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Buying a smartwatch isn’t the easiest decision, but when you see an older generation model being sold at a delicious price, it does a good job of swaying your wallet. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 was released in August 2021 and remains a nice smartwatch due to its sleek design, 3-in-1 BioActive sensor for health tracking, and its syncing across the Samsung ecosystem. You can buy it for $200, or $100 more for the Classic version from third-party sellers. In comparison, it’s not too expensive when you look at how much Samsung’s latest smartwatch costs: the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 costs around $400.
The Galaxy Watch 9 is Samsung’s latest release, released in summer 2026. In comparison, the Galaxy Watch 4 fares poorly due to its age, and is therefore not a good deal in 2026. Although this older smartwatch is functional with its Wear OS software installed, support ended in September 2026; the watch received its last security patch in August 2026 and is on its final One UI update. Simply put, after 2026, your Galaxy Watch 4 will no longer be secure and will no longer receive upgrades. That’s why, even if the price seems good on paper, you’re essentially buying it on clearance, and it’s best not to do that.
Buy a Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 instead
Part of the reason you would buy a Samsung Galaxy Watch is its unique features and apps that you won’t find on a Pixel Watch or any other non-Galaxy watch. For example, Samsung has a health metric for antioxidants, the Antioxidant Index, which reflects your diet. However, this feature came with the Galaxy Watch 8, meaning older devices won’t have it. While Samsung sometimes adds new features to older models in updates – as long as they don’t depend on hardware architecture – with the Galaxy Watch 4 no longer receiving updates, the chances of it gaining new features are zero.
If you want a good balance of software but still want a Samsung smartwatch that doesn’t break the bank, consider buying one that’s slightly older, but not too old and outdated. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is the ideal starting point since it can last until 2028 for software and costs around $250 or $280 at regular price; it offers a similar experience to the Galaxy Watch 4, but it’s much newer and will stay secure for longer. Plus, because of its age, you’ll likely find it on sale during a major consumer event like Black Friday.
Just note that unless you spend on the latest generation, you will eventually run into the same software support issue. Typically, manufacturers offer around three or four years of updates for smartwatches, or sometimes a little more – the Galaxy Watch 9 is promised five. This is usually just enough time to consider an upgrade before support ends. However, the longer you wait, the less trade-in value you get.
Other non-Galaxy smartwatches that don’t break the bank
Although Samsung offers many great features in its Galaxy smartwatch lineup, you can always find more affordable options. For example, if you’re looking for a simple experience for tracking your health stats, something that feels light on the wrist, and has decent battery life, the Fitbit Versa 4 is a solid choice. It is priced between $150 and $200, but more importantly, security support is guaranteed until 2028.
If you own an iPhone and are willing to spend a little more, Apple offers the Apple Watch SE 3 starting at $250. Apple generally does not publish the end of support date for software updates. Still, the company is generally nice about updates, and since this device has been available since 2025, you can expect Apple to support it for a few more years, perhaps until 2030. It offers features like heart rate measurements, sleep tracking, cycle tracking, as well as notifications for high and low heart rate, irregular rhythm, and low cardio fitness. Additionally, it has a range of safety tools such as SOS emergency calls and fall detection. Overall, the Apple Watch SE 3 remains a great buy in 2026.
