Everything we know and what we want to see

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is easily one of the best smartwatches you can buy, though it’s not a dramatic improvement from its predecessor. We’re eagerly awaiting the release of the next iteration of Samsung’s smartwatches in the form of the Galaxy Watch 7 series, and we hope to see a lot more dramatic changes that catch it up to the competition, like the OnePlus Watch 2 and even the Apple Watch Series 9. But how is the Galaxy Watch 7 shaping up so far? Here’s what we know about the Galaxy Watch 7, what we can expect, and what we want it to be!

The Samsung Galaxy Watch series is one of the premier smartwatch lineups for Android devices. While competitors like the OnePlus Watch 2 and the Pixel Watch 2 exist in the Android space, the Galaxy Watch series (like the recent Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic) dominates the charts thanks to Samsung’s popularity and marketing and distribution channels.

Samsung has also been very invested in smartwatches, with a lot of notable smartwatches over the years, like those on Tizen OS. Samsung has immense goodwill in this space, and it is unlikely that the company will give up this advantage any time soon, at least not without a good fight.

So even though Samsung has not officially announced anything yet, we’re very confident that the company will release a Galaxy Watch 7. Based on past trends and current leaks, this could take the form of the Galaxy Watch 7 series with multiple products.

A leak from Kro on X suggests that Samsung is planning three smartwatches: a Classic, a Pro, and a “new one.” Sammobile followed up on this by revealing that the Galaxy Watch 7 series will have the following model numbers:

• SM-L300 and SM-L305
• SM-L310 and SM-L315
• SM-L700 and SM-L705

Here, the xx0 models could represent the Wi-Fi-only variants, while the xx5 models could represent the Wi-Fi plus eSIM variants.

Consequently, to sum it all up, Samsung seems to be well underway in the Galaxy Watch 7 development cycle.

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series — Announced August 11, 2021; released August 27, 2021
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 series — Announced August 10, 2022; released August 26, 2022
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series — Announced July 26, 2023; released August 11, 2023

Samsung has maintained a fairly predictable release cycle for its smartwatches in recent years, choosing to launch them alongside its foldables around August. So you can expect the Galaxy Watch 7 series to be released at the same Galaxy Unpacked event where Samsung will launch the Galaxy Z series fold and flip phones.

According to Sammobile, Samsung could launch the Galaxy foldables in early July 2024, possibly in the second week. Since Samsung usually launches its devices on a Wednesday, that would give us a date of July 10, 2024, as the possible launch date for the Galaxy Z foldables. By extension, this could also be the day and event where Samsung launches the Galaxy Watch 7 series.

The Bell corroborates an early release rumor, suggesting that Samsung wants to take advantage of marketing around the 2024 Summer Olympics that are scheduled to be held in Paris, France from July 26, 2024. Consequently, the launch could be held in Paris, France.

To sum up these leaks, Samsung could be preponing its launch, so that is a break from tradition. But we continue to expect the Galaxy Watch 7 series to launch at the same Galaxy Unpacked event where the Galaxy Z series launches.

We don’t have officially confirmed information from Samsung yet, nor do we have any leaked renders that give us any idea of what the Galaxy Watch 7 would look like.

Speculatively from our end, some of the variants in the Galaxy Watch 7 (most likely the base variant) could continue on with the looks of the Galaxy Watch 6, which has also largely carried forward the look of its predecessor. Further, the middle Galaxy Watch 7 variant could look like a Galaxy Watch 6 Classic successor with a rotating bezel, as this feature has been loved by fans, and we don’t imagine Samsung would like to remove it again.

The third Galaxy Watch 7 variant could shape up to be anything at this point, as we are still speculating. However, a report from Sammobile suggested that Samsung could be exploring a square shape for a future Galaxy Watch, though it isn’t clear if this would be for the Galaxy Watch 7 series. But the idea itself is “enthusiastically being considered internally,” and it is “very much on the cards that the switch is going to happen.” A square Galaxy Watch would fit perfectly as the third Galaxy Watch 7 variant.

The other round of possibilities could be that Samsung could be differentiating the Galaxy Watch 7 series with some features spread across sizes. The base variant and the middle variant could thus have some minor differences (which would explain their close model numbers), while the top variant could be a Classic.

Samsung had mentioned in the past that it would rotate Classic and Pro variants. There is a possibility that one of these watches is a Pro variant, and Samsung possibly decided to keep the Classic refresh too. So the lineup could be spread across a vanilla variant, a Classic, and a Pro model.

According to TheGalox on X, the Samsung Galaxy Watch series could come with the new Exynos W940 SoC. This new SoC is said to be 50% more efficient and 30% faster than previous models. A report from the Korean website New Daily suggests that Samsung could be using Samsung Foundry’s 3nm process for its SoC on the Galaxy Watch 7 series. Joining the dots, it could mean that the Exynos W940 could be a 3nm SoC powering the Galaxy Watch 7 series. If correct, this would be a decent upgrade over the 5nm Exynos W930 that is present on the Galaxy Watch 6 series. The switchover to a 3nm process would also explain the claimed efficiency improvements.

Roland Quandt suggests that the Galaxy Watch 7 is based on the Exynos 5535 (internal model number), which could likely be called the Exynos W940 based on earlier trends. Samsung is also working on the Exynos 5400 and Exynos 6375 (both being internal model numbers), but these may not be related to the Galaxy Watch 7.

