The best (and worst) watch faces on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

The Samsung Galaxy Watch has plenty of original watch faces, some that are wonderfully inspired and others that aren’t worth the time of day – here’s our ranking of the best and worst Galaxy Watch 4 watch faces.

When it comes to smart watches, so many companies overlook the value of a good selection of watch faces. After all, it’s the one component that you’re going to spend most of your time looking at, so why not go all in and conjure up some designs that people would want to look at?

Luckily it seems that Samsung got the memo here as the Galaxy Watch 4 has some of the best looking watch faces to ever grace a Wear OS device, so much so that I just couldn’t help but dedicate some time to highlighting the ones I enjoy the most (as well as some that could’ve probably been left out).

Best: Endangered Animals

Bleak name aside, there’s something about a cheerful otter drinking from a tumbler that keeps bringing a smile to my face. It’s hard to say what the context is for this scene exactly, but it’s so well drawn that it doesn’t cause much bother – plus the clouds in the background are animated for a bit of extra flair.

Best: Active

The default watch face you see when you first power on the Galaxy Watch 4, Active is bombastic, colourful and hard to keep your eyes off. The difference in font between the hour and the minutes helps to elevate the design, and it’s handy to have an immediate toggle for your favourite workout, right there on the home screen.

Best: Simple Classic

Okay, so there isn’t too much going on with the Simple Classic watch face, but the sharp contrast between white and black, not to mention the bold Roman numerals that emblazon the top of the design, ensure that this is the top pick to go with a nice suit. Next time there’s a fancy dinner party in the works, this is the watch face I’ll be donning.

Best: My Photo+

So this might be cheating a little bit as you can add any photo you like to the My Photo+ watch face and it’ll be used as the background. The reason why I’ve included it in this list is because of the default photo that’s attached – depicting the cutest kitten that has ever existed. Need I say more?

Worst: AR Emoji

When it comes to watch faces, all I need is a stylish design and maybe a few complications so that I can get vital info at a glance. What I don’t need is another pair of eyes staring back at me whenever I need to check the time.

Worst: Bitmoji

What is happening here? This feels like I’ve stepped into some kind of strange wormhole populated by people I don’t recognise but who seem pleased as punch to see me. Too uncanny valley for my liking.