Samsung followed up the excellent Galaxy Watch – its last with a physical rotating bezel – with the Galaxy Watch Active in 2019. It ditched the physical rotating bezel but Samsung struck a compromise with the Galaxy Watch Active 2, that arrived merely six months after its predecessor. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 has a digital rotating bezel, it's not quite the same as the physical bezel, but it gets the job done.
It first emerged two weeks ago that Samsung is working on a new Galaxy Watch. Now, it's unclear whether it's going to be launched as the Galaxy Watch 2 or as the Galaxy Watch Active 3. What we do hear is that it's going to double the internal storage from 4GB on the existing models to 8GB. Given how Samsung is shaking up its device branding this year, who knows, the next smartwatch may be called something else entirely.
The new Galaxy Watch will have double the internal storage
What's clear at this point in time is that there is definitely a new smartwatch in the pipeline and it bears model numbers SM-R840/845 and SM-R850/855. There will be two sizes on offer, but it remains to be seen if we'll be given the same 40mm and 44mm options as the Galaxy Watch Active 2, or Samsung is going to increase the sizes. There's going to be a cellular variant for each model as well. They'll most definitely be LTE-enabled.
However, given Samsung's focus on 5G this year, will they end up being the world's first 5G smartwatches? We're just speculating here, and it might seem like total overkill to have 5G on a smartwatch, but someone has to claim those bragging rights.
The entire lineup will have 8GB of internal storage, double that of Samsung's most recent smartwatches. The added storage will allow users to have more apps on the smartwatch and even store more local music, something those who don't buy the cellular model will certainly appreciate. We can expect the new smartwatch to come with updated internals and several new software features. A recent report also revealed that the SM-R840 will feature a 330mAh battery, bigger than the 247mAh one on the 40mm Galaxy Watch Active 2.
We do hear that this new smartwatch is very early in the development cycle at this stage. Don't expect it to be unveiled at Samsung's Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip launch event on February 11. Given the scale of leaks this year, if it was on the docket, it would have been fully leaked by now. It's much more likely that Samsung is keeping its next smartwatch for the second half of this year so expect it to arrive alongside the Galaxy Note 20.
