Updated April 26
- The announcement of the Galaxy Watch 7 could come in early July,
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 could get a significant speed and battery boost
- The Galaxy Watch 7 could look a lot different from other Samsung smartwatches
-Samsung's next smartwatch could get sleep apnea detection
For Android users, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is one of the best smartwatches you can buy today: It’s stylish, feature-packed and — with the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic edition — features a satisfying tactile bezel for app control. It's also set to be replaced by the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 this summer.
When will we get our first official look at the next-gen wearable and what new features will it boast?
We've been monitoring all the rumors and leaks for the past six months. Here's everything we know so far, including potential tech upgrades, health monitoring improvements, design changes and more. We also predict look at how it might work alongside the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Ring.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 cheat sheet: Biggest rumors
- Release date prediction: July 2024 launch, August 2024 release
- Price prediction: $299 and up
- Design: Possibly a square face, better battery life
- Chip prediction: May sport the new Exynos W940 processor (based on Exynos 5535)
- Features: Possible sleep apnea detection, compatibility with Samsung Galaxy Ring
- Software: Possibly Wear OS 5
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Possible price and availability
Other than the ‘Active’ range — which hasn’t had a new model since 2019 — Samsung has stuck to releasing every new Galaxy Watch in August. However, we fully expect to lay our first eyes on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 a month or so sooner during the Samsung Unpacked event, which will likely be in July, possibly the 10th. We also expect the Galaxy Watch 7 to launch alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Ring.
While the series has seen a modest price reduction over the years — the original Galaxy Watch started at $329, while the latest model has a starting MSRP of $299 — we’d be surprised if there were any more price cuts to come.
In other words, expect a starting price of at least $300 for the smallest model without cellular data, and the price to increase based on size and functionality. It seems there may be a second generation of the Pro model this year, and that should sell for upwards of $449, judging from the MSRP of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Design
The Samsung Galaxy Watch’s design hasn’t changed too much in its first six generations, but that could be set to change in 2024. According to recent reports, Samsung is toying with a square design — and “the idea is enthusiastically being considered internally.”
Whether that would be for one model or for all of them remains to be seen. Interestingly, the leaker @kro-roe says that there will be three different types of Galaxy Watch 7 this year. The Classic and Pro models will apparently be joined by a “new one”. That could potentially be the rumored square model.
Long-term Samsung wearable fans will remember that the company has produced square smartwatches before. The Galaxy Gear, Gear 2, Gear Live and Gear S all had squared-off designs before Samsung switched to round faces with the Galaxy Gear S2.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Features
At the start of the year, the reliable tipster Roland Quandt reported that the Watch 7 will get a brand-new chipset: the Exynos W940.
With only one generation using the W930, this was a little unexpected. While processor upgrades are a given for new smartphones, wearables move at a slower pace — indeed, the Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch Active 2 and Galaxy Watch 3 all used the Exynos 9110, while the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 got the Exynos W920.
Still, this has now been backed up by another leaker. On X, leaker @TheGalox wrote: “Exynos W940, the processor powering the Galaxy Watch7 series, will apparently be 50% more efficient and 30% faster than the previous model.”
Extra speed is, of course, welcome for smoother performance, but the real prize here is the efficiency. That means longer battery life — which has been something of an Achille’s Heel of recent Galaxy Watches which have fallen well short of the original’s four-day stamina.
There’s no talk yet of new health sensors, but one thing that’s all but confirmed is the introduction of sleep apnea detection. Earlier this year, Samsung published a press release announcing that the feature has been approved by the FDA, and will be coming to Galaxy Watches in the third quarter of 2024 — just in time for the Galaxy Watch 7’s expected release date, which likely isn’t a coincidence.
It's also possible that the Galaxy Watch 7 will debut running the forthcoming Wear OS 5, which is based on Android 14, according to a tip shared with 9to5Google. This could make it the first wearable to rock the new operating system.
Finally, there were reports in early 2023 that Samsung would be switching to MicroLED tech for Galaxy Watches in the future. But as we’ve heard nothing since, we’d assume this is penciled in for a later generation.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Compatibility with Samsung Galaxy Ring
We're confident that the Samsung Galaxy Ring will launch beside the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 devices this summer. And we fully expect the two to play with one another, especially when it comes to supplementing user health and fitness tracking data.
We know that the Galaxy Ring will almost certainly be able to track heart rate and sleep quality, like the current Samsung Galaxy Watches. But it might also be able to monitor blood flow, blood oxygen saturation and even perform ECGs, as reported by ETNews.
Again, these wellness features could supplement those found on the forthcoming Watch 7, potentially giving users who wear both class-leading insights into their well-being, along with faster and more precise alerts for potential health issues.
It's also been widely reported that users will be able to use the Galaxy Ring to control other Samsung smart devices, like (presumably) the Galaxy 7 Watch. Though, we don't have any concrete details on how exactly that might work.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7: Outlook
The Samsung Galaxy Watch series has typically been defined by iterative generational updates: solid, but unspectacular with little reason to upgrade each year.
By contrast, rumors about the Galaxy Watch 7 appear substantial, if they turn out to be true.
With a possible new design, markedly better performance and stronger battery life, the Galaxy Watch 7 could be a serious improvement that could tempt even the staunchest holdouts into an early upgrade.
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