Samsung is showing more signs that it might expand its smartwatch lineup and release more premium models (or at least one) within the next few months. That's good news for any Galaxy Watch enthusiasts or prospective buyers who feel like Samsung's wearables can look toyish. However, a premium smartwatch model might not be the answer to everything that's holding Galaxy Watches back.
I believe that a premium smartwatch with a more polished design can be a blessing or a curse for Samsung. And what determines the outcome is the marriage between hardware and software.
Galaxy Watches — especially non-Classic ones — can look toyish, and in my experience, the software feels just as toy-like next to the full-fledged One UI software for Galaxy flagship phones.
One UI Watch performance is underwhelming, and the UI can sometimes stutter or even lag massively — particularly after reconnecting to a mobile device.
The Galaxy Watch honeymoon period can be pleasant, but chances are that the more you use the Galaxy Watch, the more you come to realize that almost every UI element and widget often feels and looks undercooked — almost like everything is in an early access phase. In many ways, it's reminiscent of the old Android phone experience.
There's no premium Watch without premium software
On the one hand, if Samsung offers a more premium Galaxy Watch, it could solve the external design issue and make smartwatches more appealing and less toy-like.
On the other hand, a more premium smartwatch paired with not-so-premium software will likely accentuate the undercooked One UI/Wear OS experience.
I'm inclined to believe that if Samsung intends to release a more premium smartwatch, it might not gain all that much unless it pays closer attention to the software, apps, watch faces, widgets, the One UI Watch design philosophy in general, performance optimization, and maybe even to how Google's Wear OS may or may not hinder software and UI development.
Until Samsung smartwatches with One UI Watch can match Galaxy flagship phones running One UI in how interconnected and optimized they feel, no premium Galaxy Watch will be premium enough.
If I sound too critical, it's because I've experienced all the Galaxy Watch and One UI Watch shortcomings for the past year with little to no pauses. In theory, the health and fitness monitoring aspects are brilliant. But the more I used the Galaxy Watch, the more I felt like the hardware and software came together by accident instead of by clever design. And I fear a premium smartwatch might not change that feeling unless a more consistent and premium software experience complements the exterior.
Samsung might also release a new rectangular smartwatch later this year, which sounds more appealing to me than the non-Classic regular model. The company may also implement AI in Watches, so we'll have to wait and see how the Galaxy Watch experience will change and improve by the end of 2024. The Galaxy Watch 7 lineup should be unveiled at Unpacked on July 10.
The Galaxy Ring may also get announced on the same day, and the latter could become my next fitness and health-tracking solution if Samsung can't address what I see as the many shortcomings of the One UI Watch software.