A report from Sammobile suggests that Samsung could also be increasing the internal storage of the watch. The Galaxy Watch 6 series comes with 16GB internal storage, while the Galaxy Watch 7 series could double it to 32GB internal storage.

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, 40mm: Wi-Fi-only: $299.99 / 4G: $349.99
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, 44mm: Wi-Fi-only: $329.99 / 4G: $379.99
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, 43mm: Wi-Fi-only: $399.99 / 4G: $449.99
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, 47mm: Wi-Fi-only: $429.99 / 4G: $479.99

We don’t have price leaks for the Galaxy Watch 7 series yet. However, we can draw some reasonable conclusions based on the predecessor, the Galaxy Watch 6 series.

The Galaxy Watch 6 series started at $300 in the US for its smallest 40mm and Wi-Fi-only variant (though it is often discounted below this these days). One can presume that Samsung would like to stick close to this price tag for the entry-level Galaxy Watch 6. Upgrading to the 4G LTE eSIM variant adds a $50 bump to the price, and we presume this will continue with the Galaxy Watch 7 series.

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic starts at $400 in the US for its smallest 43mm and Wi-Fi-only variant. You can expect one of the other two Galaxy Watch 7 variants to be targeting this price band. It remains to be seen where the third Galaxy Watch 7 variant will be placed, above or below this price tag. If Samsung can add meaningful changes, it would allow the company to be more ambitious with the pricing, possibly breaching the $500 mark on the topmost variant.

If you’re in the market for a good smartwatch, there’s really no need to wait for the Galaxy Watch 7. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic have been available for just under four months and still offer a robust set of features and plenty of future software support. Despite minor issues with sensor accuracy, they stand out as excellent smartwatches overall.

Alternatively, if you’re open to exploring beyond the Galaxy ecosystem, there are several impressive smartwatches to consider, such as the Google Pixel Watch 2 ($349.99 at Amazon), the OnePlus Watch 2 ($299.99 at OnePlus), or the Garmin Venu 3 ($449.99 at Amazon). While the latest Apple Watch ($392.67 at Amazon) is a top recommendation, it’s worth noting that it’s only a feasible option if you’re contemplating a switch to an iPhone, as Apple’s smartwatch does not support Android.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 wishlist

While there are still a few more months before we get newer watch hardware, we’d love to see Samsung make a few bolder moves in 2024 with the next Galaxy Watch. There are certainly more than a few things on our Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 wishlist, so let’s jump right in.

The latest Galaxy Watch 6 (and Watch 6 Classic) offers approximately 30 hours of battery life when utilizing the watch’s advanced sensors and features on a regular basis, allowing for about a day and a half of usage before needing a recharge. If you disable most of the health sensors and a few other features you can extend the battery life to a few days, though this comes at the expense of a significantly reduced experience.

What’s worse is that the Samsung Watch 6 actually has lower battery life than its predecessor. We really want to see Samsung switch directions here. If Samsung can improve processor efficiency, it wouldn’t even require a massive increase in size or weight. Ultimately, the Galaxy Watch would better distinguish itself from the competition by consistently providing at least 36-48 hours of battery life for the average user without the need to turn off a lot of the best features to get there.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is a good smartwatch, but its health and fitness features could use some work. Specifically, we’re focused on the accuracy of its sensors. As noted in our Galaxy Watch 6 review, the heart rate data on the Watch 6 is extremely inconsistent. The same applies to GPS accuracy in runs and other activities. While it can be reasonably accurate in many neighborhoods, it sometimes produces wonky and unexpected results.

Samsung needs to focus on improving its sensor accuracy. A bigger Health feature push could attract fans who are interested in Samsung’s watch but find its health features lacking compared to Garmin watches, Fitbit, or the Apple Watch.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 needs a variant with more storage

It’s time for Samsung to embrace a 32GB storage variant, or simply upgrade its storage across the board on all models. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is falling behind the competition in terms of space for apps, music, watch faces, and other files. There’s just 16GB on all models, and this has been the case for a few generations now. For perspective, the Pixel Watch 2 and Apple Watch Series 9 both offer 32GB of storage.

Samsung prioritizes its Galaxy phones over other Android devices, which isn’t too surprising, but it’s something we’d like to see change. The Galaxy Watch is easily one of the best, if not the very best, Android watches for generalist users, so Samsung shouldn’t limit its appeal.

What kind of features are currently unavailable to non-Samsung phone owners? There are three main features that are only for Samsung phone owners: on-demand ECG readings, blood pressure detection, and irregular heart rate notifications. To use these advanced features, you need the Samsung Health Monitor app, which isn’t available outside of the Galaxy Store on Samsung phones and tablets.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and Pixel Watch 2 are basically the gold standard products for Wear OS, largely thanks to their decent features and mainstream appeal. While the Pixel Watch 2 and Galaxy Watch 6 come in a few fun colorways, the same can’t be said for the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. We’d like to see that change with the Galaxy Watch 7 Pro (or maybe that’ll be the Galaxy Watch 6 Pro?). Instead of just offering black and silver or black and gray. Give us a splash of color!

How likely is it we’ll get a Pro model with the next Galaxy Watch 7? Very confident, actually. For those unaware, following the return of the Classic line, Samsung previously confirmed it would rotate out Classic and Pro every year going forward. We saw a Galaxy Watch 6 Classic this year, so next year, we are due a Pro variant again.