Can Samsung Finally Nail the Smartwatch Experience? One UI 8 Watch Aims High
Read in other languages:
Samsung has launched the One UI 8 Watch beta today, and with it, yet another attempt to elevate the Galaxy Watch from competent to exceptional. Packed with promises of smarter gesture control, deeper health tracking, and more meaningful personalization, the update looks solid on paper. But the real question remains: will it actually fix what’s been missing?
Smarter, or Just Newer?
At the core of the update is gesture navigation, most notably a double-pinch shortcut that allows users to scroll through notifications, answer calls, and launch apps without touching the screen. There's also a shake-to-dismiss gesture for closing overlays and going back to the watch face. It's clever, but how reliable and natural these controls feel in real use remains to be seen.
I was skeptical of the new watchOS 26 wrist-flick gesture that mutes calls and silences timers and alarms—and I'm equally unconvinced by similar gestures on Samsung Watches. Why? Because they fail more often than they work.
That said, with improved sensors—or even cameras, as seen in the Apple Vision Pro—gesture control could eventually become truly intuitive. So maybe it’s not such a bad idea to start getting used to them now.
Notification Overhaul—Finally
Notifications are now grouped by app, with a redesigned interface designed to reduce clutter. Users can choose where alerts appear—watch, phone, or both—which sounds simple but could significantly improve usability if implemented cleanly.
The catch? Samsung's notification sync hasn’t always been seamless, so this will need more than UI polish to impress.
Wellness That Doesn’t Feel Tacked On
Health upgrades are central to One UI 8: Bedtime Guidance now recommends when to sleep, based on your habits. Devices like the Oura Ring 4 (review) and the Whoop MG (review) also do that, and I personally feel that these reminders are quite useful.
Samsung Health is also adding emotion tracking and mindfulness exercises. It’s a welcome shift toward more holistic health features—but skeptics might ask whether these tools go deep enough to compete with Apple’s Health ecosystem or dedicated fitness trackers.
And a heads-up for anyone expecting the features Samsung teased in its June 16 blog post—Vascular Load, Running Coach, and Antioxidant Index aren’t included in this beta. They’re likely being held for the Galaxy Watch 8 series launch, now less than 10 days away.
Customization That Could Matter
This update introduces personalized watch face recommendations and the ability to build custom tiles from multiple apps. These are the kinds of small wins that could make daily interactions smoother. But again, execution is key: if the features are buried in menus or too limited, they’ll be forgotten just as quickly.
Who Gets the One UI 8 Watch Beta, and When?
The beta is currently open to the Galaxy Watch 7 (review) and Watch Ultra (review), with availability limited to the US and South Korea. According to posts on the Samsung Community and Reddit, the beta version is currently compatible only with Bluetooth and T-Mobile LTE models. Moreover, you’ll need to join the beta program first through the Samsung Members app.
This is shaping up to be a major update, with the package weighing in at nearly 2 GB. Samsung hasn’t confirmed a full release timeline, and as always, the rollout pace may vary by device and region.
The Verdict? Too Soon to Tell!
One UI 8 Watch is promising in all the right areas—control, clarity, wellness, and personalization. But Samsung has aimed high before, only to deliver half-measures. If the beta feedback leads to polish and stability, this could be the update that finally nails the Galaxy Watch experience.
Until the final release, a measured dose of optimism is all you should strap on. In the meantime, please let us know if your Galaxy Watch is running the One UI 8 Watch beta and share your thoughts on it so far. I’m genuinely curious to hear your impressions.
