In my club, most cyclists use dedicated bike computers like Garmin or Wahoo—but still carrying their smartphones. I've challenged myself to prove that a phone alone can do the job. After more than a year of testing various setups, here’s what I’ve learned using my S23 Ultra as my primary bike computer.
Typical Ride: ~6 times/month | 60–120km per ride, sometimes longer
Hardware: Roadbike with SRAM Rival Etap, AXS Quarq power meter
Software: Samsung Health, Komoot, Strava
Gear: S23 Ultra, Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Buds Pro (one ear only)
🔋 Battery Life
- Screen brightness lowered and adaptive brightness off = 4–6 hrs battery
- For longer rides, I top up ~10–20% using a power bank during coffee stop
📱 What I Need During a Ride
Navigation, speed, distance, time, elevation, heart rate, power/cadence—and music, ideally 😉
💡 App Breakdown
App | Pros | Cons |
Komoot | Great routing + elevation profile | No power meter/HR integration; no Strava sync |
Strava | Best for post-ride analysis | No live HR/power meter data integration |
S-Health | HR + power meter support, auto FTP calc, Strava sync | Screen turns off, unreliable connections, inaccurate elevation data |
Despite the flaws, Samsung Health is my top pick for cycling data. Hats off to Samsung—but there’s room for polish.
⚠️ Key Issues & Workarounds
- Screen Turns Off (in an navigation app......)
Fix: Use Samsung Health + Komoot in split-screen → keeps display active and adds live elevation profile. - Auto Pause/Unintended End
Fix: Disable Auto Pause. Strava handles breaks via “moving time.” - Connection Drops Post-Break
Powermeter disconnects during coffee stops and doesn't always reconnect.
Workaround: Toggle Bluetooth off/on (unreliable) or restart the exercise (not ideal). - Wrong Elevation Data
Samsung Health often reports inflated totals—up to double the actual elevation.
Fix: None yet. Komoot shows correct values using the same source.
🛠 Recommendations for Samsung
- Add a “screen always on” mode with bike battery optimization
- Never auto-end exercises—allow easy editing of session length
- Improve third-party device connectivity (easy said...)
- Fix elevation data calibration
I might do also somethings wrong, so feedback if you have different/no issues with above.
💭 Final Thoughts
Samsung Health’s functionality for cyclists is genuinely impressive—often surpassing Komoot, Strava, and even most bike computers in data breadth and flexibility. I think with a few refinements, Samsung could capture serious attention (and market share) among cycling enthusiasts.
Would love to hear others’ setups, hacks, and app choices.
Galaxy Watch4 Classic
