Garmin Fenix 7X Solar Review: The ultimate wearable to answer the call of the wild

The Garmin Fenix 7X is possibly the best multi-sport watch you can buy right now. It can do and track pretty much anything. And on top of that, it’s very accurate and the Garmin Connect app gives very detailed information. It has a solid build, excellent accuracy and a host of activity tracking options. Additional features such as the solar panel and built-in flashlight can be genuinely useful. But, at nearly a lakh, it isn’t something most of us will be able to afford. Regardless, if you want the best, money no bar, and are ok with limited smart features, then Garmin Fenix 7X Solar is the wearable for you. 

If you want something more affordable, and only run or cycle, then you could consider the Garmin Forerunner 55. It offers you excellent accuracy and all the juicy stats via the Garmin Connect app. But, you will not have to say goodbye to a number of features including a touchscreen. If you are looking for a multi-sport watch with a pretty design, then the Fitbit Sense might just fit the bill. It’s pretty and offers a nice colour touchscreen as well.

If you still want something that can handle the great outdoors but want better smart features, consider the Suunto 7 Black. And if you just want a smartwatch with decent activity tracking, then an Apple Watch Series 7 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic might just be the thing for you.  

Garmin’s wearables aren’t usually aimed at the typical first-time buyer who is just thinking about trying out a wearable. They are aimed at hardcore users who know exactly what they want. The Garmin Fenix 7X Solar follows that trend to a T. For starters, it is priced at Rs 98,990, which means it’s definitely not aimed at your typical buyers. So, who is the Garmin Fenix 7X Solar’s ideal user, and is the huge asking price worth it? Let’s find out!

Garmin Fenix 7X Solar: Build and design

Let’s cut to the chase, the Garmin Fenix 7X Solar is huge and heavy. If the Apple Watch Series 7 is a sleek and svelte sports car, the Garmin Fenix 7X Solar is a bulldozer. It is big, bulky, and butch. But this doesn’t mean it’s ugly. It has its own charm and the liberal use of brushed metal oozes machismo. In many ways, it reminds me of the CAT S60 (review) I had reviewed many years ago. Its beauty lies in its functionality.

The case in the wearable is made from fibre-reinforced polymer with a metal rear panel. The bezel itself is made from Titanium and DLC (Diamond-like Carbon coated in Titanium). The strap is made from Silicon. It should be noted that the strap features the classic buckle style for fastening.

On the right, you’ll find two buttons, one for starting/stopping activities, while the other is used to mark laps or go back in the menu. On the left are three buttons. The one on the bottom is used to scroll down, while the one in the middle is used to scroll up and access the menu itself. The one on top turns on the backlight and can also be used to turn on the flashlight. 

The flashlight offers multiple brightness levels and also offers red light. This light can be tweaked to strobe, pulse or blitz. It can also be used to signal for help and will light up to signal SOS in morse code. When in strobe mode, the light can be set to sync with cadence. So when the arm is in the forward stroke, it will light in which, and on the backstroke, it will light up in red. This can be quite helpful for those going for runs at night. 

With such a build, you would expect the wearable to be rugged and the Garmin Fenix 7X Solar feels like it can take on the elements. In a non-COVID world, I would have loved to take it out for a hike. But alas, I wasn't able to test the device to its limits. So I had to make do with dunking the device in a bucket of water. Needless to say, it passed. It should also be noted that while most wearables are rated at 5 ATM for water resistance, the Garmin Fenix 7X Solar is rated at 10 ATM.

Garmin Fenix 7X Solar: Display and UI

The Garmin Fenix 7X Solar packs a 1.4-inch trans-reflective memory-in-panel display. It’s very similar to the one we see in some Huami watches and offers pretty good legibility in bright outdoor conditions. While the display is fine, I really wished I could have had something like an OLED display, especially considering that the display isn’t that bright indoors, even with the backlight on. 

Of course, the Garmin Fenix 7X Solar lives up to its name by offering solar charging. Just around the outer bezel, one can see the solar charger. I will get into details about the wearable’s solar charging abilities in the ‘Battery’ section of the review.

As far as the UI goes, Garmin has taken its traditional UI and integrated touch controls. This makes it much easier to use and makes scrolling through menus much easier. But the fact that it can still be operated by the buttons means that users can still access all the features of the wearable, even if they were wearing gloves. A neat touch.

The downside is that the UI is sort of stuck in the middle. Using the physical buttons isn’t nearly as intuitive as Samsung’s rotating bezel or Apple’s digital crown. Thankfully, users have pretty much full control over menus. So they can choose to have their most-used apps and features shown. This helps to negate the issue of long and cumbersome scrolling. 

As far as smart features are concerned, the Garmin is not a full-blown smartwatch, but you do get some basic features. This includes notifications, caller ID, and the ability to send some limited responses to messages. 

