polar etc, but i bought an S23 as my new phone this summer and i guess it makes most sense to buy a Galaxy watch then? It seems like the Galaxy Watch 4 is on sale now this month and i can get one for under $200, which seems fair. But i know the newest is 6 now. Is a Galaxy Watch 4 still a good buy? Is it going to fulfill my needs?

My criteria for a smartwatch is basically that i should be able to use Spotify on it, so i don't have to bring my phone when going for a run, that it tracks my runs and i can see my runs on the map, and that it works with apps like Strava. I don't really care about having notifications and stuff when i am going for a 30 min run or something, so i guess BT version will suffice? Any advice?