Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Potential release date, prices and features we want to see

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is one of the most anticipated smartwatches of the year - and there may not be long to wait now until an announcement.

An official release date isn't yet known, but we're expecting some kind of confirmation to come soon about a Samsung Unpacked event taking place in July or August. 

And since the launch of the Galaxy Watch 5 series last year, we've seen plenty of rumors emerge relating to the next generation of Samsung smartwatches.

In this guide, we've compiled a roundup of all the latest rumors and leaks relating to the Galaxy Watch 6, as well as a few things we're hoping to see from the upcoming smartwatch series. 

Pricing information and predictions

There's been no trustworthy information relating to the price of the Galaxy Watch 6 so far, but that doesn't mean we can't use previous generations to try and predict what Samsung might do. 

For reference, below are the prices that the current-gen Galaxy Watch 5 models arrived at:

• Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm) - from $279 / £269 
• Galaxy Watch 5 (44mm) - from $309 / £294
• Galaxy Watch 5 Pro - from $449 / £429 

The 2021 Galaxy Watch 4 models initially retailed at the following prices, meanwhile: 

• Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm) - from $249 / £249
• Galaxy Watch 4 (44mm) - from $279 / £269
• Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (42mm) - from $349 / £349
• Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (46mm) - from $379 / £369

Looking at the price increase between the two previous generations, it appears likely that the Galaxy Watch 6 will cost more than the Galaxy Watch 5.

Some of this depends, however, on which versions of the Galaxy Watch 6 range are released. 

For example, it's possible Samsung raises the price of the base models but keeps the price of the Pro model for the upcoming generation the same. 

Based on industry trends and previous pricing, we would suggest the pricing of the Galaxy Watch 6 series could look something like the following.

Likely Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 pricing 

• Price: Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm) - from $299 / £299
• Price: Galaxy Watch 6 (44mm) - from $329 / £329
• Price: Galaxy Watch 6 Classic - from $449 / £449

Potential release date

As we alluded to earlier, there's currently no official hint from Samsung that the Galaxy Watch 6 will even launch in 2023. 

However, based on what we've seen in previous years, and the rumors we've already seen emerge, it would be a huge surprise if the company didn't release its next smartwatch range this summer. 

Below are the previous announcement and release dates we've seen for Samsung's smartwatches:

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 

• Announcement date: Wednesday, 10 August 2022
• Release date: Friday, 26 August 2022

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

• Announcement date: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
• Release date: Friday, 27 August 2021

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

• Announcement date: Wednesday, 5 August 2020
• Release date: Wednesday, 5 August 2020

For the two most recent generations, then, we've seen a very consistent pattern of a Wednesday announcement in the second week of August followed by availability beginning over two weeks later on a Friday. 

This doesn't necessarily mean the Galaxy Watch 6's announcement date and release will follow, but, if it does, we have some clear dates to zero in on. 

A report from May does indicate Samsung is targeting an Unpacked event in late July, though this is so far the only indication that it will deviate from August.

Likely Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 release and shipping dates:

• Announcement date: Wednesday, 9 August 2023
• Release date: Friday, 25 August 2023

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: Latest rumors

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 rumors are starting to hot up. Expect the picture to become clearer as we get closer to the potential summer release date, but these are all the biggest rumors so far, in order:

• 23 February 2023: Galaxy Watch 6 could feature a curved screen

Twitter leaker Ice Universe notes that Samsung will return to a curved display with the Galaxy Watch 6.

It's unclear just how pronounced this curve will be, but it would represent a change from the flat panels we've seen featured on the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4.

• 2 March 2023: Galaxy Watch 6 battery details leak

Eagled-eyed tech spotters have noticed Samsung receive certification for EB-BR935ABY and EB-BR945ABY batteries, which look to be heading to the Galaxy Watch 6 40mm and 44mm models.

The smaller 40mm looks to be getting a 300mAh battery, and the Galaxy Watch 6 44mm will get a 425mAh battery.

These are only marginally larger than the Watch 5 – so don't expect too many fireworks in terms of battery life this year.

• 13 March 2023: Rotating bezel returning for Galaxy Watch 6 Pro

The latest Galaxy Watch 6 Pro/Classic rumors suggest that Samsung is set to bring back the rotating bezel.

It was a fixture of the old Samsung Gear range, earning cult status among fans of the smartwatches.

Now, a well-connected YouTuber has revealed that it could come back – but only for the more expensive Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. 

• 5 April 2023: Thinner bezel and bigger display suggested

Leaker Ice Universe has posted another display detail relating to the Galaxy Watch 6, suggesting that Samsung will reduce the bezel size (and thus increase the display size). 

It's not clear whether such a change would also apply to the expected Galaxy Watch 6 Pro/Classic, but, at least for the standard version of the next-gen watch, the display in the larger 45mm version is tipped to jump from 1.4 inches to 1.47 inches. 