Garmin Fenix 7X Solar: Fitness

The Fenix 7X is a multi-fitness device and Garmin takes that claim very seriously. The watch can track anything from walks to runs, to cycling, to workouts and more. It can even track the different types of cycling, bouldering, skiing, surfing, rowing, racquet sports, and more. In fact, you can also download the different golf courses. The app can search for nearby golf courses and gives you the option to download those. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

I tried doing my 7-minute exercises using the watch and it gives you all the basic information that you’ll need such as length of the workout, calories burned and average heart rate. But you can always dig into the app to get very detailed information such as the primary benefit of your workout, exercise load, intensity and more. You can also access charts that track your heart rate. As far as heart rate tracking goes, the device seemed quite accurate and I saw a spike towards the cardio-heavy part of the workout.

As far as GPS tracking goes, I went for a walk around my society and it tracked my walk pretty accurately. It even tracked the moment where I cut a corner. The only issue I noted was that the GPS doesn’t seem to work very well when indoors. 

As far as sleep tracking goes, the Garmin Fenix 7X Solar can track sleep quite well. The device can track sleep length and mark stages such as deep sleep, light sleep, REM, and awake time. It will also take SpO2 readings and measure respiration as well as movement during sleep. This is quite useful for those who may be suffering from sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. The only problem is the huge size of the Garmin Fenix 7X Solar makes it very uncomfortable to sleep with. More often than not, I just took it off before sleeping. 

Garmin Fenix 7X Solar: App

The Fenix 7X Solar pairs with the smartphone via the Garmin Connect app. Pairing with the app is quite straightforward simply log in to Garmin and then the app will start looking for nearby devices. Then simply follow the on-screen instructions to pair. 

The app is quite rich in terms of information provided to the user. The main page provides information condensed into cards. Tapping on any card gives detailed information for the same. Speaking of detailed information. While the sheer amount of information that is presented may seem overwhelming, Garmin has done a pretty good job of explaining each metric and how it affects you. Simply tap on any of the metrics to know that. 

The app also features challenges that can help motivate users. In fact, users can also create their own challenges and share them with the Garmin community. Speaking of community, the News Feed section is a sort of social platform for Garmin users where they can add friends and share their workouts. Finally, there is the calendar section where users can select any day and see all their activities for that day.  Of course, as with everything, users can edit these if they want by heading over to the drop-down menu,

However, the app has a lot more to offer! Head on over to the drop-down menu and you will see even more options to help you customise your experience. From here, you can download a plethora of different workouts which you can then access via the wearable. This includes HIIT workouts, Yoga and more. If you’re into golf, then there is a separate option from where you can download courses.

While the Garmin Connect app is very detailed, there are times when I feel overwhelmed with so much information. I hope Garmin can find a better way to present the information without removing any of the features. 

There is another app called Garmin Connect IQ. This app gives users customisation options for their wearables. Users can not only install watch faces as well as apps such as Spotify or Deezer. The app can also be used to create your own watch faces via the ‘Face It’ section.

Garmin Fenix 7X Solar: Battery

The Fenix 7X Solar should easily offer you week-long battery life. In fact, as of writing this review, The wearable hasn’t been charged in just over a week and according to the device itself, there are still nine days of battery life left. But it should be noted that this is with continuous heart rate and SpO2 monitoring turned on. Slightly more judicious use can be extended even further. 

The battery life could be even more extended if I was outside more. The solar panel on the outer bezel of the watch helps to extend battery life. And who is gonna say no to that?  However, it should be noted that the watch cannot run on solar power alone, it will have to be charged via the cable and this is where things get a little disappointing. The Fenix 7X Solar is charged via a proprietary cable that sticks into a slot on the bottom of the device. Ideally, I would have liked to have wireless charging or at least a magnet-based charger. It feels very archaic at this point, especially considering the cost of the device. 

Garmin Fenix 7X Solar: Verdict

The Garmin Fenix 7X is possibly the best multi-sport watch you can buy right now. It can do and track pretty much anything. And on top of that, it’s very accurate and the Garmin Connect app gives very detailed information. It has a solid build, excellent accuracy and a host of activity tracking options. Additional features such as the solar panel and built-in flashlight can be genuinely useful. But, at nearly a lakh, it isn’t something most of us will be able to afford. Regardless, if you want the best, money no bar, and are ok with limited smart features, then Garmin Fenix 7X Solar is the wearable for you. 

If you want something more affordable, and only run or cycle, then you could consider the Garmin Forerunner 55. It offers you excellent accuracy and all the juicy stats via the Garmin Connect app. But, you will not have to say goodbye to a number of features including a touchscreen. If you are looking for a multi-sport watch with a pretty design, then the Fitbit Sense might just fit the bill. It’s pretty and offers a nice colour touchscreen as well.

