Galaxy Watch 6 Classic : Is The Altitude Tracking Accurate?, It’s Not Bad.
If you’re thinking about getting the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, but you aren’t sure if the altitude tracking accuracy meets your standards, this review might help you decide.
In this article, I’m going to compare the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic to the Altimeter tracking app to see how they stack up. The Altimeter tracking app is super reliable, and I’ve tested it myself and compared the results with an online topographical map of the area I was walking.
The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic did great in the altitude tracking test and got a perfect score of 5 out of 5 for accuracy. Here’s how it did overall.
| Criteria | Rating |
| Strength | Very Strong |
| Model | Bluetooth |
| Average error (metric) | Within ±5 m |
| Average error (Imperial) | Within ±16 ft |
| Accuracy | 5/5 |
My overall experience while testing the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic was great. Using the rotating bezel to navigate is very intuitive and easy. After taking the time to reflect on the result, I can say that the altitude tracking is accurate within tolerance and I will explain what I mean.
How I Test The Device for Altitude
This might be a pretty basic way to test things, but what counts is that the tracking data for the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is compared to a really reliable source of data. Finding the right App to test against is very important, and it wasn’t easy to find one.
For testing purposes, it might be a good idea to use an online topographical map to compare against the altitude readings from the application. If they’re within ±10 m of each other, then that should be good enough, and I will explain why latter in this post.
I have also nominated a local track to conduct the altimeter test, the Whakapipi hiking trail here in New Zealand is a good place to test the altimeter readings of the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. I will be selecting random waypoints along the track and compare the altitude readings, so that I can get a good idea of how accurate the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is in terms of altitude tracking.
How Do I Rate a Device
When it comes to the rating of a device, it’s important to note that anything with a recording accuracy of ±10m (±32FT) is generally considered to be of very high quality. However, it’s important to keep in mind that there are certain factors outside of one’s control that can affect the level of accuracy, such as the number of available satellites. Despite these factors, it’s still possible to get a very good idea of the altitude using such a device.
I have created a rating system that will be used to test the accuracy of altitude measuring devices. The system uses a benchmark of ±10m (±32FT), with further testing done at ±5m (±16FT) intervals. This system will allow us to accurately determine the accuracy of each device.
| No of Stars | ± Accuracy (Metric) | ± Accuracy (Imperial) |
| 5 | 10m | 33FT |
| 4 | 11m – 15m | 36FT – 49FT |
| 3 | 16m – 20m | 52FT – 66FT |
| 2 | 21m – 25m | 69FT – 82FT |
| 1 | 26m – 30m | 85FT – 98FT |
| 0 | 31m plus | 102FT plus |
How Does The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic Rate in The Market
Altitude testing is very new to me so eventually this table will grow over time. At the moment I am re testing all my devices and then populate that information into this table.
So far the Altitude readings are consistent with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, Polar Pacer and the Polar Ignite 3. I will have those articles posted with it’s test results shortly. The one that’s disappointed so far is the Huawei GT3 Pro, right from the start the readings have been way off, and it’s quite common with the Huawei Watch’s.
| Rank | Watch | Rating | Variance Band |
| 1 | Polar Ignite 3 | 5 | 5m |
| 2 | Polar Pacer | 5 | 5m |
| 3 | Galaxy Watch 6 Classic | 5 | 8m |
| 4 | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | 5 | 8m |
| 5 | Garmin Forerunner 55 | 4 | 22m |
| 6 | Huawei GT3 Pro | 3 | 35m |
Final Conclusion
I appreciate you taking the time to read this review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic’s altitude tracking accuracy. My goal is to provide you with enough information to help you make an informed decision about whether or not this smartwatch meets your expectations. While my method of testing may not be perfect, I hope that the information I have provided will help to put your mind at ease.
After conducting my own testing of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, I can confirm that its readings fall within a tolerance of plus or minus 10 meters or plus or minus 32 feet at each random waypoint, which is not too shabby. This means that if you were to set your watch to the exact altitude of 10 meters (32 feet) and then check it at a random point, it would be within 10 meters (32 feet) of the actual altitude.
I hope that this review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic’s altitude tracking accuracy has been helpful to you. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you for reading.
