Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Rumor Roundup: Everything we know about the upcoming Wear OS Watch!
At Google I/O 2021, Google announced that it would be partnering with Samsung to breathe life back into a platform that hadn’t seen any notable updates in the longest time – Wear OS. Samsung then announced that all future smartwatches launched by the brand would run Wear OS instead of their proprietary Tizen OS which is found on their previous and current-gen smartwatches. This is a big move since users will now get the app support and ecosystem of Android and Wear OS along with the performance, stability, and battery life gains from Samsung’s expertise with Tizen on the Galaxy Watch.
Reserve your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3/Z Flip 3
The first product of this partnership between Google and Samsung is all set to be unveiled on August 11, 2021, at Samsung’s Unpacked event. Samsung confirmed that they’re launching the new generation of their foldable phones – Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 early next month and if leaks and rumors are anything to go by, this event will also have a segment for the new Galaxy Watch 4 as well as the Galaxy Buds 2.
If you’re excited about the new wearable from Samsung, here’s everything that we know about it so far and what you can expect from the watch.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Release Date
The Galaxy Watch 4 is expected to launch at Samsung’s Unpacked event on August 11, 2021. Of course, the major highlight of the show is going to be the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Samsung’s third-gen foldable flagship, followed by the Galaxy Z Flip 3 for all the clamshell fans out there. While there’s no official confirmation about the Galaxy Watch 4 launching alongside the two foldables, there are numerous leaks from accurate sources like Evan Blass or @evleaks which claim that Samsung will launch the Galaxy Watch 4. Even the Galaxy Buds 2 are expected to launch with these devices.
— Evan (@evleaks) July 10, 2021
Evan also showed off a GIF that reveals how the Galaxy Watch 4 is supposedly going to look like from all angles.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Variants and Pricing
While there were expectations of just a single variant of the Galaxy Watch initially, there seems to be another variant of the Galaxy Watch 4 that may exist called the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. This means that there could be two different versions of the Galaxy Watch 4 that you can expect to be launched:
- Galaxy Watch 4
- Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
It’s possible that the regular Galaxy Watch 4 is a replacement for the Galaxy Watch Active 2 and the Classic version is a successor to the Galaxy Watch 3. We’ll get better clarity on this pretty soon but at this point, it’s safe to say that you can expect more than one wearable to launch.
In terms of size, the Galaxy Watch 4 might come in two variants – 42mm and 44mm. The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is expected to come in two sizes as well – 44mm and 46mm. Users can pick the one that best suits the size and nature of their wrists.
As far as pricing is concerned, we don’t have any concrete information yet but just a couple of weeks back, the Galaxy Watch 4 was spotted on Amazon Canada and the listing mentioned a price of CAD 309.85 for the 42mm variant, which translates to about $249 in the US. Meanwhile, the 44mm Classic variant was listed for CAD 427.73 or approximately $350. There’s no way to tell if the listing prices were accurate, so take this with a pinch of salt.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Design
As mentioned earlier, the watch is expected to come in two variants – a standard version and a Classic version. While the renders of both watches look similar at first glance, there would be some subtle differences between the two watches not just in terms of features or specs but even in terms of design. Both watches are expected to come with IP68 water resistance.
The standard Galaxy Watch in this generation is expected to have a 1.19-inch circular dial with an OLED display just like all Samsung Watches from the past few years. Samsung is expected to launch the watch in multiple color variants to appeal to a larger audience. They might also introduce funky and colorful options apart from the usual black and white to attract a younger audience as well. The Galaxy Watch 4 might come with an aluminum chassis and a touch-capacitive bezel surrounding the display, just like the Galaxy Watch Active.
The Classic edition, on the other hand, is expected to be a slightly more premium smartwatch with a stainless steel body flanked by two buttons on the right edge, something that can be seen in the renders of the standard variant as well. Unlike the touch-capacitive bezel on the normal version, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classis is rumored to get a rotating bezel around the circular dial. This has been a marquee feature on the Galaxy Watch series and is quite reminiscent of some mechanical watches.
Specifications and Features
A recent report from SamMobile suggested that the new Galaxy Watch could feature the best hardware that we’ve ever seen on a smartwatch. This can be attributed to the new Exynos W920 chipset that is supposedly going to be used on the Galaxy Watch 4. The new chipset can apparently achieve up to 1.25 times faster processing speeds and 8.8 times better graphics performance compared to the Exynos 9110 found on previous Galaxy Watches.
The Galaxy Watch series will reportedly have 16GB of internal storage and 1.5GB of RAM which is comparatively higher than what’s found on some other watches. The higher RAM will allow smoother operation of the watch especially given that Wear OS is a heavier platform compared to Tizen. The increased internal storage will allow users to install more apps and games on the watch since the library of apps on the Play Store is much larger.
If we have to mention some new features that are expected, Max Weinbach, a renowned tipster claimed that the Galaxy Watch Active 4 would come with a BIA sensor which stands for Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis. This would allow for body composition readings, something that’s usually seen on body scales. The Galaxy Watch 4 might allow users to track the water content, fat levels, muscle mass, etc. in their body which will be a huge benefit for fitness enthusiasts.
Galaxy Watch4. BIA sensor.
— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) June 25, 2021
There were some rumors about Blood Glucose monitoring coming to the Galaxy Watch 4 series, but more recent reports say that it might not be happening this year. We’ll have to wait to see if it actually makes its way and Samsung one-ups Apple. Blood pressure monitoring, SpO2 monitoring, and ECG are features that we might see in the Galaxy Watch 4.
Battery life is another thing to look out for on the Galaxy Watch 4. Wear OS has traditionally been terrible with battery consumption whereas previous Galaxy Watches have faired quite well due to the fact that Tizen wasn’t as power-hungry. It would be interesting to see what improvements Samsung has made to Wear OS to make sure it doesn’t drain the watch by evening.
Software: OneUI Watch
The biggest highlight of the new Galaxy Watch is going to be the software the watch will run on. As mentioned earlier, Samsung is going to be using a build of WearOS combined with their own set of features that Tizen and Samsung, in general, have been known for. At MWC recently, Samsung announced that it’s going to be calling this platform OneUI Watch to maintain the branding uniformity with their custom UI on Android.
OneUI Watch will aim to provide a consistent user experience and look with other Galaxy devices. There are some features that Samsung showed off that make using the watch easier. Auto app installation will install the Wear OS version of any app that you install on your phone, provided it’s available. The Settings menu on OneUI Watch looks similar to what we see on OneUI on Samsung’s phones.
The biggest advantage of OneUI Watch being based on Wear OS would be that users will now have access to the Google Play Store to download their favorite apps and games. The collection of apps on the Play Store and the number of developers making apps for Wear OS are much higher compared to Samsung’s own Tizen app store. Even in terms of customization and watch faces, users will now have a larger variety to choose from.
A recent leak from SamMobile shows the user interface of OneUI Watch supposedly running on the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.
And the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic… pic.twitter.com/Hc4bC2Lhrj
— SamMobile (@SamMobiles) July 27, 2021
By these clips, you can probably figure out that the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic goes for a traditional, mechanical watch look with subdued colors and icons. The watch faces also look a lot more formal than the ones you can see on the regular Galaxy Watch 4.
This is everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 so far. We’re less than two weeks away from the launch and all the speculations will turn into confirmed information on the 11th of August. Are you excited about the Galaxy Watch 4? This seems like the best Android smartwatch in a while going by the leaks and rumors, and it’s finally looking like the Apple Watch could have a worthy competitor on the Android side of things.
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