Well, the results are mixed. While the sensations of wearing the fitbit really blend in with clothes and other things, the Samsung is heavier and bulkier. Lots of fun functions, but hard to figure out or remember the path to them.
The main problem is the battery. This Watch 4 is circa 2021, so three years old. From reviews at the time, the run time wasn't great. Samsung's answer is a switch that turns off everything except the watch. Um, I can get a Timex Expedition for less than half what I paid for this. Why bother with a smart watch?
I'm trying to find a schedule that works with my day for charging it. It looks like it needs at least one hour a day, maybe more. In contrast, the Fitbit gets 15-20 minutes per day, with a longer shot every three or four days.
One of the things I use a smart watch for is to track my sleep patterns. Can't do that if the watch is on the charger all night.
The other thing I use, what I bought the Fitbit for in the first place, is the hourly reminder to move. The Fitbit is unreliable with this. I manage to get maybe one-in-five notifications. The others are probably happening, but aren't strong enough to get my attention unless I'm sitting still and not too focused.
I haven't found out yet if the Samsung will notify me, or will just post a note saying I haven't been active. Still looking.
It's a fun toy, but without a better battery it's more of a novelty. I do like the looks.
Ah, this old blog
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
My fitbit died. Wouldn't connect to my phone. The phone could see it as a BlueTooth device, but couldn't pair.After struggling for a while, I got diverted to a listing for a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 for $200. That's a heck of a price for a Samsung device, even if it isn't top of the line. I ordered it. I then found and fixed the fitbit problem (of course). A matter of turning everything off and back on more than once.
I decided to keep the order for the 4 in. That's not a bad price, I like the actual dial face, and I can return it. I wanted to see what it would do.
Turns out, the reason for the low price is that it's pretty much obsolete. Not listed as a supported device at samsung.com, but there are enough links to answers left that it got me through several tests. It did sleep tracking, although I'll wait another day to see if it's accurate. I'm wearing both devices now, one on each wrist.
It does monitor for inactivity, which is the first thing I got a smart watch for. That's a strong point for the Fitbit, but I only manage to catch about one notification in 5-10. The haptic buzz just doesn't register.
The Samsung doesn't seem to alert for inactivity at all. I may be missing it again, but it's annoying that I haven't detected it yet (although there was a silent internal message).
Tracking steps is pretty much no-brainer, and it's not a primary goal. I know when I haven't worked out.
This is one of those devices meant for people who spent hours playing Doom-like games where you guess, and test, and try rather than knowing what button to push, or how some feature is supposed to work. Eventually, you start to see a pattern, but then again every app is a little different.
I'm got the watch late yesteday, this is my first full day with it. I've tweaked some settings. I'd like to learn voice control, but it won't wake on voice. The screen has to be on to summon the assistant (Bixby). I was able to send a text (I thought phone keyboards were small!), I was able to call a friend - on my phone, not on the watch. I haven't used voice control very much on my phone or other devices. Voice dictation is handy, and I'll use it more as I learn.
Now to go do something other than fiddle with the buttons for a while.
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