Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are by far the strongest Apple Watch Series 7 competitors on the market, almost singlehandedly bringing Google's Wear OS back into relevancy last year.
A new update adds even more health and fitness features to the flagship smartwatches and Samsung is also introducing a new series of watch straps to coincide with the update.
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Galaxy Watch 4 body composition with Centr
The software update rolling out on February 9 to the Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic adds an array of new fitness tracking features along with improvements to sleep tracking.
The built-in body composition analysis with Galaxy Watch 4 now integrates insights from Centr, the popular digital fitness program. Thor actor, Chris Hemsworth, founded the program with fitness, nutrition and mindfulness experts. A free 30-day trial for the full Centr program is available to new users, but the basic insights don't require a subscription.
Galaxy Watch 4 interval training
Support for interval training targets is the other significant fitness feature for this update. This will allow runners or cyclists to set duration, distance and laps/sets, from which Galaxy Watch 4 will build a mixed high-intensity and low-intensity workout. Interval training has been one of the biggest trends in fitness over the last few years, so this enhanced support is a welcome addition.
Galaxy Watch 4 sleep coaching program
Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic already featured sleep tracking, but this update introduces a new sleep coaching program. After tracking at least seven days of sleep and filling out two sleep surveys, the program assigns you one of eight sleep symbol animals. Based on your results, the app will guide you through different methods to help address any sleep issues you may be experiencing.
These could include specific missions, checklists, guided mediation, or articles on sleep and then it produces reports on your progress.
New Galaxy Watch 4 straps and watch faces
The ability to transform your watch and watch face for different use cases is one of the more compelling features of modern smartwatches and the Galaxy Watch 4 series is no exception. Samsung is introducing new burgundy and cream sports straps, along with new fabric and link bracelets to dress your Galaxy Watch up or down. New custom watch face colors and digital clock fonts allow you to make your Galaxy Watch 4 uniquely your own.
What's next for Galaxy Watch 4?
While last year's release of Wear OS Powered by Samsung brought many of the core Google apps to Galaxy Watch for the first time, some still missing features are coming soon.
The most significant of these is the addition of Google Assistant; currently, you only have Samsung's Bixby. Also coming soon is support for streaming YouTube Music over Wi-Fi or cellular, so you can enjoy your music either walking around the house or while on a run or bike ride without having to bring your phone along.
