Rumored smartwatch tipped to get a radical redesign
(Image credit: Future)
When you think of the Galaxy Watch, whether it's Samsung's original smartwatch or the more recent Galaxy Watch 6, you probably think circular screens. After all, that's the design Samsung has offered from the get-go. But things could change when the rumored Galaxy Watch 7 arrives later this year.
Samsung is strongly considering changing its Galaxy Watch design to a square display, ditching the circular look, according to a Sammobile report. Samsung still has time to decide if it wants to switch up the Galaxy Watch’s design, but Sammobile, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the company's plans, said “the idea is enthusiastically being considered internally.”
A square Galaxy Watch 7 would be a blast from the past for Samsung wearables. Samsung launched its first Galaxy Gear watch in 2013 with a squared-off 1.6-inch display. The company also offered a similar design in the Galaxy Gear 2 and Galaxy Gear Live. Arriving in 2018, the Galaxy Watch introduced the circular look to Samsung watches.
One of the best smartwatches, the Apple Watch, features a squared-off design, of course, but other smartwatch makers try to differentiate their offerings from what Apple has. One of the easiest ways to do that is to offer a circular design — a feature Apple has never used in the Apple Watch. And since Google’s smartwatch operating system Wear OS works quite well on a circular screen, that look has made sense.
It's unclear from the Sammobile report why Samsung would consider such a major move after years of offering a circular design. Sammobile’s sources also weren’t sure if Samsung would opt to deliver a new look for this year's Galaxy Watch or end up making the move next year.
While Samsung has some time to decide, the company may be running out of time to make such a major change before production kicks off. We'd expect a launch to happen at a Galaxy Unpacked launch later in the year — typically, that would happen in August, but rumors suggest Samsung could eye an earlier launch window in order to steer clear of this summer's Olympics.
Samsung has been tight-lipped on its Galaxy Watch 7 plans, and there have been surprisingly few rumors surrounding it. Earlier this year, one report claimed Samsung would upgrade the watch’s processor to the Exynos 5535, which should deliver more energy efficiency.
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Don Reisinger is CEO and founder of D2 Tech Agency. A communications strategist, consultant, and copywriter, Don has also written for many leading technology and business publications including CNET, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes, Computerworld, Digital Trends, TechCrunch and Slashgear. He has also written for Tom's Guide for many years, contributing hundreds of articles on everything from phones to games to streaming and smart home.