If you still want something that can handle the great outdoors but want better smart features, consider the Suunto 7 Black (review). And if you just want a smartwatch with decent activity tracking, then an Apple Watch Series 7 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic might just be the thing for you. 

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Suunto 7 Review: A true smartwatch experience for those who love the outdoors

The Suunto 7 is a pretty unique offering. Its WearOS base gives users the flexibility to access major apps that they can install on their wearable. Along with that, the legacy and expertise of Suunto give the watch a top-notch build that can rival any rugged watch in the market. As such, the Suunto 7 is arguably the most rugged device that can call itself a proper smartwatch.

However, not everything is perfect. The UI in the Suunto 7 is confusing at least. The relatively poor battery life is also a cause for concern for those planning to wear it for camping or long hikes. 

The UI concerns as well as relatively poor battery life make it difficult to recommend to new users looking for a rugged new wearable. However, those who require ruggedness and don’t really need smart features might be better off with something like the Garmin Forerunner 55. Similarly, those looking for a fitness-centric device without much ruggedness might consider something like the Apple Watch SE or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (review), both of which are considerably more affordable.

The Suunto 7 has the unique position of being one of the only smartwatches to feature this level of ruggedness. As such, it doesn’t really have much in terms of direct competition. However, if Suunto can streamline the UI and improve battery life, it has the potential to be among the best.

Suunto is a name synonymous with rugged, outdoorsy accessories that range from compass sports watches. The Suunto 7 that we have right here is a part of a range of ‘smart sport' watches by the company which aim to merge rugged sports watches with the functionality offered by a WearOS powered device. While we have rugged wearables, they are usually based on proprietary platforms. So they can be limited when it comes to functionality and versatility that an established wearable OS can offer  With prices starting from Rs 36,999, is the Suunto 7 worth picking over other wearables? Let’s find out.

Suunto 7: Design and build

The Suunto 7 packs a very hefty build, which is expected from sports watches. It packs a large metal body with soft silicone straps. However, the wearable is still relatively light. It packs a total of four buttons, which is quite a lot compared to most other wearables in the market, but it does add to the whole ‘outdoorsy’ look that Suunto seems to be going for. The bottom of the Suunto 7 is made of sturdy plastic and houses the optical heart rate sensor and the contact points for the charge. 

A notable little feature is that four edges around the display of the Suunto 7 are slightly raised. This helps protect the display when it is placed (or dropped) on the round. The display itself is made from Gorilla Glass which adds another degree of protection. Another handy thing to note is that the wearable is water-resistant up to 50m. 

Despite its large size, the Suunto 7 is quite comfortable to wear. However, the large size does mean that those with smaller wrists might find it a little too ungainly. 

Suunto 7: Display and UI

The Suunto 7 packs a large AMOLED colour touchscreen that is nice and vibrant, While the glass on the display is quite glossy, the display is bright enough to be legible in sunlight. It ticks all the right boxes. However, the same cannot be said about the UI…

Google’s WearOS powers the Suunto 7 and is fine for the most part. However, it does get annoying at times when trying to use it in tandem with Suunto’s own take on what the UI should be. The four buttons on the wearable tend to make things a little confusing too. For example, swiping right when inside a menu will take you back a step. But on the main menu, it will activate Google Assistant. The lone button on the left of the device acts as a ‘Home’ button most of the time. But when used on the home screen, it opens up Google’s list of apps. 

Keep in mind that these apps are different to the tiles that one can access by swiping left on the watch face. The remaining three buttons on the right seem to be dedicated to activities. When on the watch face, the top button acts as a quick way to bring up the activity menu, the middle one brings up media controls, while the bottom button quickly brings up a stopwatch. When an activity is on, the top button will pause/resume activity, the bottom one will stop it. But pressing the bottom button without pausing the activity will set a marker such as a lap time. Are you still following me?

Overall, I’m sure anyone will get used to the setup after a few days of use. Further, the buttons do make it easier to use when wearing gloves or when underwater. But I still think that there could be more elegant ways of doing the same. Garmin and Fitbit seem to have nailed their UIs. Suunto will do well to take cues from them.

Suunto 7: Fitness

Suunto has been making sports watches for quite a long time now. So users can expect the Suunto 7 to offer a host of activity tracking options and thankfully the wearable does not disappoint. The watch offers a whole host of activity tracking options that range from walking and cycling to hiking, pool, kettlebell, roller skating and more. 

I usually have a system wherein I do a set of Seven Minute Workouts to gauge the effectiveness of any wearable against its competitors. However, due to a very annoying and persistent pain on my wrist, I was unable to do just that. Thankfully, my office has opened up so I could use my commute as a benchmark.

