What's New in Samsung Galaxy Watch 4?
The Galaxy Watch 4 marked Samsung's biggest smartwatch transformation, switching to WearOS, introducing body composition tracking, and partnering with Google for a unified platform. It's also the last Samsung watch with MST payment technology.
WearOS Platform Transition
The most significant change was abandoning Tizen for Google's WearOS.
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What Was Gained: Full
Google Play Storeaccess with thousands of apps (vs limited Tizen app selection),Google AssistantalongsideBixbyfor dual voice assistant options, nativeGoogle Maps,Gmail,YouTube Music, andGoogle Keepintegration, and industry-standard platform for better third-party app support. -
What Was Lost: Tizen's 2-4 day battery life (Watch 4 lasts 18-24 hours), some Tizen-exclusive watch faces and apps, and the rotating bezel on the standard model (still available on Watch 4 Classic).
BioActive Sensor Technology
The Galaxy Watch 4 introduced the world's first smartwatch body composition analysis.
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Body Composition: Measures body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, body water, BMI, and basal metabolic rate using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) from your wrist
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ECG Monitoring: FDA-cleared electrocardiogram for detecting irregular heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation
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Blood Oxygen (SpO2): On-demand and continuous monitoring during sleep
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Blood Pressure: Wrist-based tracking after calibration with a traditional cuff (regional availability)
Previously, body composition required a separate smart scale or professional equipment.
Exynos W920 Processor
Samsung designed their first 5nm wearable chip specifically for WearOS.
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Performance: 20% faster than previous generation with 50% better graphics
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RAM: 1.5GB (up from 1GB in Galaxy Watch 3) for smoother multitasking
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Storage: 16GB for apps and offline music
The upgraded processor ensures smooth app launching, fluid animations, and better WearOS performance.
Last Watch with MST Payments
The Galaxy Watch 4 is Samsung's final smartwatch with MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission) payment technology.
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MST + NFC: Works at approximately 90% of payment terminals, including older magnetic stripe readers where Apple Pay and Google Pay fail
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Unique Advantage: Samsung removed MST from the
Galaxy Watch 5and all newer models, making the Watch 4 more versatile for payments than its successors
Comparison to Galaxy Watch 3
| Feature | Galaxy Watch 3 | Galaxy Watch 4 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Tizen | WearOS 3.5 |
| App Store | Galaxy Store (limited) | Google Play Store |
| Body Composition | No | Yes |
| Battery Life | 2-4 days | 18-24 hours |
| MST Payments | Yes | Yes (last model) |
| Rotating Bezel | Yes | No (except Classic) |
Revolutionary, Not Incremental
The Galaxy Watch 4 wasn't just an upgrade—it was Samsung's complete reinvention of their smartwatch strategy, prioritizing app ecosystem and health innovation over multi-day battery life. It began Samsung's WearOS era while introducing health features that became the standard for future wearables.
See Also: What OS Does Galaxy Watch 4 Run|What Is BioActive Sensor