In our second installment of “Which Gadget Should You Buy?” our client tech specialists assist a reader select a full-fledged smartwatch that isn’t solely able to health monitoring, but in addition productiveness duties.

Gizmodo reader Tyler works in authorities relations and desires a smartwatch that may enhance quite a few workflows. It must be a tool that’ll let Tyler depart their telephone on a desk whereas they regulate music controls, ship emails, and browse and reply to textual content messages. The max funds is a wholesome $350, sufficient to purchase a lot of the premium choices in the marketplace in need of enthusiast-grade health trackers (which wouldn’t be the only option anyway).

The common selection amongst, nicely, everyone seems to be the Apple Watch. But it’s getting thrown off the desk for a couple of causes: first, Tyler already has a foot in Samsung’s ecosystem with the Galaxy S21 and has indicated a choice for Google units. And second, there may be lastly a succesful different in the marketplace.

Tyler can buy the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or the Watch 4 Classic. Full cease. It’s what our resident wearables/good dwelling/streaming knowledgeable Florence Ion recommends, and I couldn’t agree extra. In the phrases of Flo, “The Galaxy Watch 4 is the defacto Android-based smartwatch to get right now. Until the rumored Pixel Watch comes to fruition, if it ever will, you are taking a risk buying anything else.”

That was straightforward! So why the Galaxy Watch 4? In massive half, as a result of the brand new Wear OS is closely influenced by Samsung, which was already promoting the perfect non-Apple watches earlier than making the swap from Tizen OS. The latest watches are modern, efficiency is generally wonderful, and the third-party app ecosystem is lastly taking form. The Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic aren’t excellent: battery life is just OK and the shortage of a Google Assistant (for now) is a bummer. On that final level, Samsung hasn’t dedicated to a timeline for including Google Assistant, saying solely that it might arrive within the “coming months.” Still, Samsung’s newest flagship smartwatch is the clear frontrunner.

This brings us to what’s arguably an excellent trickier determination: whether or not to buy the Galaxy Watch 4 or the Watch 4 Classic. The 42mm Classic prices $309 (on sale from $349) whereas the 40mm Watch 4 is just $209. Is the traditional price the additional money? That relies upon.

One of the principle variations between the 2 is the scale: the usual mannequin is available in 40mm and 44mm whereas the Watch 4 Classic is out there in 42mm and 46mm. If you could have a beefier wrist, the Classic is likely to be the literal higher match. The Classic additionally has a stainless-steel construct, and maybe most significantly, a bodily rotating bezel that works higher than the touch-sensitive one on the Watch 4. The designs of those two are comparable, although the Watch 4 is supposed to be extra active-y whereas the Classic seems to be extra like a conventional timepiece. That’s about it although: the performance of those two watches is basically equal.

Before you add the Watch 4 to your purchasing cart, Flo has some sage recommendation: don’t get the 4G LTE possibility except you actually want it. It eats away at battery life, and also you is likely to be compelled to show off battery-hogging options like location providers to get a full day on a cost.

And to reply a query Tyler posed to us: sure, the Watch 4 can assist you be extra productive. You can use Google Keep to save lots of essential notes, the Calendar app to keep away from lacking conferences, and preserve your notifications open to learn emails and texts. To conclude, the Galaxy Watch 4 is the clear-cut favourite for Tyler and anybody else searching for a full-fledged smartwatch to pair with an Android telephone (at the very least, till the Pixel Watch arrives).

Would you suggest one thing else? Let us know within the feedback! And if you happen to need assistance deciding on which gadget to purchase, then fill out our easy questionnaire.