The Samsung Galaxy watches are some of the most anticipated smartwatches on the market, and they’re expected to be unveiled alongside the new Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5 foldable smartphones, as well as the Galaxy Tab S9 series. According to the latest leaks and rumors, the series will consist of the standard Galaxy Watch 6, and the Galaxy Watch 6 Pro. The Pro model is rumored to return the beloved physical rotating bezel, and the smartwatch duo could have an even bigger battery, providing a much-improved battery life.
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Here, we collected all the rumors and leaks into one place, and we’ll continue adding more information as we inch towards the summer Galaxy Unpacked event.
It’s worth pointing out that while we’re referring to the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Pro as the flagships smartwatches, there are some rumors that instead of opting for the “Pro” branding, Samsung could go back to the “Classic” moniker and revive the physical rotating bezel and release the higher-end smartwatch with a more traditional and classical design.
Related: Should you buy Galaxy Watch 5 now or wait for Watch 6 series?
Price & Availability
Earlier, Samsung was rumored to follow its own timeline and schedule, and we expected the company to unveil its new Galaxy Watch 6 series at its Galaxy Unpacked event, that’s usually held in early/mid-August. However, new rumors claimed that Samsung could bring the release date forward to help boost its semiconductor business, which suffered sluggish and low sales, to help recover and stay in the green.
According to the latest information, Samsung is rumored to hold an event sometime in late July, where it’s expected to unveil the new smartwatches, alongside the new high-end tablets and premium foldable flagships. There’s also a chance we could see an improved Galaxy Buds Pro 3 earbuds, so there’ll likely be a lot to unwrap.
As for the price, it’s still a mystery. The Galaxy Watch 5 started from $279.99 for the 40mm Bluetooth model, and the highest-end smartwatch was the 44mm LTE variant that retailed for $359.99. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro was available in a single 45mm size, and with Bluetooth and LTE variants. The smartwatches retailed for $449.99 and $499.99, respectively, and we expect a similar, or potentially slightly higher price tag in 2023.
Colors
Source: Samsung
The Galaxy Watch 5 is available in four colors, Graphite, Silver, Pink Gold (40mm), and Saphire (44mm). The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro was available in two colors, Black and Gray. The Pro smartwatch was also only available with the titanium chassis, which could return in 2023.
As for the colors for the new series, we expect a similar color palette for the two devices, and we could even see an extra color or two added to the standard Galaxy Watch 6.
Galaxy Watch 6 series: Technical Specifications
The Galaxy Watch 6 series are rumored to be powered by Samsung’s new Exynos W980 chipsets (via SamMobile), which could improve the speeds by up to 10%, compared to the W920 that was used in the Galaxy Watch 5 series. The watches could use the same 1.5GB of memory, and offer 16GB of built-in storage.
When it comes to sensors, the Galaxy Watch 6 series could receive FDA-approved heart rate monitoring out of the box, and there’s a chance that we’ll see the ECG feature return. The smartwatches will likely feature the same 5ATM, IP68, and MIL-STD-810H certificates that provide a rugged design and protection against water and dust from entering into the wearables.
Note: Some specifications are based on the Galaxy Watch 5 series.
Category Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Pro Dimensions and Weight N/A Case Material Aluminum Titanium Display 40mm: 1.2-inch Super AMOLED 44mm: 1.4-inch Super AMOLED 1.4-inch Super AMOLED Processor Exynos W980 Exynos W980 RAM 1.5GB 1.5GB Internal Storage 16GB 16GB Connectivity LTE, Bluetooth , Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo Software One UI Watch 5 based on Wear OS 4 One UI Watch 5 based on Wear OS 4 Sensors Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor Samsung BioActive Sensor (Optical Heart Rate + Electrical Heart Signal + Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis), Temperature Sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Light Sensor Band Size 20mm (M/L) 20mm (M/L) Durability Rating Battery 40mm: 300 mAh 44mm: 425 mAh 590mAh Charging Wireless Charging Wireless Charging
Design
The Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 had a lot in common, and the change in looks was minimal at best. The change from the Galaxy Watch 5 to the Galaxy Watch 6 is also rumored to be minor, and we’re expecting a nearly identical design to the last generation. When it comes to new things, rumors claim the Galaxy Watch 6 could be equipped with a curved glass panel (via UniverseIce). The display could help the watch look more modern and seamless, and there’s a chance that Samsung could be inspired by the Google Pixel Watch.
Other rumors claimed that the Galaxy Watch 6 Pro could feature a design that’s very similar to the Galaxy Watch Classic – hence it’s rumored to be called the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, instead of wearing the “Pro” branding. Whatever the name is, the higher-end Galaxy Watch will reportedly return the beloved physical rotating bezel and feature a similar look to the Galaxy Watch Classic. We’re expecting the same button design, and a matching set of features when it comes to the rotating dial.
We also heard rumors that Samsung could be working on an Ultra model, but sources later claimed to be postponed and delayed, possibly until 2024.
Software, Health & Fitness
Google already announced some new features about the new Wear OS 4 update at its Google I/O 2023 event, and the new software will bring small, but many quality-of-life updates to the platform. Some of those features include addressing the poor battery performance issues, and the inability to restore wearables without a factory reset. There are many more features under the hood, and we expect Samsung to integrate most, if not all, into the new Galaxy Watch 6 series.
Samsung also announced several new features that’ll be arriving to One UI Watch 5.0 later this year, suggesting that it could be coming to the Galaxy Watch 6 series, as well as the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 series at some point later this year. Some of the features include new safety features, such as fall detection, medical info, and SOS.
Samsung One UI Watch will also have personalized heart rate zones, and provide better and more information to get a better sleep at night.
Battery
A report from GalaxyClub suggests that Samsung could increase the battery capacity in its latest Galaxy Watch 6 series. As a result, the 40mm Galaxy Watch 6 could house a 300 mAh capacity, while the larger 44mm model could boast a 425 mAh cell inside. While the larger battery might be a stretch, the slightly larger batteries could add a few additional hours on top of the already existing battery life.
The Galaxy Watch 6 Pro is also rumored to receive a similar boost, although we haven’t seen any reports from any sources yet. The Pro smartwatch could see a similar small boost to its capacity, which would make it even higher than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s current 590 mAh capacity.
Galaxy Watch 6 series wishlist: Everything we want to see
The return of the rotating bezel: The rotating bezel is an iconic feature, and it’s one of the best ways to interact with Galaxy smartwatches. We want to see the iconic feature return with similar looks and the same functionality to help make tiny screens more usable again. Fewer limitations: Samsung locked away a few key features, including the ability to record an ECG reading on a non-Samsung smartphone. While the Galaxy Watches are still very much usable and offer great features, there are a few reasons we can’t recommend them for users without a Samsung device. We want to see Samsung return to its roots and make its devices more user-friendly for everyone using an Android phone. Better use of the temperature sensor: The Galaxy Watch 5 series came with a built-in temperature sensor that was later enabled via a software update. The sensors are helpful for women’s health tracking, but we wish it was used for more. We want better insights, more control, and better health metrics. Improved design and more customizeability: While the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro are some of the most beautiful smartwatches, they’re too simple and not very customizable. While the design follows a language that can apply to everyone, we wish there were more options to choose from to further customize the devices with new colors, different bezels, and more. A larger battery: Recent rumors claimed that the Galaxy Watch 6 series might have larger batteries. The quoted bump suggests we could see slightly better battery life.