Update: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has been unveiled. Read our full Galaxy Watch 4 hands-on review.
More images have surfaced of the Galaxy Watch 4, but what Samsung is actually expected to launch is now in doubt.
The latest leak by 91Mobiles, which has a good track record of Samsung leaks, shows off what’s said to be the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. It’s a big design departure from the last generations of the Galaxy Watch line, and much closer to the Active 2.
To the uninitiated Samsung has previous run two versions of its smartwatch family. The Galaxy Watch with a chunky dress watch vibe with leather strap, and the Active, which is slimmer and sportier. We reached Galaxy Watch 3 and Active 2 versions – and the expectation has been that the two would converge on 4th generation naming.
But the latest rumors are that the Galaxy Watch 4 and Active 4 won't launch together – but Samsung is to blend the two into a single release.
New Galaxy Watch 4 renders
Let’s start with the images.
The 91Mobiles leak looks incredibly similar to the one we reported last week, with an industrial looking case, buttons on the side and no rotating bezel.
Gone are the chunky, classic watch vibes for a sleeker, sportier appearance.
Credit: 91Mobiles
And it appears as if the Galaxy Watch 4 will launch in black, silver, dark green, and rose gold colorways.
In terms of specs, there is some information here too. The Galaxy Watch 4 will launch in 40mm and 44mm sizes, 5ATM water resistance, MIL-STD 810G durability and have Gorilla Glass DX+ protection
Mystery of the Active 4
So where does this leave us? Well, it appears that Samsung has merged the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch Active lines together – and is going for a single smartwatch for 2021. That’s the conclusion of 91Mobiles, at least.
That’s backed up by legendary teak leaker Evan Blass – who asked exactly why we all think Samsung was launching an Active 4 model anyway?
Remind me why we're expecting a new Galaxy Watch Active model....
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) June 24, 2021
But we're not so sure.
The mainstay of the Watch 4 rumor mill has been four model numbers. And it’s been assumed that they refer to two sizes of the Galaxy Watch 4 and two models of Active 4. These all passed through the FCC in the last month as we previously reported:
- SM-R860
- SM-R870
- SM-R880
- SM-R890
Historically, LTE versions have been denoted with a modified model number, not a new one. So the Galaxy Watch 3 was SM-840 and SM-R850 and the LTE versions were SM-R845 and SM-R855.
So what could these model numbers refer to? Well, they could be the two 40mm and 44mm sizes of the Galaxy Watch 4 and accompanying LTE versions, breaking the naming convention from previous models.
Or they could be distinct smartwatches after all – albeit released separately.
And then there’s the final question: when will this launch? There’s a 28 June Samsung event set at MWC for the “new smartwatch experience” which seems odds on for an unveil. But this could be a small update ahead of a bigger launch on 3 August.
Stay frosty.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.