My commute is pretty straightforward. It sees me mostly walking about during the commuting hours, and sitting in front of my computer for the rest of the time. As such, the number of steps I take during office days is usually around the same ballpark. Thankfully, the step counter was on-point at around 5000 steps. Besides steps, the wearable also tracks calories and   

Suunto 7: App

Setting up the Suunto 7 requires the user to install two apps on their smartphone. The WearOS app and the Suunto app. While it is mildly inconvenient, it’s not that bad. The WearOS apps handle smartwatch focused features such as apps, watch faces, notifications, tilt-to-wake and more. The Suunto app is where users will get access to metrics related to activities. 

The WearOS is pretty straight forward and aside from the initial setup, I barely used it. As mentioned earlier, it is also how users will be able to switch watch faces. I personally loved the ‘Heat Map’ watch face as it showed an overview of your local area with frequently travelled activity highlighted. 

The Suunto app is more geared towards fitness and as such, will most likely be the app that users will access more of. The app is pretty straightforward and gives users access to information in the form of cards. 

The first thing users will see when they open the app is a round-up of their activities. This includes the total duration of their activity as well as a break-up of their activities throughout the month. Swiping through lets users access their weekly form, fatigue and fitness levels. 

Tapping on any one of the activity cards gives you the detailed information. Besides the usual slew of information like duration, distance, average speed and so forth. Users can also access information such as ascent, Training Stress Score (based on intensity and duration), pace, cadence, and more. 

One of the most interesting features of the app is the fact that users can replay their activity and route. This allows them to see their speed, altitude and heart rate across different sections. This can be a handy tool when planning a route as it will allow users to fine-tune routes based on their intensity levels. 

Swiping right from the main tab gives users access to the calendar, activity trends and the map.

Suunto 7: Battery 

The Suunto 7 offers a battery life of just about a day, which can be pushed to a day-and-a-half with average use.  This is on par with most other smartwatches such as the Apple Watch Series 6 (review). However, it does pale in comparison to dedicated fitness wearables such as those from Garmin. 

This can be a bit of an issue for anyone looking to use the devices for something like hiking/camping. Plug points could be few and far between, and pretty much requires the use of a power bank.

Suunto 7: Verdict

The Suunto 7 is a pretty unique offering. Its WearOS base gives users the flexibility to access major apps that they can install on their wearable. Along with that, the legacy and expertise of Suunto give the watch a top-notch build that can rival any rugged watch in the market. As such, the Suunto 7 is arguably the most rugged device that can call itself a proper smartwatch.

However, not everything is perfect. The UI in the Suunto 7 is confusing at least. The relatively poor battery life is also a cause for concern for those planning to wear it for camping or long hikes. 

The UI concerns as well as relatively poor battery life make it difficult to recommend to new users looking for a rugged new wearable. However, those who require ruggedness and don’t really need smart features might be better off with something like the Garmin Forerunner 55. Similarly, those looking for a fitness-centric device without much ruggedness might consider something like the Apple Watch SE or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (review), both of which are considerably more affordable.

The Suunto 7 has the unique position of being one of the only smartwatches to feature this level of ruggedness. As such, it doesn’t really have much in terms of direct competition. However, if Suunto can streamline the UI and improve battery life, it has the potential to be among the best.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Review: Must-have for fitness enthusiasts with a Samsung phone

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a no-brainer for those who already own a Samsung smartphone as it is the perfect companion for it. You can still buy it if you don’t have a Samsung phone and if you’re looking for a good smartwatch that can track your fitness levels. Just remember that some features like ECG and blood pressure only work on Samsung phones for now. Overall, the Galaxy Watch 4 is a solid step-up from previous generations and is almost like a spiritual successor to the Galaxy Watch Active 2. If you’re looking for something more elegant, check out the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is the company’s latest smartwatch with which it wants to redeem its smart wearables portfolio. Samsung is currently the second-largest smartwatch maker after Apple which shipped over 9.5 million units by June 2021. In retrospect, Samsung only managed to ship 2 million units in the same time which gives Apple a lead of more than 7 million shipments which more than proves its popularity.

Samsung wants to change this with the Galaxy Watch 4 which is its first smartwatch to run ‘WearOS Powered by Samsung’, a new custom UI for smartwatch developed in close partnership with Google. Until the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, Samsung smartwatches used Tizen OS but earlier this year Samsung announced that it will take the best features from Tizen OS and merge it with the next version of Google’s WearOS. Does that make the Watch 4 worth its asking price? Here’s what we found out.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 pricing and availability

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 with Bluetooth is priced starting at Rs 23,999 in India for the 40mm band size and Rs 26,999 for the 44mm band size which is what Samsung sent us for this review. There are three colourways on offer: Black, Green and Silver and it is available to buy from the Samsung India store and Amazon India.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Build and Design

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has a minimalist design and a solid build quality. The frame is made out of aluminium and is accompanied by a silicone sport band. 

This 44mm version has a thickness of 9.8mm and weighs 30.3 grams which is pretty sleek and does not weigh down on your hand. In comparison, it is thinner and lighter than the Apple Watch SE and Series 6.

