Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic LTE 46mm Vs Samsung Gear S3 Frontier LTE: Which One To Go For?

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If you’ve ever wished your smartphone could be a little bit more “wearable,” the Samsung Smartwatch could be a promising answer. This wristwatch can perform many of the same tasks as a smartphone, including making calls, receiving messages and other notifications, tracking activities, and even making purchases without ever having to pull out your money.

Although this relatively small package contains many features, it also has certain drawbacks. We evaluated the watch’s capability for recording physical activity as well as its general comfort, robustness, and use. The two most popular smartwatches from Samsung, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic LTE 46mm and the Gear S3 Frontier LTE, will be contrasted. Let’s compare the two in great detail.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic LTE 46mm Vs Samsung Gear S3 Frontier LTE: Comparison Table

Features	Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic	Samsung Gear S3 Frontier LTE
Launching Year	2021	2016
Brand	Samsung	Samsung
Model Name	Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic LTE 46mm	Samsung Gear S3 Frontier LTE
Connector Type	Bluetooth	Bluetooth
Average Battery Life	5 Days	3 Days
Compatibility	Smartphone, Tablet	Smartphone, Tablet
Shape	Circular	Circular
Online Pricing Range	₹ 15,999	₹ 22,000
Customer Ratings	4/5	4.5/5

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic LTE 46mm Vs Samsung Gear S3 Frontier LTE: Detailed Analysis

Design And Build

The ‘Classic’ naming pattern hasn’t been used by Samsung since its smartwatches went by the name ‘Gear,’ but the Watch 4 line revives it with two separate designs, the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic. The watch removes the current geometry and flat glass front of the normal Watch 4 in favor of a smartwatch that relies more heavily on the aesthetics of a typical mechanical watch. The watch is given the name “Classic,” which nods to the watch’s more classic style and design influences. Both Watch 4 models share the same sensor arrangement, buttons, and screens, but the Classic has a more robust stainless steel case and, more crucially, a real spinning bezel in place of the touch-based one seen on the regular model.

The Galaxy Watch 4 Ridge-Sport Band is the standard band for the Watch 4 Classic, although, in regions where Samsung Design Studio is offered, customers can choose their band type, size, and color when making a purchase. These options include the Sport, Hybrid Leather, and Extreme Sport Bands as well. You can mix and combine bands as you choose by purchasing them separately as well.

The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier has a large watch face, measuring almost two inches wide, two inches tall, and half an inch thick. Heavy-duty Corning Gorilla Glass SR+, which resists scratches, makes up the face of the device. The stainless steel bezel that surrounds the watch face is a noticeable feature. The bezel acts as a tool to move between apps and settings in addition to giving the watch a tough and athletic appearance. Although it’s a stylish and useful flourish, it does require some getting accustomed to it. On the right side of the watch face, just above the bezel, are two buttons. These serve as “Back” and “Home” buttons, and they are frequently utilized with the bezel to make navigation simpler.

A substantial and robust silicone band is also included with the watch. The Active Silicon Band from Samsung is the default band, but you may switch it out for any other 22-millimeter band that Samsung or other makers sell. This increases its wearability for formal occasions or when you want to switch up your style. Although the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is stylish, we found that it was a little unwieldy and bulky for a little wrist. Although wearing it all day didn’t cause us too much discomfort, we did notice that it seemed heavier in the later hours and were relieved to take it off.

Software and features

Google’s long-running but popular wearables platform, Wear OS, has primarily only ever operated as an odd supporting player in the smartwatch market, with Apple’s watchOS and Samsung’s Tizen-based wearables taking center stage. When it comes to the feature set, the Classic offers the usual suspects like a calendar, contacts, phone, messages, weather, timers, alarms, and so on, along with some more specialized options like a compass, voice recorder, and Samsung Pay. Similar to watch faces, apps are now downloaded from the Google Play Store, potentially fixing one of the main issues with earlier Galaxy Watch models: compatibility for third-party apps. Aside from fall detection with SOS notification capabilities, gesture controls for accepting or rejecting calls, canceling alarms, or quickly starting a favorite app were also added.

Because we used an iOS iPhone to evaluate the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier, we were unable to use some of the software’s best features, such as Samsung Pay, text messaging, and email. Only specific Samsung and non-Samsung smartphones and carriers are compatible with Samsung Pay. We could still view message notifications even though we were unable to send and receive messages. For anyone outside the Android environment, this is a significant disadvantage because our email was completely inaccessible. We also experimented with the Gear S3 Frontier’s built-in music player, which we used to transfer music files from our PC to the device. Although everything went off without a hitch, the process used to accomplish it is not particularly complex. The Music Manager had to be started, and our computer’s Wi-Fi network had to be accessed.

