Argos Cuts Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 to £159, Undercutting Watch 8 by £160

Q: Is a discounted two-year-old flagship watch a smarter buy than the newest model?

Yes—if the discount is large and the model is only one generation old, the older flagship is usually the smarter buy. That is the case with Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 7 at £159. It is £160 cheaper than the Galaxy Watch 8, yet the two watches share the same Exynos W1000 processor, the same Wear OS platform, and broadly the same core experience for notifications, apps, and health tracking. For most buyers, step counting, heart-rate monitoring, sleep tracking, GPS use, Samsung Health integration, and the OLED display will feel very similar day to day. The Watch 8’s advantages are real but modest: a new “squircle” design, a brighter screen, slightly better battery life, and some newer AI-led health and coaching tools such as running guidance and vascular-load style metrics. Those upgrades matter mainly to buyers who want the newest design or very specific wellness features. The main caution is support life. A discounted older flagship makes most sense when it is only one generation behind and still has several years of updates left. The broader guidance from reviewers is not to go too far back with Samsung watches, because software support shortens and the value gap narrows. So the smart-buy rule is simple: a one-year-old flagship at nearly half price is often better value than the newest model; a two-year-old one is harder to recommend unless the price is exceptionally low. On the facts here, the Galaxy Watch 7 is the better buy than the Watch 8 for most Android users.

3 articles · Updated · Express · Jun 12

£159 gets buyers the 40mm green Galaxy Watch 7 at Argos, marking the lowest price cited and a £130 drop from its original £289 launch price.
That discount leaves the older model £160 cheaper than Samsung's £319 Galaxy Watch 8, even though the two share the same processor and the newer watch mainly adds a redesign, a brighter display and extra AI features.
The Watch 7 still offers core smartwatch functions including health and fitness tracking, phone notifications and calls, plus Samsung Health summaries powered by AI on Google's Wear OS.
Battery life remains a trade-off at about one day—sometimes stretching into a second with light use—and the watch works with Android phones but not iPhones.
For shoppers focused mainly on health tracking rather than third-party apps, cheaper alternatives remain available, including Amazon's Fitbit Charge 6 at £133.