The design of the Watch 4 is reminiscent of the Galaxy Watch Active series and has modern looks with a flat display surrounded by chamfered edges. There is a home key with a red accent and a back key right below it. 

The top edge of the Watch 4 has the atmospheric pressure sensor and at the back, you will find a host of sensors including an optical heart rate sensor, electrical biosensors and a pressure vent. There is a speaker unit on the left side as well.

The Watch 4 is also 5ATM and IP68 rated which makes it resistant to dust and water for upto 1.5 metres of freshwater for upto 30 minutes. Additionally, the Watch 4 is also resistant to water pressure at upto 50 meters depth. In my use, the Watch 4 was easily able to withstand splashes of water and though I did not take it along for a swim, I’m confident that it will survive under freshwater for long periods of time. 

While the Watch 4 does not lend too much pressure to your hand and is comfortable to wear most of the time, there is a certain stiffness with the sport band where it bends along the lugs. This largely has to do with how Samsung has designed this watch where the strap is made to look like an extension to the lugs. However, this design choice does leave a little bit of space between the straps and your hand and at times it may feel that the watch has an irregular fit.

If you are someone with slim wrists, you should go for the 40mm model but for everyone else, the 44mm works just fine. It may not be the snuggliest smartwatch around, especially at night but otherwise, there is very little to complain about the design of the Watch 4.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Display

The 44mm Watch 4 features a 1.4-inch Super AMOLED display with 450x450 pixels resolution and has a layer of Gorilla Glass with DX+ which offers scratch resistance and enhances visibility and contrast ratio.

The bezel surrounding the screen is also touch-sensitive and acts as a virtual rotating bezel of sorts, where you can just swipe along the bezel to move along the home tiles. It’s an intuitive feature and I'll give Samsung that, but the functionality isn’t perfect because it's a flat display and a slightly curved screen would have been good here. Nevertheless, the physical rotating bezel that is on the Watch 4 Classic is the real deal.

The display on the Watch 4 gets pretty bright at full brightness levels but you can also set it to adjust automatically depending on the ambient lighting. The sunlight legibility is great and you can easily see and interact with the watch in harsh sunlight without any issues. 

Some of the other features include an always-on display and increasing touch sensitivity for use while wearing gloves. There are tons of different watch faces that come pre-loaded and third-party apps can also be downloaded for more designs, thanks to Wear OS.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 performance

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is equipped with the Exynos W920 processor that has dual-core CPUs running at upto 1.18GHz. Since the Exynos chip is fabricated on a 5nm architecture and is paired with 1.5GB RAM, it is efficient and the One UI Watch 3 interface feels very smooth.

The swipe animations feel snappy and I did not face any lag in my time with it. There’s 16GB storage which is decent for saving your playlist, apps, maps data and more. 

A swipe up from the home screen lets you into the app drawer where the icons are arranged in a honeycomb-like grid. You can check out all the installed apps from the drawer; it’s all very minimal and like clockwork.

When paired with your phone, you will get notifications on the Watch 4 and you can even receive calls, reply to messages and more from it. There is a recent apps icon in the app drawer that feels out of place and would have been useful if integrated into one of the physical buttons. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 tracking features

The Galaxy Watch 4 features a comprehensive set of sensors including the BioActive, accelerometer, Barometer, gyroscope, geomagnetic and light sensors. While it's a standard setup, the BioActive sensor is actually a combination of the optical heart rate sensor, ECG and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis which helps the watch measure blood pressure and body composition. 

However, you can only measure the blood pressure and ECG if you use a Samsung smartphone which is a bummer but is nothing that the company cannot solve via an OTA update.

The Galaxy Watch 4 can track all your fitness activities very easily. It counts the number of steps you took in a day, the time you remained active and the calories burned during those activities. It supports over 90 exercise modes including swimming, running, circuit training, hiking, treadmill and bench press, to name a few. It also keeps a track of your sleep cycle, stress levels and blood oxygen saturation levels. Apart from this, the watch is also capable of detecting activities automatically.

I used the Galaxy Watch 4 to track cycle rides and the Samsung Health app provided me with a holistic view of data points like a detailed GPS map of the stretch, speeds, elevation and heart rate. 

I also had the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Amazfit GTR 2 strapped to my wrists and all three watches recorded more or less similar distance, speeds, duration and heart rates which only lends credence to the tracking features of the Watch 4.

It also offers a split-view of your lap performance at every kilometer that you can filter by average speed or how much time it takes for you to complete a kilometer. 

A similar analysis is available if you take up any other fitness activities like running, walking and hiking to name a few. In activities like running, the Watch 4 also offers advanced running metrics like analysing asymmetry, contact time, stiffness and more and gives you an overall score based on the run.

