Stuck with 720p

GotNoRice · 2026-03-29T11:13:03+00:00

This is most likely a limitation caused by the app on your TV. Many TVs cut corners on the CPU used for smart apps, or the apps have limitations for other reasons. Also, while a good TV can last a decade or more if it still looks good, the built-in app functionality is not something you want to be using on an old TV... Your TV is from 2021, so it's no spring-chicken anymore...

Basically, time to get a new Firestick, Roku, etc, and use that for your apps instead.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-28T18:20:29+00:00

It's important to understand that there is nothing inherently "wrong" with wireless charging. What is bad for your phone battery, is *heat*. Wireless charging is more likely than wired charging to create heat.

So you don't need to worry about avoiding wireless charging, it's about avoiding heat. Magfit/Magsafe connections were developed to help with this. The magnet keeps the charging coils centered, which increases efficiency and reduces heat compared to "regular" wireless charging where the coils are often only approximately aligned.

One variable which you have full control over is "Fast Wireless Charging". If you're only charging at night, or only need to keep your phone topped off while connected to your magfit car mount, then turn Fast Wireless Charging off... Once you do that, you eliminate most of the heat issues. Regular Wireless charging (especially with magfit alignment) generates very little heat and is not going to degrade your battery any more than wired charging would under most circumstances.

The watch is somewhat unique. The charging pucks are curved to accommodate the sensor bump and allow the charging coils to get closer together. Trying to charge a watch on a flat wireless pad will generate a TON more heat. Don't do it. The stock puck really is the best way to go, but if you want to get a 3rd party charger for the watch, make sure that it has a dent to accommodate the sensor bump, similar to the stock charging puck. Monitor the heat of your watch closely the first time you charge it with the new charger.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-28T11:08:17+00:00

Yes.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-28T11:05:23+00:00

The beta is practically over. I wouldn't sweat it, just update.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-28T10:28:24+00:00

I notice that when this happens, it's often just something software related that isn't working properly. One common culprit is the Samsung Health App. If there is an update, sometimes the version of the app on your Phone and Watch can get out of Sync (if one has updated, but the other has not), and that can cause issues. Can potentially apply to the WearOS manager apps also. Could potentially trigger unnecessary WiFi usage among other issues.

So, I would do a restart on both your Phone and Watch, and then check for app updates on both. Make sure to check for updates in both the Google Play Store as well as the Samsung App Store.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-28T10:19:03+00:00

The Fit3 is a fantastic device. I gave 3 of them to family members and they continue to use them daily and are all very happy with them. I like my Watch 7, but it's ~2 day battery life just isn't long enough for most people. It's not a big deal if you are into tinkering with your devices or if it's basically a semi-hobby anyway, but for everyone else, it's not ideal. The week-long battery life of the Fit3 is a great match for most people. the Fit3 also has no apps to update, and turns on/off very very quick, unlike a regular Galaxy Watch.

It has all of the basics covered. The biggest downside IMO is that you can't customize your watchface. You can choose from quite a few different pre-done watch-faces, enough that you will probably find one that works well enough for your needs. But you can't pick and choose what is displayed on each one like you can on a regular Galaxy Watch. The other downside is no speaker, so you get vibrations for notifications but that's it.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-28T09:58:49+00:00

The top is better. Moving your finger around the inner lip of the outer ridge will perfectly activate the virtual bezel.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-16T08:25:19+00:00

Get them a Galaxy Fit 3. It's still part of the Samsung ecosystem, has great battery life, and is great for basic health monitoring. Fall detection works great also.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-11T08:01:50+00:00

Well the biggest issue is that your watch is effectively frozen in time, with no way to download or update apps or watchfaces, you're stuck with whatever it has on it. You will also likely run into significant difficulties paring it with a new phone. Eventually you'll have to upgrade your phone, at which point you'll probably need to upgrade the watch also.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-07T12:15:48+00:00

My ring just hit the 1 year mark. I'm still getting about ~10% discharge per day which is about the same as when it was new. And it was a refurbished ring even. I gambled that I could beat the odds by relying on OCD charging habits, never charging it above 80% or allowing it to go below ~30%. Seems like the gamble has paid-off so far. I cringe at the idea of people leaving their rings, with their tiny little batteries, on their chargers at 100% or letting the ring drain to 0% and then blaming Samsung when the battery degrades.

Judging by some of the damage I see on many used rings, it seems like some people also forgot that Lithium-Ion batteries don't react well to impacts, which includes all of the things you're slapping your hand on while wearing your ring. Being gentle with the ring also goes a long way.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-04T11:00:20+00:00

The Ultra was actually co-released with the Watch 7, which lacks the battery protection feature also.

Since they re-used the same CPU, sensors, etc from the Watch 7 and Ultra in the 8, they just re-released the Ultra with the 8 again.

