Samsung Galaxy Watch 8: Leaks and our wishlist for Galaxy Watch 7 upgrades
Samsung has announced the Galaxy Watch 7, which means it's time to decide whether its 2024 watch does enough to earn your money or if you should wait for the Galaxy Watch 8.
As expected, the Galaxy Watch 7 is a near-carbon copy of its predecessor. It does have a faster Exynos chip and extra storage, plus revamped heart rate LEDs and dual-band GPS; still, it has the same look, displays, health data, and battery life as the Watch 6. If you were hoping for a more drastic upgrade, the Galaxy Watch 8 may be more your speed.
We've heard a couple of rumors about future Galaxy Watch features that weren't ready in time for the Watch 7 but could come to the Watch 8. We'll run through those leaks now, as we wait for more concrete rumors in the coming months. And we'll list out our wishlist for what the Galaxy Watch 8 should do differently to keep Samsung's lead atop the best Android watches.
Galaxy Watch 8 leaks and rumors
Back in March, a SamMobile report claimed that Samsung executives wanted to switch from its long-running circular Galaxy Watch design for a squircle design, one it hadn't used since the Samsung Gear S in 2014 (see above).
"The idea is enthusiastically being considered internally," the report claimed.
We wrote at the time that Samsung couldn't redesign the Galaxy Watch 7 by the summer, but that the Galaxy Watch 8 would be a natural candidate for a major design switch if this report is true.
Of course, many people would hate a squircle Galaxy Watch, since it reminds them too much of the Apple Watch. But after Samsung aped Apple by selling a square-shaped Galaxy Watch Ultra — leaving behind its own Pro and Classic designs of models past — it might continue this trend in 2025 with a square-display Galaxy Watch 8.
We later heard via South Korean news site Pulse News that Hon Pak, Samsung's vice president and head of digital healthcare, wants to bring new health tracking features to Galaxy Watches, specifically blood glucose and diabetes monitoring.
That same report claimed Samsung would develop the technology "as early as the second half of 2024," despite previous reports that blood glucose monitoring would take a few years to arrive.
The Galaxy Watch 7 may not have blood glucose, but it does have the revamped Biosensor capable of tracking your body's Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) Index. AGEs form when sugars interact with proteins or fats in your bloodstream, and they signal potential health conditions like diabetes or renal failure.
Evidently, Samsung intends to continue tracking new health vectors over time, using Galaxy AI to improve the results. So we can expect the Galaxy Watch 8 to continue this health-tracking revolution, whether it adds blood glucose or something more attainable.
We've yet to hear more information — not surprising, given we're a year out from the Galaxy Watch 8 — but we'll keep this hub updated with any other leaks as they come in.
Our Galaxy Watch 8 wishlist
The Galaxy Watch 7 made some significant upgrades: A faster Exynos chip, double the storage, a daily energy score based on sleep and fitness data, three times the LEDs for more accurate health tracking, sleep apnea detection, and more. Our Galaxy Watch 7 hands-on time gave us a clear look at what to expect.
So, aside from a possible squircle display swap, where can the Galaxy Watch 8 improve? This is the Android Central staff's wishlist for Galaxy Watch 8 features:
Bring back the Classic or Pro
The Galaxy Watch Ultra is an exciting product for serious athletes, with a totally rugged design and unique perks like a third "quick button" for shortcuts and an emergency siren. It's also $650, which is significantly cheaper than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 but still $200 more than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, Samsung's last titanium watch with long battery life.
Samsung told us in a Q&A session that it intends to keep selling the Watch 6 Classic, just like the Watch 5 Pro stayed in stock for two years. But there's still a gap for users who want a rotating bezel or extra battery life without needing every premium Ultra perk or accepting last-gen specs.
Our guess is that Samsung will deprecate its Classic and Pro watches in the short term, but we wouldn't mind being proven wrong! Just as Samsung sells three flagship phones, we think there's enough room for a mid-range option between the affordable Galaxy Watch 8 and the inevitable Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.
Dare we say...a crown?
Look, the Watch 7's digital bezel has always felt like a compromise compared to the physical bezel of Classic Galaxy Watches. It works, but haptic clicks aren't the same as the physical experience of turning a dial or crown. On the other hand, the Classic look makes Samsung watches much heavier and more expensive.
A lot of Android Central writers love the Pixel Watch 2, in part because of the simplicity of using a dial instead of a touch bezel. It's the best alternative we can think of, and it's one that Samsung seems likely to use (since Apple loves its crowns, and Samsung has started emulating its rival's design choices).
Improve the core battery life
Samsung's last four smartwatches have had an estimated battery life of 40, 50, 40, and 40 hours, respectively. Aside from that Galaxy Watch 5 blip, it's stuck to that number, ensuring that new watches with faster processors and new features remain efficient enough to last. With the Galaxy Watch Ultra, you get 60 hours of battery life with AOD activated, or up to 100 hours in power saver mode.
Samsung, like Apple, makes you pay for higher-end models to get better battery life. But we've seen recent Wear OS watches set to last from 80–100 hours in the same price range as the standard Watch 7. Google has even implemented a Wear OS Hybrid Interface that makes certain background functions use less battery life.
We can only hope Samsung evolves with the rest of the field and makes better battery life more of a priority.
Continue to upgrade the health and fitness features
With the Galaxy Watch 7, Samsung catered more to athletes with improved sensors, a daily Energy Score similar to other brands' Daily Readiness or Body Battery scores, cycling FTP tests, and the ability to race your past routes. And the Galaxy Watch Ultra added dual-band GPS with a respectable 16 hours of tracking.
We appreciate that Samsung has chosen to take fitness more seriously, but you can still find plenty of areas where Samsung falls behind the pack.
Apple added training load to watchOS 11, so you can judge how your recent effort compares to past weeks' and to your body's overall fitness level. You can also take rest days where you disable your daily rings when you're too tired, injured, or sick to keep up your streaks. Samsung should feel free to borrow these ideas, since Apple borrowed training load from other fitness watches.
Otherwise, since Samsung wants to make AI a major focus of its devices, we hope to see some kind of coaching AI tool on the next Wear OS update, giving recommendations on how long to walk, run, cycle, lift, or complete other workouts on a given day to improve.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 7
No need to wait
We have a long time until we start to see proper Galaxy Watch 8 leaks from Samsung's offices. If you're impatient to buy a new Samsung watch and don't want to wait a whole year, then the Galaxy Watch 7 has a few key boosts to performance, storage, and health data to justify an immediate upgrade.