One of the highlighting features of this year’s Watch 4 is the body composition or BMI (Body Mass Index) feature that measures your body fat, muscle mass, body water and more by sending an electric pulse that travels through your body. The home and back key should be in contact with the middle and the ring fingers for the entire duration the watch calculates the body composition. It takes just 15 seconds for the watch to capture 2,400 data points from your body to analyse fat mass, body fat percentage, body water, basal metabolic rate, weight, BMI and skeletal muscle.

While we were not able to test the accuracy of the body composition feature, it should give you a baseline to start and examine the changes in your body fat over time. The Samsung Health app also plots a chart across all the BMI measurements and shows the changes in your skeletal muscle, body fat and more.

The Galaxy Watch 4 also tracked my sleep accurately and to the minute. The Samsung Health app shows the duration of the sleep, followed by blood oxygen levels during sleep and snoring data. You can also find a detailed chart of the sleep divided across REM, light and deep sleep durations.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Health app

Pairing the Watch 4 with your phone is a fairly easy task. It uses Bluetooth 5.0 to connect to your smartphone and synchronizes data in real time. The app is easy to use and many data points are thoroughly explained in the app itself so you can read and understand exactly what the numbers mean with respect to your vital levels.

You can also connect the Samsung Health app with Strava and can also connect with your friends to share and accept workout challenges. The app is well designed and records all your exercise data that you can access by tapping a date on the calendar. 

In body composition measurement, the Health app provides a detailed overview of how to measure BMI and the data collected and analyzed during body composition measurements based on your weight.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Battery life

The Galaxy Watch 4 is equipped with a 361mAh battery which Samsung claims can last for over 2 days. In our use, however, we managed to get a day and a half worth of use on regular use with notifications, always-on display, Bluetooth and WiFi enabled. If you use it to track workouts, sleep and more, expect the battery life to drop to around a day or so which is just fine as far as Android smartwatches go. Even the Apple Watch Series 6 lasts for around 18-20 hours on a single charge but it costs twice as much.

When it comes to charging, the Watch 4 took over 2.5 hours to fully charge using the magnetic charger provided in the box which is a bummer because the watch is unusable for the duration it is plugged in, missing out on data points when you’re resting or sleeping.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Verdict

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a versatile smartwatch that lets you keep a track of your vitals and activities throughout the day with very little effort from your side. Samsung’s latest timepiece will appease those who love minimalist design. The display of the Watch 4 is sharp and vibrant but we would have liked a slightly curved screen instead.

The Watch 4 is a no-brainer for those who already own a Samsung smartphone as it is the perfect companion for it. You can still buy it if you don’t have a Samsung phone and if you’re looking for a good smartwatch that can track your fitness levels. Just remember that some features like ECG and blood pressure only work on Samsung phones for now.

Overall, the Galaxy Watch 4 is a solid step-up from previous generations and is almost like a spiritual successor to the Galaxy Watch Active 2. Don’t buy it if you have an iPhone as the Watch 4 is not compatible with Apple devices but we expect Samsung to support it soon. If you’re looking for something more elegant, check out the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

 

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LG C1 55-inch 4K OLED TV Review: Fantastic picture performance, unmatched gaming features

The LG C1 is a fantastic OLED TV and lives up to the legacy LG has set with its C series OLED TVs in the past few years. It has fantastic performance for HDR and SDR content and can get quite bright for HDR content. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports making it the ideal gaming TV. Its performance for gaming along with the new gaming settings UI is fantastic. Sure, OLED TVs have the risk of burn-in, but I think if you vary the content a bit, you should be OK. The TV is extremely slim and the design is the same as its predecessor. The new UI and remote control are a welcome change and an evolution in the right direction. The audio output from the TV is average and works well for a small room but for a cinematic content consumption experience, I highly recommend investing in a soundbar. As of writing this review, the LG C1 55-inch is priced at about Rs 1,50,000 but if you look for it offline, chances are you can get it cheaper. We have seen the 48-inch variant of this TV sell for around 95K online making it a great option for those looking for a premium 50-inch TV. In terms of its competition, we have the Sony X90J priced close to the C1 and can be one to consider if you are sceptical about getting an OLED TV. We also have the 55-inch TCL C825 priced at about Rs 1,08,000 if you are in the market to give a Mini LED TV a go. Both the TCL C825 and Sony X90J have only 2 HDMI 2.1 ports when compared to the C1. Overall, the C1 is a fantastic option if you are looking for a premium cinematic content consumption experience and the ultimate gaming TV.

Every year, LG has delivered an excellent performance with its OLED TVs. From the C9 (review) which kicked off the HDMI 2.1 era on TVs to the LG CX (review) which was the first 48-inch OLED TV targeted at gamers, today we have with us the LG C1. The TV is a part of LG’s 2021 portfolio of OLED TVs and brings some much-needed changes to the UI, some interesting gaming features and an all-new remote control. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports for your gaming needs. Is it still the best gaming OLED money can buy?

