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samsung galaxy watch 3 review on wrist always on display

Credit: Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority

Update: July 14, 2021 (12:37 PM ET): We’ve updated the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 hub below with new leaked images and some possible pricing info. Read on for all the latest!


Original article: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 was among the few smartwatches to challenge the Apple Watch Series 6 in 2020. Now, the Korean company’s flagship wearable is due for an upgrade, likely in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.

See also: The best smartwatches you can buy

Rumors of the forthcoming wearable are gathering momentum. Below, you’ll find a comprehensive list of all the credible leaks and rumors surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 so far. Be sure to bookmark this article and check in regularly for the latest.

Name and release date

samsung galaxy watch 3 mystic black and mystic bronze on table 2

Credit: Samsung

Samsung has switched up its product naming schemes now and again, skipping numbers or adding errant letters to its smartphones’ titles. We don’t foresee that happening with its Galaxy Watch line, though. As the fourth iteration of its Galaxy smartwatch, we expect the device to be called the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.

We also have become aware of a second variant of the watch, known as the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. The two models will likely see very different designs. See the next section for more on that.

As for the release date, Samsung generally launches its wearables in August alongside the Note series. However, no Galaxy Note 21 will debut this year. Instead, Samsung might launch its newest wearables in August alongside the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, which we expect during that month. A recent report out of Korea supports this idea.

However, Samsung also has two foldables to launch this year: the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. It’s possible it could launch those devices with the watches and then launch the Galaxy S21 FE at an earlier or later date.

According to venerable leaker Evan Blass, Samsung could hold its next Unpacked event on August 11. This would be our best guess for when we’d see the launch of the new Galaxy Watch line.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Design

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 right profile

Credit: Eric Zeman / Android Authority

We now have leaked renders and even some real-world images of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. When we saw the first set of renders, we thought they were for the Galaxy Watch Active 4, but now we are almost certain that they are for the mainline Galaxy Watch.

Our verdict: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 review | Galaxy Watch Active 2 review

You can see the first set of leaked renders below.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4 renders colorways

The lack of a rotating bezel — a signature aspect of the Galaxy Watch series up until this point — led us to think these were Active models. However, a second leak a few days later quashed that theory:

As you can see, these leaked press renders clearly show the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 branding. It’s possible, then, that there isn’t going to be an Active variant, at least not at first.

The renders suggest we could see two sizes:

  • Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm) SM-R880
  • Galaxy Watch 4 (44mm) SM-R890

In addition to the regular Galaxy Watch 4, we also expect to see a different model known as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Leaked renders suggest this would be the true follow-up to the Galaxy Watch 3, with a similar design ethos:

It’s tricky to tell if this model would feature a rotating bezel, one of the hallmark features of the Galaxy Watch line. It seems very likely, but we’ll need some more information before we can be sure.

Finally, we also saw what appear to be real-world images of the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. These images come from an official Samsung video that’s unrelated to the watch — but it does appear to make a cameo:

samsung galaxy z fold 3 and watch 4 teaser

Armed with all this info, there won’t be very many surprises left when Samsung does eventually launch this watch.

Specs and features

samsung galaxy watch 3 review with samsung galaxy note 20 ultra

Credit: Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority

The leaked images in the previous section give us some hints on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4’s specs.

We can see that there will likely be 5ATM water resistance, MIL-STD 810G durability, and onboard GPS. It could also have Gorilla Glass DX Plus, which we’ve seen on previous Galaxy Watches.

According to an April report by The Elec, the 40mm Galaxy Watch 4 could feature a 240mAh battery — a decrease of 7mAh over the similarly sized Galaxy Watch 3. However, a listing by Finnish certification site SGS Fimko (via 91Mobiles) suggests the smaller Galaxy Watch 4’s battery could remain at 247mAh. It will also seemingly support 5W charging. The 44mm Galaxy Watch 4 may gain a 350mAh cell — 10mAh larger than its predecessor. We doubt these minute changes will result in major real-world results.

The 3C listing we mentioned earlier also suggests the watches will not be sold with power adaptors. It’s something Samsung has done previously with its smartphones, but could the company really not include chargers with its watches? It could be a move specifically relating to the Chinese edition of the watches. Nevertheless, once the devices pass through another certification agency, we should gain a clearer picture.

As for health tracking improvements, Samsung was tipped in January to add blood glucose monitoring to a future smartwatch. The company developed a system last year that uses lasers to detect the chemical composition of the blood. The addition would be a boon for those who have diabetes. Unfortunately, a more recent report suggests Samsung may have abandoned this idea.

According to another rumor, the Galaxy Watch 4 may introduce a new sensor to monitor body composition. The BIA sensor, or bioelectrical impedance analysis, would estimate the wearer’s body fat percentage, providing a broader overview of their general health.

It’s safe to expect the pulse oximeter, heart rate sensor, blood pressure monitoring, and ECG to make a return, though.

No Tizen for these watches

samsung galaxy watch 3 review bixby logo

Credit: Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority

On June 28, Samsung revealed that the next Galaxy Watch would see the debut of Samsung’s and Google’s new wearable operating system, tentatively known as Wear OS 3.0. This OS will combine the best of Google’s Wear OS with the best of Samsung’s Tizen, creating a new platform.

Now, Samsung didn’t specifically say that the Galaxy Watch 4 would get this new OS. But we are certain the reference to the “next Galaxy Watch” is a clear reference to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4.

Samsung will also debut a skin on top of this new OS known as One UI Watch. There will be some cool new features for this including automatic app installs, settings and feature syncing across phone and watch, and a watch face developer console.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Price and availability

samsung galaxy watch 3 review on wrist watch face

Credit: Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority

Samsung seems acutely aware of its products’ pricing in 2021. This year, it launched the Galaxy S21 series at a lower base price than the S20 line. Arguably, this was necessary, but could this philosophy filter down to the company’s flagship smartwatch too?

Related: The best Samsung smartwatches you can buy

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 pricing started at $399, but the Galaxy Watch 4 won’t be as fancy. An errant listing on Canada’s version of Amazon suggests the vanilla Galaxy Watch 4 could be considerably less, possibly even $299. That would suggest the Classic model could land around $399, which makes a lot of sense.

As for availability, expect the Galaxy Watch 4 to be available to preorder on announcement day, with general sales commencing a few days later.


That’s all we know about Samsung’s next flagship smartwatch for now. Be sure to bookmark this Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 hub as we’ll update it with new info regularly!