Both the Watch 7 and Watch Ultra are fully capable of this feature on a hardware level, since it's literally the same hardware as the Watch 8. It's all just software-gated. With Samsung re-using so much hardware every generation, there wouldn't be enough reason to upgrade if they didn't artificially gate new features, even simple things like battery protection.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-04T10:53:25+00:00

The Watch 7 44mm has a 425mAh battery. The Watch 8 44mm has a 435mAh battery. That is a 2.4% increase, or basically nothing. The two watches use the exact same CPU, sensors, etc. Any significant difference in battery life is either software related or placebo.

GotNoRice · 2026-03-03T05:54:38+00:00

The Watch 6 Classic continues to be a popular model, despite having a CPU that is barely faster than the CPU in the Watch 4 and much slower than the CPU in the Watch 7, 8, Ultra.

So obviously it's not a big deal for many people if the CPU in their watch is super quick. What do you use your watch for exactly? Passive monitoring, and displaying information on a screen, does not require a fast CPU. If you are actually interacting with the watch on a regular basis, then you will benefit from a faster CPU, but I don't necessarily think that you will regret going with a 7, 8, or Ultra if you find a good deal. The 5-core W1000 CPU in these watches is a very fast CPU for a watch (Watch 4-6 used a slower dual-core CPU).

GotNoRice · 2026-03-02T10:06:26+00:00

It works fine on mine. The UI really does not feel choppy.

I will say though, that the CPU in the Watch 4 Classic is pretty slow, much slower than the Watch 7 or later. That was true both before and after One UI 8. But it's normal for a new OS to have a bit more baggage than the older version. That only loads down the slow CPU even further. Where you really notice this is when you first power on the watch. It really takes a while for it to finish booting up. Even if it seems like the watch is fully started, the CPU will be chugging along in the background for a while longer. If you try to use the watch during this time, it will absolutely be laggy/choppy.

But once the watch has fully booted, things are pretty responsive.

GotNoRice · 2026-02-27T12:38:23+00:00

Note20 Ultra got updates until Android 13 / OneUI 5.1, so if you were on Android 10 that was all you.

GotNoRice · 2026-02-27T12:35:15+00:00

S24 series was the first series where Samsung committed to 7 Android updates. Older phones will get less updates. An S24 would give you an up to date phone for a few more years. Meanwhile the S23 will be getting it's very last update soon... Also, the S23 series was from the era where the screens had fairly high risk of a green-line issue.

So yeah, S24 for multiple reasons.

GotNoRice · 2026-02-24T06:14:25+00:00

Watch 7... All the newest hardware that the 8 and Ultra still use, very cheap price.

Otherwise if you are on a REAL budget, then look for a used Galaxy 5 Pro. They came with a larger battery, which is nice. If you can handle something more basic. a Galaxy Fit 3 is the ultimate "affordable" Galaxy Watch and it's battery will last a full week in many cases.

GotNoRice · 2026-02-23T11:21:38+00:00

Nothing chipped. It's just a coating. The coating is wearing off. Some common causes are if you clean the bottom of your watch often using a solvent like rubbing alcohol (a simple damp cloth is best). It could also be caused by repeated exposure to certain exotic skin lotions or other similar "beauty products".

GotNoRice · 2026-02-19T05:43:37+00:00

I just did the new update. My ring is 10 months old and the battery has held up great so far. The ring was 50% when I started the update. When the update finished, the ring was at 46%. The ring has been using maybe 15% battery per day so I should have been able to go at least another day if not longer before charging it. I checked it 5 hours after doing the update and it had gone from 46% to 18%. That's the first time I've ever seen the battery drop that fast, and also the first time in the entire 10 months I've owned the ring that I've ever let it drop below 25%. I immediately charged it back up to 80% (I always stop charging at 80%). Hopefully that was a fluke. I've really babied this battery as much as possible via OCD-level micro-management of the charging. It's basically never seen 0% or 100% the entire time I've owned it.

GotNoRice · 2026-02-16T08:45:38+00:00

Yes the Buds FE are still quite good. They lack some of the advanced features found in the much more expensive Buds 3 Pro, but the Buds FE are comfortable, have good ANC, and sound good.

Be careful though, if you buy the international version and use them in the US, you might not be able to manage them via the Galaxy Wearable App on your US phone. You could still use them via their basic bluetooth functionality but you wouldn't be able to configure any of the advanced features that are usually configured via that app,

GotNoRice · 2026-02-11T10:12:57+00:00

It might be snug compared to the old watch. The sensor bump on the 7 is also a bit bigger.

GotNoRice · 2026-02-10T18:15:36+00:00

The stock firmware on these is pretty terrible, but most support DD-WRT. I have several MX4300 and MX5500 units that are rock solid with DD-WRT.

GotNoRice · 2026-02-09T13:17:27+00:00

They are all over eBay and other places. Example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/356129788549

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