(CNN Spanish) – Samsung introduced the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic as the first watches that want to offer the best of Tizen and Wear OS in a single operating system (called Wear OS Powered by Samsung and known as Wear OS 3), but in a way they fail despite being the best smartwatches the company has released to date.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 watches, presented along with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3, were for many the most interesting products that the company revealed at its Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event, mainly because they are the ones that are launching a unified operating system that combines the system that Samsung has used in its watches in recent years (Tizen) and the Google system specialized in this class of devices (Wear OS, previously known as Android Wear).

At the moment, however, the watches make it clear that they are simply a first generation of this success because although some basic things like Google Maps and Google Pay are present, others like Google Assistant and Google Home (or Nest) are not. Also, the new features or integration with Fitbit that Google hinted at in the Wear OS 3 presentation aren't there either.

(Credit: Juan Garzón / CNN)

Despite this, the Galaxy Watch 4 are watches with a very good construction, attractive designs, a lot of functions (which now integrate body composition measurement) and competitive prices.

Also, these Samsung watches are the company's first with a 5nm processor (which promises 20 percent more power than before) and double the internal storage to 16GB (instead of 8GB).

It is worth making clear that the so-called Galaxy Watch 4 version looks like a new generation of the Galaxy Watch Active 2, while the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic with its physical rotating bezel looks like the successor to the Galaxy Watch 3.

Wear OS 3 or Wear OS Power by Samsung: Tizen and Wear OS in one

Google and Samsung are joining forces to take their smartwatch operating systems to the next level with Wear OS 3, or Wear OS Powered by Samsung.

This is the first watch with this operating system, but it has Samsung's custom interface (One UI) that would make the experience a little different than what we would see on watches from other manufacturers and possibly even from Google.

However, this new operating system allows the app ecosystem to be unified to carry more apps than the two platforms had and thus seek to offer a more consistent experience that allows it to better establish itself against the Apple Watch.

In addition, Wear OS 3 allows phone settings (such as a Galaxy S21 Ultra and possibly as the Pixel 6 Pro will offer) to be automatically transmitted to the watch to provide consistency in user preferences. Even apps installed on the cell phone are automatically installed on the watch when it is available.

These are good news for smartwatches, but while there are more apps available (including Google Pay and Google Fit), your Google accounts can be copied to the watch with ease and the interface brings Wear OS components, the interface and experience. overall it looks a lot more like Tizen than Wear OS and basic apps like Google Assistant, Google Home and Gmail are missing.

Instead, you are forced to use Bixby as your virtual assistant or voice recognition and SmartThings as your smart home hub.

Also, the watches have to be configured through the Samsung wearable app instead of the Wear OS app. Furthermore, this means that it is necessary to download the Watch 4 plugin from the Google Play Store and if you do not use a Samsung cell phone, you will also need to install Samsung Accessory Service.

Gesture features from Wear OS are also coming to Tizen, but not in the same way. In previous versions of Wear OS it has been possible to control the interface with gestures, but in the Galaxy Watch 4 you can only use gestures to answer calls or reject alerts and calls.

Additionally, while previous Wear OS and Tizen watches were compatible with iPhone, the Galaxy Watch 4 is not compatible with Apple phones.

In conclusion, the Galaxy Watch 4 is a step forward in terms of its operating system, but it feels like just a step towards offering the best of Tizen and Wear OS, but not yet the experience that Google had initially planned.

(Credit: Juan Garzón / CNN)

BioActive sensor for better monitoring of your health

The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic are the first watches to integrate the BioActive sensor that combines three powerful sensors in one without sacrificing detection and accuracy, at least according to Samsung.

This BioActive sensor combines an optical heart rate sensor, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor.

With this, users can detect blood pressure, arrhythmias, blood oxygen levels, blood pressure and, for the first time, body composition. With this, users can get more detail about health and fitness through key measurements such as bone mass, basal metabolic rate, percentage of water and fat. All of this can be done in just 15 seconds by placing two fingers on the watch -- the watch will measure over 2,400 data points.

However, at launch blood pressure is not available in, say, the United States.

Other exercise functions such as the coach that encourages you to keep working, the possibility of exercising and showing your status on a Samsung TV or measuring Vo2 are present.

As for performance, I think the Galaxy Watch 4 did a good job overall, except for step counting which was generally very high (thousands of steps difference) compared to what I was getting with the Galaxy Watch Active 2.

(Credit: Juan Garzón / CNN)

Sleep and snoring monitoring

Samsung still offers a feature that allows sleep monitoring, but promises some improvements to get more detailed details of the quality of sleep.

Even when you sleep, the watch monitors blood oxygenation, detects snoring to combine it with other data to provide you with a sleep marker.

However, it is necessary to have the cell phone within a short distance from you so that it can detect snoring and also differentiate between them in case your partner also snores.

Also, although I found the sleep detection time to be correct, I found it very strange that most of the time it marked from zero to just a few minutes of deep sleep.

Galaxy Watch 4 battery life

The Galaxy Watch 4 has a battery that allows them to last in most cases a whole day of use, especially the large models that have a larger battery (as well as larger screens).

However, in my tests the watches fell short of what the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2 offered. For example, using the 44mm Galaxy Watch 4 and the 46mm Galaxy Watch 4 Classic they lasted me from morning to morning. with normal use, having the screen always on, doing a little exercise and sleeping with them.

Generally, when I ran out of battery on the Galaxy Watch 4, the Galaxy Active 2 had 10 or 20 percent battery. This can undoubtedly disappoint more than one, especially that other watches of previous generations offered even better duration than those watches. I imagine Samsung has put a higher priority on design, as these are a bit slimmer than previous generations.

On the other hand, Samsung promises a faster battery charge, but in my tests it still seems slow, especially compared to the Oppo Watch that charges in just a few minutes.

(Credit: Juan Garzón / CNN)

Price of the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

The presale of the Galaxy Watch 4 began on August 11 and will be available on the 27th of the same month. Those who pre-order these watches will get $50 at Samsung.

The price of the Galaxy Watch 4 is US$249, while the price of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is US$349 for the 40 (regular) and 42mm (Classic) models in the version without cellular connectivity. Connected versions can be purchased from $299 to $399 depending on size.

Galaxy Watch 4: features and specifications

Conclusion of the analysis

The Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic are Samsung's best smartwatches, but they didn't quite live up to my expectations.

In general, the watches offer a good performance and the integration of Wear OS with Tizen is certainly a step forward for the company's watches, but it is still not a best of both worlds integration and only some parts that leave Of course, this is only the first generation.

It's not clear if this means that these clocks will improve significantly over time or that the next generations will show more complete integration with the best of the two operating systems.

Despite this, I think these watches are worth considering unless you have a Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch Active 2. Those watches have better battery life and many of the same features, except for composition measurement. bodily.

Choosing between a Galaxy Watch 4 and a Galaxy Watch 3 will depend on the price difference, but at this time there is no clear or very large difference that makes a Watch 3 worth more.

Editor's note: This note was updated on August 24 to clarify that the Galaxy Watch 3 and Active 2 do not yet have blood pressure in the US.