Forget Samsung Galaxy Watch 2: This is the Galaxy Watch 3

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A big name change for a big Galaxy Watch upgrade

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
(Image credit: Future)

More details have surfaced around Samsung's highly anticipated new Galaxy Watch — including a major name change. According to a new regulatory filing, Samsung may skip the Galaxy Watch 2 nomenclature and call its next smartwatch the Galaxy Watch 3, while introducing some exciting new features and multiple size variants. 

As spotted by Sammobile, a certification from the NBTC reveals that Samsung's next flagship watch may be called the Galaxy Watch 3. This name change could help avoid confusion with Samsung's existing Galaxy Watch Active 2, and let customers know that the latest watch is a true generational leap. There's also some precedent to Samsung playing with its naming conventions, as its flagship phone line jumped from the Galaxy S10 to  the Galaxy S20 this year.

The filing also confirms that the Galaxy Watch 3 will come in 41mm and 45mm variants, which is a slight trimming from the 42mm and 46mm models that the current Galaxy Watch offers. And we already know from a previous leak that the Watch 3 will likely bring back a physical rotating bezel after ditching it for the Watch Active 2.

Other expected Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 specs include a Gorilla Glass DX display, an onboard GPS, 8GB of storage and 5ATM-rated water resistance. The Watch 3 could also borrow the Watch Active 2's new blood-pressure monitoring feature, and may have a bigger battery than its predecessor.

That could position the Watch 3 as a worthy rival to the upcoming Apple Watch 6, which could get such advanced features as sleep tracking, blood oxygen detection and the ability to detect stress and anxiety attacks. Samsung's new watch may debut in August alongside the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2, which could lead to an exciting showdown once the new Apple Watch launches shortly after in September. 

Michael Andronico
Michael Andronico

Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored. He was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide, where he wrote extensively on gaming, as well as running the show on the news front. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.