Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 leak reveals a stunning Apple Watch 6 rival

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 leak
(Image credit: Evan Blass)

New images of the Galaxy Watch 3 have just leaked. And this high-res image really makes this smartwatch look like a handsome competitor to the upcoming Apple Watch 6.

The leak was posted by Evan Blass, a leaker who has provided reliable information to smartphone and wearables fans for many years. Although it's just one image, it gives us a very good look at the Galaxy Watch 3 from both the front and the back.

Around the outside of the face, you can see a toothed bezel. This isn't just for show going by the original Galaxy Watch, as it's actually the main navigation method aside from the touchscreen, letting users scroll through a wheel of apps, like we've seen in previous leaks.

Because of this toothed bezel, we can assume that this is the larger 45mm version of the watch. Previous leaks have told us about the existence of 45mm and 41mm face options, with the 41mm having a smooth bezel instead. We've seen a couple of images of the smaller face (see below), but hopefully we'll see similar pictures to this latest leak for the 41mm model in the near future.

A leaked image of the 41mm Galaxy Watch 3.

A leaked image of the 41mm Galaxy Watch 3. (Image credit: Naver)

The leather strap is prominent in this image too. We'd expect Samsung to offer other materials like silicon, as well as give users the option to use a non-Samsung strap by making the Galaxy Watch 3 fit standard watch strap sizes, as was the case with the original model.

If you zoom in on the back of the watch, you'll see that the casing is made of stainless steel. This is one of two rumored options for the Galaxy Watch 3's materials, the other being titanium.

We've heard other interesting pieces of information about Samsung's new smartwatch that don't appear in this image. We are led to believe that the Galaxy Watch 3 will be running on Tizen OS 5.5, the newest version of Samsung's operating system for its wearables, and will also be capable of tracking a wearer's blood pressure and their ECG activity. We've also got the specs for the watch's internals - 247 mAh or 340 mAh batteries depending on the size you choose, with 1GB RAM and 8GB of storage for running and storing the watch's apps.

So where does this leave the Apple Watch 6, due out around September alongside the iPhone 12? Apple's likely to keep with its squarer design rather than swap to a round faced watch like Samsung uses; whether that's more attractive or not is up to your own tastes though. In addition to sleep tracking built into watchOS 7, the Apple Watch 6 is rumored to offer blood oxygen detection, also known as SpO2 monitoring, and a way to keep better tabs on anxiety and mental health. 

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 3 is rumored to launch as soon as July, so we'll likely see more leaks as we get closer to its unveiling.

Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.