This week saw the launch of the Galaxy Note 9 - but we also saw a new smartwatch from Samsung - Galaxy Watch. As was heavily rumoured, gone is the Gear S branding in favour of bringing it into the Galaxy family.

Samsung has walked its own path with its smartwatch programme, using its Tizen platform, rather than hopping onboard with many of its rivals who opted for Google's Wear OS - or Android Wear as it was previously known. Samsung hasn't suffered with Tizen on the Gear watches so far, because it does its job well - within some constraints. Although Wear OS offers wider app support, it makes a lot of sense for Samsung to stick with its own platform.

Having launched the Samsung Galaxy Gear S3 in 2016, an updated watch was long overdue. Here's everything we know about it so far. 

Galaxy Watch release date and price

  • Bluetooth-only available now, 4G version later
  • The 4G watch will be available on EE, like the Apple Watch Series 3

The Bluetooth version is available from today for £279 for the 42mm version and £299 for the 46mm - although it looks from the Samsung store as though new orders will be fulfilled on 6 September.

EE will be carrying the 4G edition in the UK later this year. If you order the watch you'll get a free Wireless Charger Duo, which is a good deal as it's worth £89. 

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Samsung

Galaxy Watch versions and specs

  • Three colours, two models
  • 46 and 42 mm versions

There are two versions of the Galaxy Watch (SM-R800 and SM-R810). There are three different colour variants available - Silver, Midnight Black and Rose Gold - with the Silver version coming in at 46mm and the other two smaller, at 42mm.

As we mentioned above Galaxy Watch is available with 4G built in (although Bluetooth-only is the norm), 4GB of internal storage and as we said the software is based on Tizen OS 4.0. Bixby voice control is also available on the device.

There is heart rate monitoring, while the Watch is also water resistant. Galaxy Watch will work with Android and iOS phones, and there are many different strap options available, in all manner of colours.

The Galaxy Watch display is tough

  • 1.2-inch display
  • Gorilla Glass for protection

The "always-on" circular display on the 46mm version is 1.3-inches, while the 42mm models have a 1.2-inch display. Apart from that, they all share similar features and tech inside.

They are built using military-grade materials and have Corning's Gorilla DX+ glass on the face to prevent breakages or scratch.

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Samsung

The Galaxy Watch battery life is long

  • Battery life will last up to a week for the bigger version

But the highlight feature comes with battery life. While the Galaxy Watch uses a specifically designed, powerful processor - the Samsung-made dual-core 1.15GHz Exynos 9110 - it is capable of lasting up to seven days between battery charges. 

Considering rivals, including the Apple Watch, last two days at most, this is welcome news. We have heard though, that this battery life refers to the bigger 46mm version and that the battery inside the smaller version is, well, smaller - you'll get around 4 days out of the 42mm apparently.

Check out Samsung Galaxy Note 9 specs and news