Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 just came out and you can already save $50
If you’re looking to upgrade an older Android smartwatch, or want to give wearables a try for the first time, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 is a compelling choice. It has a new design, lets you access Google’s Gemini AI from your wrist, and has a handful of new health and wellness features. It launched on July 25th, but you can already get the 40mm model on sale for $299.99 ($50 off) from Samsung. Amazon has the watch for full price, but is offering a $50 promotional credit toward a future purchase if you use the code APSUE5MBXB6Y at checkout.
The Galaxy Watch 8 is squircle shaped, which may be divisive, but allows it to lay flatter and Verge reporter Victoria Song found it fit more more comfortably on her wrist in her review. The change also let Samsung make the watch thinner than the Galaxy Watch 7, and yet we still found it can still last more than a day on a charge. While it’s not a huge departure from its predecessor, it could be a good upgrade for anyone with a Galaxy Watch 5 or below, and Samsung’s new discount counteracts the $50 price increase means you’re not paying any more than the Galaxy Watch 7 cost at launch.
If you’ve gotten used to Google Gemini on your smartphone or computer, the Galaxy Watch 8 will let you access it from your wrist – we created playlists, checked the weather, and have previously asked Gemini whether it’s necessary to scrub a sweet potato before peeling it.
On the health and wellness side, the Galaxy Watch 8 can track steps, your heart rate, blood oxygen level, steps, and activity. If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, you use the smartwatch to take an EKG or detect sleep apnea. A new feature called Running Coach will put you through a 12-minute run test, give you a grade from one through 10, and create a workout program based on your performance. It also includes sensors designed to detect whether you’re eating enough fruits and vegetables, but we found it can be fooled by colorful objects, including a Cheeze-It.
The Galaxy Watch 8 is also available in a 44mm size, and that model is also on sale for $379.99 ($50 off) from Samsung.
If you’re looking to upgrade an older Android smartwatch, or want to give wearables a try for the first time, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 is a compelling choice. It has a new design, lets you access Google’s Gemini AI from your wrist, and has a handful of new health and…
Recent Posts
- Europe has its first commercial orbital rocket
- What is vibe coding and why does it get so much hate?
- Will the iPhone 17’s price drop when the iPhone 18 launches? The answer is more complicated than usual this year
- ‘Thanks to that superior sensing tech, its responsiveness really wowed me’ — Scuf’s new wired controller draws close to some of the best Xbox controllers on the market, even if it can’t fully eclipse them
- I upgraded my Sennheiser HD 660S2 wired headphones with a more powerful iFi DAC to unlock the highest quality audio — but I honestly wasn’t expecting these results
Archives
- September 2026
- August 2026
- July 2026
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023