LG 55-inch C1: Key specifications at a glance

Panel Size: 55-inch (available in 48, 65 77 and 83-inch screen sizes) Panel Type: OLED Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 120Hz  HDR 10 Support: Yes HDR 10+ Support: No Dolby Vision Support: Yes Weight (with stand): 41.6 kgs HDMI Ports: 4 USB Ports: 3 Bluetooth: Yes (v5.0) Wi-Fi: Yes Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 40W (2.2Ch) Price (MOP): Rs 1,49,999 for the 55-inch 

LG 55-inch C1: DISPLAY AND PICTURE QUALITY

The LG C1 is an OLED TV and in our Calman analysis, we recorded a peak brightness of about 750 nits on the TV which is very good. The TV has a fairly colour accurate display and, in the Cinema, preset we got an average delta error of 1.4 which is incredibly low and a good thing. Even in the ColorMatch HDR we got an average delta error of 1.66 which is also very low. The colour reproduction of the TV out of the box is very good for both HDR and SDR content consumption. 

LG 48-inch CX: 4K and HDR Performance

LG’s OLED TVs have offered some of the best performance money can buy, and the case is no different here. We saw our standard slew of HDR content on Netflix and Prime Video. The TV supports HDR 10, HLG and Dolby Vision including Dolby Vision IQ but does not support HDR 10+. With self-emitting backlighting, we get an infinite contrast ratio on this TV and the colours on the OLED look deep as ever. When it comes to HDR performance, the TV is sublime. We got some of the best colours and colour accurate performance from this TV which can rival the likes of the Sony X90J (review). In a show like Our Planet, the colours just pooped. Even animated content has depth and vibrancy in colours. While an OLED panel can get reflective in a well-lit room, it is in a dark room that the performance of this TV really shines with absolutely no form of hallowing or blooming appearing on the display.  

I have the same qualm here with the Disney+ Hotstar app as I did with the LG CX and that is the lack of Dolby Vision and surround sound support. The feature is available on Disney+ Hotstar on budget Android TVs and it is high time we get support for it on the LG OLED TV as well. 

Long story short, HDR content looks fantastic on this TV, with bright highlights, and very good colours. You are paying for premium performance here and that's what you get. 

LG 55-inch C1: SDR Performance

When it comes to SDR content, the overall performance of the TV is very good. Some people may complain that the SDR content looks slightly dim on this TV and that's possibly due to the SDR peak brightness of 125 nits. While this is bright enough some may want a more Vivid image. Thankfully, the Vivid preset does just that! It bumps up the colours and even the brightness of content to give you a more enjoyable experience. This may not work for all types of content. There are shows like Young Sheldon where the Vivid preset works extremely well and some cases where the content looks oversaturated. Switching to the Standard or Cinema preset here helps a lot. 

LG 55-inch C1: Gaming performance

The LG C1 has all four HDMI 2.1 ports with support for ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), 4K at 120Hz, G-Sync and Free Sync support. If you are rocking an Xbox Series X (review), PS5 (review) or even the RTX 30 series GPU then, you can take full advantage of what the TV has to offer. LG has made some changes to the gaming UI of this TV. Pressing the settings button when in Game Mode no longer brings up the settings on the left side of the TV. You get this vibrant purple UI at the bottom of the display giving you information like FPS, black stabiliser, Low Latency, VRR, etc. The TV has different settings for different game modes and you can toggle the game modes from this UI. It has Standard, RTS, FPS and more modes to choose from which changes the settings to suit the game on the screen. For the most part, I found Standard to get the job done very well. 

We connected a PS5 to the TV to check out its gaming performance along with a few games that support a high refresh rate, like Dirt 5 and Ratchet & Clank. When we fired up these games in their 120Hz modes, the UI immediately recognized the high refresh rate of these games and displayed the same on the UI, very seamlessly. Unlike previous LG OLED TVs, the HDMI Ultra HD Deep colour was switched on automatically when the TV recognised the PS5 and we got full RGB HDR with support for 4K at 120Hz. 

All the games we played on this TV, be it Ghost of Tsushima (review), Deathloop (review), Spider-Man Miles Morales (review) and many more looked fantastic with deep blacks, vibrant colours and immensely immersive. If you are looking for a TV for the penultimate gaming experience, then you can consider the LG C1 hands down. Apart from being reflective in a very well-lit room, there are no coms I can think of why this shouldn't be your next gaming TV. Sure, OLED TVs may still have the risk of burn-in, but if you vary the content you consume, then it shouldn’t be a problem. 