This would seemingly have an edge-to-edge effect on the display, much like we've seen with more recent Apple Watch devices. 

• 4 May 2023: Samsung announces One UI 5 Watch software update

Samsung has officially announced that the One UI 5 Watch will launch later this year and teased a number of the upgrades coming to compatible Galaxy Watch devices.

The Galaxy Watch 6 isn't mentioned directly in Samsung's blog post, though the full rollout of the next One UI update typically happens at the same time as new hardware lands. 

So far, the company has teased improvements to sleep monitoring, fitness tracking, and safety features.

• 23 May 2023: Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic leaks emerge

It wasn't previously clear whether Samsung would continue with the Pro edition that debuted through the Galaxy Watch 5 series or return to the Classic model available in the Galaxy Watch 4 lineup. 

However, official-looking renders now indicate the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic will launch instead of a new Pro model. The physical rotating bezel looks set to return, with the design appearing very similar to the fourth-gen equivalent.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6: What we want

1. Bring some personality to the design

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Spotting the differences between the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 5 would have proved a test for even the most eagle-eyed smartwatch fans - and we're hoping for some bolder design changes in the sixth-gen models. 

There's nothing necessarily wrong with sticking to the same design language, of course, but even a slow-moving device like the Apple Watch tends to provide meaningful design changes for every generation. We didn't get anything of the sort with the standard Galaxy Watch 5.

Even the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro has its design issues. Despite being billed as the more outdoor-ready of the pair, it doesn't really offer any of the rugged stylings you would expect, and that feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.

While the pair could do with a bit more of an imaginative look, though, Samsung did get a couple of design changes right with the Watch 5, we think. 

The case sizes are now evenly split between 40mm, 44mm, and 45mm options, and the reimagined Pro model is now at least much more unisex than the old Galaxy Watch 4 Classic option used to be. 

2. Ditch the Samsung-only features

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Since Samsung returned to Wear OS, the watches have become Android-only affairs - matching Apple's exclusive approach.

While we can accept that companies have their reasons for keeping a smartwatch experience closely tied to a specific smartphone, it does still feel like a misstep from Samsung and Google to have Samsung-only features available through the Galaxy Watch. 

Some of these features can be worked around, but the Health Monitor app being locked off to other Android users is a fairly big omission, given that it provides access to blood pressure monitoring and ECG readings. 

We're hoping that the health tracking experience is a bit broader in the Galaxy Watch 6 series.

3. Hone the sports tracking basics

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We've always been big fans of how Samsung tracks and delivers fitness metrics, and the health features have generally been the most advanced in the industry. The sports tracking experience, however, has remained bafflingly average in recent generations.

We thought things might have progressed through the introduction of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, but, aside from the addition of mapping, there are still some relatively crippling issues plaguing the experience. 

We've had our fair share of distance tracking problems from the GPS during testing and plenty of inconsistencies with the heart rate monitor.

The native software isn't actually too bad, and there are still some neat extras being implanted, such as sweat tracking and rehydration recommendations, but we're hoping the Galaxy Watch 6 can come a little closer to reliably matching up to the likes of Garmin and Apple in the basics of sports tracking. 

4. Upgrade the battery life

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While the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro manages to reach a respectable two or three days of battery life with most of its features still in use, both the 44mm and 40mm Galaxy Watch 5 can often struggle to make it through a second day.

It's still a step up from what you can expect from the Google Pixel Watch, for example, which struggles to reach around 24 hours, but we're really hoping Samsung's 40-hour estimate makes the jump to 50 or 60 hours through the Galaxy Watch 6. 

That should see it comfortably last two full days even with the use of GPS tracking, sleep monitoring, and tapping into some of those health features. 

We're yet to hear any rumblings regarding the processor for the Galaxy Watch 6, but we do know the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ chip that's set to land in countless Wear OS watches in 2023 is also expected to deliver big battery improvements.

If it does, Samsung has plenty of work to do between generations in order to stay with them.

5. Make better use of the temperature sensor

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Samsung just squeezed in ahead of Apple in offering a temperature sensor in the Galaxy Watch 5 series, but it's fair to say it hasn't proven to be a transformative feature just yet. 

While Apple's equivalent involved menstrual cycle tracking from the start, Samsung's sensor - which also arrived after launch - was initially just used to track patterns during rest. It's not something you could spot-check or even really access in Samsung Health to try and interpret the data yourself, and it left us feeling a little flat.

Since we initially requested more functionality for the temperature sensor, Samsung has actually updated the Galaxy Watch 5 and its temperature sensor for fertility tracking, which is an unexpected but welcome addition.

Samsung has partnered with FDA-approved Natural Cycles, which means we should see it also land on the Galaxy Watch 6. We're still yet to test it out, so here's hoping it lives up to expectations.