What you need to know
- Rumors from within an early One UI 8 build suggest Samsung is looking to bring a “Quick” button to the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic.
- Other leaked imagery claims the Watch 8 and 8 Classic could adopt the Ultra’s “squircle” design.
- The batteries for the Galaxy Watch 8 series reportedly appeared in SafetyKorea’s database for certification, while a One UI 8 Watch leak purports Gemini’s influence.
Rumors end the week with speculation on Samsung’s supposed changes for the Galaxy Watch 8 series.
Alongside tipster AssembleDebug, Android Authority states Samsung’s early One UI 8 code holds clues about the upcoming Galaxy Watch 8 series. Specifically, the post highlights the current animation images within the software, which showcase the addition of a “Quick” button for the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. This change reportedly takes the Classic’s physical button tally to three, like the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
While the leaked graphics don’t show this button for the base Watch 8, the imagery highlights another significant change: an Ultra-like redesign.
The tipster discovered that the Galaxy Watch 8 (codename “Fresh 8”) and the Watch 8 Classic (“Wise 8”) feature a squircle design similar to Samsung’s 2024 Ultra model. “Squircle” concerns a watch’s square base with a circular watch face on top. While both models reportedly sport this new shape, they’re not equal.
The leaked image suggests the Watch 8 could have slimmer bezels, while the Watch 8 Classic could be slightly thicker. This is something we’ve seen happen with the Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic. Moreover, it’s unclear if Samsung has retained the rotating bezels on the Classic (though there’s hope).
The Galaxy Watch 8 series comes into view
Lastly, the publication purports the 8 Classic could get an upgrade to its vibration pattern support. In short, this might make its vibrations a little stronger, furthering suspicions around a more Ultra-like model.
The latest leak is pretty substantial in terms of the Watch 8 series’ outlook; however, in early April, the pair reportedly showed up in SafetyKorea’s database. Samsung was reportedly spotted passing its next series through its certification loops, which brought the existence of a pair of watches to our attention. The battery model numbers in the database were EB-BL330ABY and EB-BL505ABY for the Watch 8 and 8 Classic, respectively.
The reported battery size of the former is 435mAh, leaving the capacity of the other unknown for now.
A recent leak from earlier this week touched on the expected Gemini integration in Wear OS, but through the eyes of One UI 8 Watch. A teardown showed Google is preparing to bring Gemini “Actions” to its wearable software, which will likely wind up on Samsung’s next-generation watches. Several strings suggest Gemini can help users move items on their calendars, summarize emails, and more.
Samsung is expected to debut its Galaxy Watch 8 series during its summer Unpacked.
For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch, check out our Ultimate Guide.