LG 55-inch C1: Audio Performance

While the picture performance of the LF C1 is sublime, the one place it suffers slightly is with its audio output. The LG C1 has a 2.2 Chanel set up with 40W of sound output, just like its predecessor. If you plan to use this TV in a small bedroom, then the output from the TV should get the job done for watching movies and playing games. The speakers on the TV support Dolby Atmos, but don't expect the sound to surround you from all angles. But placed in a living room, you will miss the bass in the bangs and thuds. While dialogues and background scores are easily audible, the distinct lack of channel separation is missed especially when we watch a movie like Ready Player One which has all the cars whizzing around the screen. 

LG C1: UI

One of the biggest changes to the LG C1 is the UI of the TV. LG announced the new UI at CES 2021 and we finally have it in action on the C1. We no longer have the rectangular tiles occupying the bottom of the display. Instead, the new UI takes up the entire screen. The first page of the UI is filled with content suggestions, smart capabilities and tips and tricks. Then we have a row of apps, sources, and the home dashboard. Below that have content suggestions from various streaming services. 

The TV still comes with a magic remote and the settings have been shuffled around a bit and in my opinion for the better. They are easier to navigate when compared to the C9. The colours of the settings have also changed from pink colour to grey giving it a slightly more mature look. 

The only con with the UI is in the previous version, one could seamlessly switch between streaming services by pressing the home button and bringing the row of apps at the bottom of the display without leaving the current app. In the new UI, pressing the home button takes you full-screen home UI rather than bringing up the app switcher. It would be great if there was an app switcher in the UI just like the previous version of WebOS but this is a really small niggle in the grand scheme of things especially when you consider the overall changes to the UI. 

LG CX: Remote control

LG has redesigned the remote control that you get with the C1. When compared to the remote you got with the CX, you can see a lot of things have changed for the better. The new remote control feels slightly less weighty at the bottom making it more ergonomic to use as a magic wand with the TV. Another change which is very good is that the volume button and the channel buttons on the new remote control are a single toggle making it easier to use. Small change, but definitely worth it. It also has more squarish edges rather than rounded edges and I like the new design. You also have more OTT hotkeys and slightly bigger buttons at the bottom which includes Netflix, Prime Videos and Disney+ Hotstar. You also get dedicated buttons for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The scroll wheel is slightly depressed making it easier to use. Overall, a move in the right direction. There are two improvements I wish LG still made in their TV remote control. The first is that the tracking wheel only scrolls vertically. I wish it would scroll horizontally as well making the UI navigation more seamless. The other thing that I miss is that the older remote had a play and pause button and it worked across all OTT apps. The absence of the dedicated play and pause button is severely missed on the new remote control. 

Left: Old LG magic remote. Right: New LG Magic remote. 

Overall the remote control is a move in the right direction. Maybe next year LG makes this track wheel into a ball and adds the play and pause button. The remote control also has an NFC chip. You can simply tap your smartphone to the remote control and be able to cast onto the TV which is also a great option.

LG CX: Build and Design

LG has gone with an “if it ain’t broke, don't fix it” with the design of the C1. Placed next to a C9, you wouldn’t know which TV is which. It has a long tabletop stand that holds the TV in place from the centre when kept on a tabletop. We have the LG B9 stand for this review due to logistical reasons, but the stand you get with the C1 is the same as the CX and the C9. The tabletop stand is angular and looks premium. 

The panel of the TV is extremely slim, with almost no bezels surrounding the display. It is slightly thick towards the bottom, where you have the components and connectivity options.

Speaking of connectivity options, the TV has three HDMI ports and one USB port facing the side. Facing the back, we have one HDMI port, two USB ports, AV in, LAN, optical port, 3.5mm port and a good old antenna. 

Bottom Line

The LG C1 is a fantastic OLED TV and lives up to the legacy LG has set with its C series OLED TVs in the past few years. It has fantastic performance for HDR and SDR content and can get quite bright for HDR content. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports making it the ideal gaming TV. Its performance for gaming along with the new gaming settings UI is fantastic. Sure, OLED TVs have the risk of burn-in, but I think if you vary the content a bit, you should be OK. The TV is extremely slim and the design is the same as its predecessor. The new UI and remote control are a welcome change and an evolution in the right direction. The audio output from the TV is average and works well for a small room but for a cinematic content consumption experience, I highly recommend investing in a soundbar. As of writing this review, the LG C1 55-inch is priced at about Rs 1,50,000 but if you look for it offline, chances are you can get it cheaper. We have seen the 48-inch variant of this TV sell for around 95K online making it a great option for those looking for a premium 50-inch TV. In terms of its competition, we have the Sony X90J priced close to the C1 and can be one to consider if you are sceptical about getting an OLED TV. We also have the 55-inch TCL C825 (review) priced at about Rs 1,08,000 if you are in the market to give a Mini LED TV a go. Both the TCL C825 and Sony X90J have only 2 HDMI 2.1 ports when compared to the C1. Overall, the C1 is a fantastic option if you are looking for a premium cinematic content consumption experience and the ultimate gaming TV. 

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