Samsung Galaxy Watch8 44 mm Bluetooth (SM-L330) / Garmin Forerunner 970

Always On Display keeps the watch face visible but shortens battery life; when off, the screen wakes on wrist raise.

Garmin calls it its brightest AMOLED yet but publishes no nit figure. Touch and buttons can be used together.

Sapphire crystal resists scratches better than ordinary glass. The 8.6 mm thickness excludes the sensor bump on the back.

32 GB of storage is enough to keep music and apps on the watch for phone-free runs.

The watch charges only wirelessly; it must align with Samsung’s charging puck, and some wireless chargers may not sit flat because of the band.

The electrical heart signal enables ECG and bioelectrical impedance enables body composition readings. ECG and blood pressure need a Samsung phone and country approval.

Antioxidant Index is measured by holding a fingertip on the sensor for about five seconds; Vascular Load needs the watch to be worn to sleep on at least 3 of the last 14 days. These are wellness indicators, not medical diagnoses.

The L5 band helps reduce route drift caused by reflections among tall buildings and trees.

On the Bluetooth model calls and notifications work while connected to the phone; NFC contactless payments depend on country and bank.

5ATM means water resistance suitable for swimming, not diving or high-speed water sports. MIL-STD-810H refers to selected environmental tests from the military standard and is no guarantee against impacts.

Gemini can act in Samsung Health, Calendar and Clock via voice; availability varies by device, language and country.

It cannot be used with an iPhone.

The numbers correspond to colour options; the US page does not map each number to a colour. The page image belongs to 010-02969-01, Whitestone case with Whitestone/Amp Yellow band.

The Forerunner 965 used Gorilla Glass 3 DX; sapphire is more scratch-resistant.

Red light disturbs night vision less in the dark.

The ECG app screens for signs of atrial fibrillation; it is for adults 22 and over and is not available in every region.

Running tolerance suggests a weekly maximum distance. Running economy and step speed loss need the separately sold HRM 600 chest strap.

With activity tracking, notifications and wrist heart rate; Garmin notes active features affect the result.

With music the figures are 14, 13 and 12 hours. Multi-band uses several satellite frequencies to improve accuracy in cities and valleys at the cost of more power.

Used for music and maps; this is not RAM.

Withstands pressure equivalent to 50 m depth; it is not a dive watch.

13.56 MHz is the NFC band used for contactless payments.