Samsung is the first name that comes to mind when it comes to smartwatches made for Android users. In July, we expect to see the next generation of foldables from the South Korean OEM, but alongside those will come the next set of smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 8 series.
It seems that this year will bring a regular Galaxy Watch and a Galaxy Watch Classic, unlike last year, which brought the Galaxy Watch Ultra our way. For those who have been long-time fans of the Galaxy Watch series, this is good news, because “Classic” brings hope of a certain feature returning, and renders confirm the rotating bezel is back.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Will Bring the Squircle and a Rotating Bezel
The Galaxy Watch Ultra was priced in a very premium fashion, and that left most people with the sole option of the Galaxy Watch 7. This year, the Classic lineup of watches is going to return after having a year off, and it seems there won’t be a sequel to the Watch Ultra (so that means nothing to drag Samsung’s attention away). That’s good news.
Plus, thanks to the guys over at SammyGuru, we’ve gotten our very first look at what the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic will look like. First off, it is clear that the influence of the Watch Ultra is going to stick around, perhaps permanently. The Watch 8 Classic employs a squircle shape for the body of the watch, though the screen is still perfectly circular. I think I like this look a lot, especially since the Watch 8 Classic model is less aggressive.
| Galaxy Watch 8 Classic (Rumored) | |
| Dimensions | 46 x 46.5 x 14.2mm |
| Battery | 435mAh |
| Display Size | 1.5 inches |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth or LTE |
But speaking of that perfectly circular screen, several people are going to be glad to hear that a very Classic-specific feature will be making its return this year. Yep, the rotating bezel is back, and for several people, that’s a major win since it is great for navigating the smartwatch with its tiny screen.
Which Samsung Galaxy Watch Models Have a Rotating Bezel?
If you’re a big fan of the rotating bezel, there are several older Samsung Galaxy Watch models that come with it, but it can be hard to figure out which ones have it and which ones don’t. Here they are:
- Samsung Galaxy Watch
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
The Galaxy Watch 8 Will Employ the Same New Design
If you were a fan of the circular design of previous Samsung Galaxy Watch models, this year isn’t the year for you. The Watch Ultra introduced a new design to Galaxy smartwatches, and now, it has infected the entire lineup. We reported earlier that, by all indications, it seems like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 will also be adopting the new squircle design.
If you don’t like it, there are fortunately several other great smartwatch options for Android users, primary of which I’d say is the OnePlus Watch 3.