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Fitness And Tracking

What Samsung refers to as its “BioActive Sensor” is actually a catch-all word for the variety of sensors the Watch 4 Series is equipped with, which track metrics like heart rate and blood oxygen levels. This year’s wearable also debuts a new BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis) sensor, which adds body composition analysis to the Galaxy Watch’s already extensive list of fitness and wellbeing features. The ECG feature, which took time to find approval on the Watch 3 (and Watch Active 2), is available right away on the Watch 4 line.

With over 80 trackable activities available overall and 13 pre-loaded on the Classic’s Samsung Health app, phone-free route tracking and height tracking are both possible (where suitable) thanks to the watch’s built-in GPS and barometric altimeter.

While data from the watch’s different sensors over many weeks of wear proved compatible with themselves and (where comparable) other recent rivals, such as the Huawei Watch 3, automated workout detection proved astonishingly responsive, documenting even short walks while heading out to the shops. Additionally, Samsung Health recognizes users daily based on their progress, which is mostly determined by their daily steps, active time, and active calorie burn.

With the addition of snore detection, sleep tracking also includes a detailed breakdown of sleep stages, blood oxygen levels, and sleep quality, as well as insightful advice on how to enhance sleeping habits and overall health, focusing on one monitored data.

The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier has the potential to be an ideal companion and a source of inspiration for you whether you are an active person or if you wish to become more active. You can track everything with the Samsung Health suite, which is integrated right into the device, including your calorie, water, and caffeine intake, as well as your sleep patterns, your jogging distance, and other exercises like crunches, squats, and planks.

Running and other specific movements are instantly recognized. We loved not needing to start an exercise session as we frequently do both. The absence of GPS data collected during the scheduled sessions was the sole negative. We found that the gesture that wakes the watch and displays the screen—raising the wrist in an upward motion—wasn’t always as responsive as we had thought it would be while we were actively using the watch on a run. It was also challenging to read the screen in direct sunlight. The watch’s readability improved when we put it in “Always On” mode, but the battery life suffered.

On two walks and two runs, we compared the data’s accuracy to that of our go-to GPS running watch and the phone app we occasionally use to measure our steps (the Health app for iOS). We found several contradictions. While there is always some volatility in GPS data due to weather changes or obstructions from tall buildings and trees, the Gear S3 Frontier was constantly inaccurate.

Battery

Battery management on wearables is an extraordinarily difficult balancing act to pull off, even more so than on phones, particularly in relation to such feature-heavy smartwatches. Samsung promises “up to” 40 hours of use per wear across the line for the Classic, despite the fact that it is available in two different casing (and screen) sizes. The wear time between charges will certainly vary based on your usage patterns, with elements like fitness tracking, the always-on display, and LTE connectivity (if you choose the cellular edition) all having a big impact.

The watch’s 361 mAh battery (the 46mm model includes a 361mAh battery) was unaffected by the inclusion of further capabilities, such as blood oxygen monitoring and snore detection during sleep tracking, and the watch suggested switching to power saving mode at 15% charge and watch-only mode at 5% charge. The 46mm Watch 4 Classic recharged more slowly than We had anticipated, regularly hitting 100% in exactly 1 hour 25 minutes and reaching nearly a day’s worth of battery after 30 minutes.

According to Samsung, a single charge of the Gear S3 Frontier can last up to three days. We discovered that to remain the case even when we downloaded playlists and listened to them while not connected to the internet using apps like Spotify. On one day, when we actively played Spotify for brief periods of time, we observed that the battery had depleted to 10% in just two days. Additionally, we noticed that the device seemed to warm up more quickly when using the Spotify app. Although it wasn’t extremely hot, we took note of it. We charged the gadget twice, first at 12% and then at 10%, and we found that it took roughly 2.5 hours to fully recharge.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic LTE 46mm Vs Samsung Gear S3 Frontier LTE: Quick Results

Particulars	Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic	Samsung Gear S3 Frontier LTE	Which One Is Better?
Design And Build	Good	Good	Any
FeaturesAnd Software	Good	Good	Any
Fitness Tracker	Better	Good	Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
Battery Life	Better	Good	Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic LTE 46mm Vs Samsung Gear S3 Frontier LTE: Final Verdict

An exceptionally strong base was already present with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. Samsung is also offering customers a tonne more options this time around by dividing the Watch 4 Series into regular and Classic design choices. The balance of performance, quality, and usefulness is nearly unmatched in the wristwatch market, but those without a compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphone will surely have a less-than-optimal experience.

The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier doesn’t rank as the most affordable smartwatch on the market because it retails in a higher price range. The pricing initially looks reasonable, given the sheer number of options the watch offers. However, the Gear S3 Frontier falls short and is more expensive when compared to similar devices in terms of capabilities, such as the number of integrations and apps that are offered.