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Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Everything you need to know

The Galaxy Watch 6 could launch in late July
By Dominic Preston and Martyn Casserly
Tech Advisor MAY 18, 2023 10:31 am BST
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
Image: Foundry

Samsung is thought to be putting the finishing touches to the latest iteration of its flagship smartwatch.

Here’s all we’ve discovered so far about what the Korean giant might be planning with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.

When will the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 be released?

We haven’t had any confirmation from Samsung yet on when the next version of its wearable will arrive, but leakers have stepped in to fill in the blanks.

SamMobile reported in April that the Watch 6 is likely to launch at an Unpacked event in late July alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Tab S9. Korean publication Chosun and leaker Max Jambor have been more specific, claiming Samsung will hold a launch event in Seoul on 26 July.

That’s very slightly earlier than expected, but roughly in line with Samsung’s usual schedule, which has seen recent Galaxy Watch models launch like clockwork every August:

How much will the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 cost?

As with the release date, there’s no word from Samsung yet about the potential asking price of the Galaxy Watch 6. But we can examine the previous generations to give us some clues on what to expect.

Here’s how the base models of the Watch generations lined up:

Watch 5

  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm) – $279/£269/€299
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (44mm) – $309/£289/€329

Watch 4

  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm) – $249/£249/€269
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (44mm) – $279/£269/€299

Watch 3

  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (41mm) – $399/£399/€429
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (45mm) – $449/£439/€499

Prices have held reasonably steady over time, even including the bump many European countries experienced last year, so we think it’s likely that the 40mm variety holds at under three hundred, while the larger model just tips over those scales.

There are other models that have graced the catalogue in recent years, including the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. These usually have more advanced features or construction, which may appeal to those who want the ultimate smartwatch. The usually boast a more expensive price tag too, as you can see below:

They both released around the same time as the main Watch models, so it’s likely we’ll see either a Pro or Classic model this year too – and further down you’ll find some hints as to which one you should expect.

What new features will we see in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6?

We haven’t had any official confirmation about the technical specifications of the Galaxy Watch 6, but a few rumours have already pointed to what we might see in August.

Bigger display

Ok, it might not sound like much, but tech leaker Ice Universe posted recently on Twitter that the Watch 6 will have a larger display, including improved resolution.

The current screen size of the Galaxy Watch 5 is 1.4in, so we’re talking a 0.7in increase. Of course, it’s all a matter of scale, and with the tiny panels on smartwatches those small increments can be more significant than you might think. You won’t be watching Hollywood blockbusters on your wrist, but navigating the interface may be a bit nicer with that little extra space and improved resolution.

Ice Universe also reported that the new watch could feature a curved glass display and slimmed down bezels, possibly taking it into the design realm of the Pixel Watch.

Bigger battery

Dutch tech site GalaxyClub has reported that the batteries in the Watch 6 will be slightly larger capacities than in their predecessors. In the leaked images it found, the 40mm watch looks like it will increase from 284mAh to 300mAh, while the 44mm variant will move from 410mAh to 425mAh. How this will affect the amount of time you can use the Watch before it powers down remains to be seen, but any improvement in battery length for smartwatches is always welcome.

New processor

Not to be left out, the processor department is about to get some love, according to a report by SamMobile. The site states that the Exynos W920 chip that has powered the Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 series will be upgraded to an Exynos W980 in the Galaxy Watch 6, bringing with it up to 10% improvement in performance plus more powerful health tracking features.

Updated tracking software

One thing we know is that Samsung is working to improve the software side of the Watch 6, and we sort of know what to expect thanks to a public beta of the upcoming One UI 5 Watch update, which is likely to launch alongside the new hardware.

The Verge has summarised the key changes known so far, which include improved sleep tracking with a more prominent sleep score; personalised heart rate zones for exercise (as opposed to the standard age-based ones used now); an extension of the Route Workout mode to cover running and walking; and an updated Emergency SOS mode that can now contact emergency services, not just your pre-selected emergency contact.

It’s likely that Samsung will also be tweaking the watches’ tracking hardware of course, but it’s good to know that there are definitely some upgrades on the way, even if they’ll also be rolling out to existing Watch 4 and Watch 5 owners.

Return of the Classic, demise of the Pro

GalaxyClub also wrote that while investigating the battery improvements mentioned above, the codenames and capacities it discovered seems to point towards the potential return of the Watch Classic model last seen with the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. This was a more refined design which featured traditional watch styling and a physical rotating bezel.

When the Watch 5 series launched, this was dropped in favour of a Pro model aimed at outdoors activities and boasting tougher construction, a larger display and a huge battery. Now, at least at the time of writing, it looks like Samsung is intending to return to the Watch 4 line-up. This could of course be smoke and mirrors or the simple fact that the battery for the Watch 6 Pro hasn’t been spotted yet.

That’s all we know so far. Keep checking back, as we’ll continue to update this article when new information appears. In the meantime, be sure to check out our guide to the best smartwatches to see what the Samsung Watch 6 will have to overcome.