Funny (weird not ha ha) that you mention getting the most .
Watch showed up and wouldn't connect to my Note 10 . Dr Google was of NO help to find a solution. After hours of searching I contacted Samsung and it turns out the Watch 9 and Ultra 2 require Android 13 and above
. I got so frustrated I asked the guy for an RMA to return the watch . A $10 restocking fee would be charged to me but a refund for the rest would be in the works . I kept looking at how gorgeous the 9 is and you know what ? My Note10+ is over 7 years old , hasn't had a security patch since 2023 and the battery longevity is fading fast . On light usage days it's now using about 60% vs 2 days easily just a year ago . What to do because I have a daughter that just started college , I'm 62 and contemplating the end of my working career so no way am I buying a slap
Flagship and going into a couple of house payments debt over a new phone so off to Best Buy I went and fell in like with a Samsung A17 for under $200 . It's nowhere near the Beast of a phone the Note is/was but for my main usage of web browsing , music player , Health monitor home and a photo here and there is more than meets my need (not want but need) . It's unlocked also so bullstein is I want to leave my carrier and go prepaid . The only true backwards step is the RAM . It's like every phone I've ever had prior to the Note 10+ so the hesitations and hiccups didn't come as a surprise . Android 16 is totally different than 12 . In under a day I've gotten 1 major software update and 4 security patch updates.
Now on to the watch . As much as I like my GW 8 for its super comfort , snappy performance , and gorgeous screen having that same package in a black (graphite) color just just amazing . The sport band that it came with is the most comfortable silicone band I've ever worn . I usually loathe how they feel while I sweat profusely just being alive . I did move it to the GW8 because the Olive looks spectacular on the gun metal gray of it . Wear 7 and Wear 6 are virtually the same thing as far as looks go with a few little additions . All the hoopla they made about Gemini this and Gemini that and the 9 came with Google Assistant onboard and not Gemini. I had to go download it . No Gboard (again) and NFC off by default , unlike it being on by default every other time . The raise to activate the AI ability was on by default and I did discover how to make it work perfectly EVERY time . When you raise to talk go straight to within a couple of inches from your mouth as you twist in 1 quick motion and speak as soon as the glow begins and it'll do what you seek . You've got about 1.5 seconds to start talking once the glow on the screen starts or it goes back to sleep .
Many complain about how long it takes to charge but I tested the online theories that it's the wall wart (power brick) causing the slow charge and not the watch or puck . I have a 25 watt (each) PD (PPS) tower with 3 high speed slots and 6 regular slots so I tried with the new puck AND the puck that came with my Ultra OG a couple of years back and let it charge for 10 minutes with each . It charged just under 1% per minute on both . Virtually the same as my 8s and 7 and Ultra OG did . After testing I put it on at 46% and it said it would take 90 minutes to reach 100% . I checked in 20 minutes and it at 99% . Close enough to see the watch won't take all day like so many complained . I've got the 60 watt PD wall wart that came with my Note 10+ I'm going to use with the puck next charge and see if it's a good match as well .
At 18 hours of very heavy usage it's down to 21% so I'm gonna charge it soon .
If you've got a Watch 8 there's 0 need to upgrade to a 9 but if you do go with a 9 it's a very good choice .
until after clearing the cache partition. Oh wait.....