Samsung Galaxy Watch8 Unboxing & First Impressions: Slimmer Design, Brighter Display, Smarter Health

Samsung's latest wave of gadgets has officially landed, and one standout is the Galaxy Watch8, the new baseline in Samsung’s smartwatch lineup for 2025. We’ve got the 40mm Silver variant on the wrist—and it's already impressing with its fresh design and upgraded internals.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s new in this year’s model.

📦 Galaxy Watch8 Unboxing: What’s in the Box?

Inside the slim white retail box, you’ll find:

Samsung Galaxy Watch8 (40mm)

Proprietary 10W wireless charger (USB-C)

New TPU strap with Samsung’s updated lug system

It’s a minimal unboxing experience, but everything you need is here.

💎 Design & Build: Slimmer, Lighter, More Refined

Samsung has taken inspiration from its Watch Ultra line, giving the Galaxy Watch8 a cushion-style design that blends a brushed aluminum squircle body with a circular AMOLED display.

Thickness: Just 8.6mm (thinner than Watch7)

Weight: 30g (light and barely noticeable on the wrist)

Display:

40mm version: 1.34-inch AMOLED

44mm version: 1.47-inch AMOLED

Durability: Sapphire Crystal protection

Brightness: Now up to 3,000 nits – a huge leap from last year’s 2,000 nits

🆕 Dynamic Lugs & Health Tracking Upgrades

A key hardware update is the Dynamic Lug system, which Samsung claims enhances the accuracy of fitness and health tracking.

Running on One UI 8 Watch, the Galaxy Watch8 introduces several new features, including the intriguing Antioxidant Index – a metric we can’t wait to test in real-world use.

🎛️ Controls & Features

2 physical buttons on the right

Speakers on the left

No rotating bezel, but you get haptic feedback along the screen’s edges to simulate a “digital bezel” for navigation

🔋 Battery Life

The 325mAh battery is rated for:

40 hours with Always-on Display (AoD) OFF

30 hours with AoD ON

As always, we’ll put those numbers to the test in our upcoming full review.

💰 Price & Specs

Galaxy Watch8 (40mm)

2GB RAM / 32GB Storage

Price: $429.99

That’s a solid spec sheet for a mid-tier premium smartwatch.

📝 Final Thoughts (For Now)

The Galaxy Watch8 is shaping up to be a sleek, health-focused upgrade to its predecessor. With a brighter screen, thinner build, new health metrics, and refined design, it looks like a strong contender in the 2025 smartwatch space.

Stay tuned for our full review where we’ll deep dive into battery life, fitness tracking, real-world comfort, and performance.