With the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 7 Pro almost certainly set to arrive in 2024, we're already beginning to see rumors and leaks relating to the upcoming smartwatch series emerge.
The Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic are now around halfway into their cycle, which means insider information regarding the next generation is still a little light, but we can still use past launches as a signpost of what's to come.
In that spirit, we've taken a stab at guessing when Samsung could announce the Galaxy Watch 7 models, as well as rounded up the most reliable whispers and potential features we might see land on the future Wear OS smartwatches.
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Potential announcement and release date
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While there are no official indications that a Galaxy Watch 7 is even in the works, Samsung has remained extremely consistent with its launches in previous years.
As such, it would be a considerable shock if the next-gen smartwatch series didn't arrive in 2024.
With that, let's take a quick look at the last few launches - the three generations Samsung has announced since returning to Wear OS:
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 - announced Wednesday, 26 July 2023 (released Friday, 11 August 2023)
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 - announced Wednesday, 10 August 2022 (released Friday, 26 August 2022)
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 - announced Wednesday, 11 August 2021 (released Friday, 27 August 2021)
As we can see, each year an announcement is made a Wednesday before shipping commences around two weeks later on the Friday.
Samsung did deviate last year, bringing the announcement of the Galaxy Watch 6 series forward by a couple of weeks. But, naturally, at this stage, it's unclear if that's a tactic it will continue with for the Galaxy Watch 7.
If it does, we could see a Galaxy Watch 7 announcement as early as Wednesday, 24 July, and a shipping date of Friday, 9 August.
However, if the company reverts to its later scheduling, we could instead see the watches officially unveiled on Wednesday, 7 July ahead of a release on Friday, 23 August.
Latest rumors and features to expect
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As we mentioned up top, we're still waiting on some concrete rumors to get us excited.
However, as more emerge over the coming few months, we'll be updating this section with everything likely to land through the Galaxy Watch 7.
For now, we've scattered some early whispers below alongside hints from Samsung itself regarding future features.
Wear OS 5 will debut on the smartwatch series
As we saw with the Galaxy Watch 4/Wear OS 3 and Galaxy Watch 6/Wear OS 4, Samsung's latest smartwatches appear set to get first dibs on Google's latest smartwatch software.
According to a report, a Wear OS 5 build is being prepared for the Galaxy Watch 7 (and Pixel Watch 3).
This would slightly break the convention, given that the Galaxy Watch 5 saw no major update launched, though it's certainly possible Google is moving to a yearly major software update, too.
Big updates are coming to Samsung Health
This is one we already know about, with Samsung teasing several significant upgrades coming to the platform and its Galaxy wearables at January's Galaxy Unpacked event.
We've detailed everything coming to Samsung Health in 2024 in a separate piece, but, in essence, the Galaxy Watch 7 looks prime for daily readiness insights (My Vitality Score), new sleep insights (like high heart rate alerts during sleep), and contextualized coaching through the all-new Galaxy AI.
We expect the most exciting things - sensor-related stuff - will be being held until the official announcement of the watch, but these are encouraging early signs.
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Next-gen health features may headline
So, what could those more meaty, sensor-like upgrades actually be?
Well, we already know the Apple Watch X is being tipped to debut a form of basic blood pressure monitoring - something Samsung currently offers to those who wish to calibrate a third-party monitor - and, recently, Samsung executive Hon Pak indicated that significant investment was being made in future health features.
Specifically, Pak referred to blood pressure monitoring and non-invasive blood glucose measurements, though naturally refused to put a timeline on any kind of rollout of these features on Galaxy devices.
We know native blood glucose features are still several years from reality, but could this be a hint that likely Samsung's current blood pressure monitoring could be upgraded for the Galaxy Watch 7?
We'll await more rumors on this one.
A Galaxy Watch 7 Pro is likely
Samsung appears to be operating on a tick-tock cycle with its Galaxy Watch smartwatches, with a 'Pro' version of each series occurring every other year with a 'Classic' edition.
After the Galaxy Watch 6 saw the Classic model emerge after skipping a generation, it appears very likely that the Pro model - last seen in the Galaxy Watch 5 series - will make a return for the Galaxy Watch 7.
There are no rumors that indicate this is indeed the case, and it's also entirely possible Samsung sticks with a Classic edition for the seventh-gen devices, but we would grade it unlikely given what we've seen in the past.
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An updated Exynos chip is being prepared
After sticking with the same Exynos W920 chip for the Galaxy Watch 4/5, we saw Samsung debut the improved Exynos W930 in last year's Galaxy Watch 6 models.
Interestingly, a tweet from WinFuture's Roland Quandt suggests that Samsung will again refresh the chip for this year's smartwatches - good news for those disappointed with the performance compared to Snapdragon W5+.
We weren't necessarily expecting a new chip until the Galaxy Watch 8 launched in 2025, and, seemingly, this updated processor will be marketed as the Exynos W940 chip.
However, the note also refers to a couple more Exynos chips in development - internally known as the '5400' and '6375' - so it's anybody's guess what could launch inside the Galaxy Watch 7.
Galaxy Watch 7 Pro to feature mammoth battery life
Not only is Samsung expected to return to offering a 'Pro' edition for the Galaxy Watch 7 series, but an April 2024 leak also suggests the watch will feature one of the biggest batteries we've seen in a Wear OS watch.
According to the leaked battery safety filing, a 578mAh battery unit is being prepared for the Galaxy Watch 7 Pro - one that's slightly larger than the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro's 573mAh battery.
Given the Galaxy Watch 6 models were only capable of around 40 hours of battery life, the upcoming Pro edition appears to be a return to true multi-day battery life.
How we test
Conor joined Wareable in 2017, quickly making a name for himself by testing out language translation earbuds on a first date, navigating London streets in a wearable airbag, and experiencing skydiving in a VR headset.
Over the years, he has evolved into a recognized wearables and fitness tech expert. Through Wareable’s instructional how-to guides, Conor helps users maximize the potential of their gadgets, and also shapes the conversation in digital health and AI hardware through PULSE by Wareable.
As an avid marathon runner, dedicated weightlifter, and frequent hiker, he also provides a unique perspective to Wareable’s in-depth product reviews and news coverage.
In addition to his contributions to Wareable, Conor’s expertise has been featured in publications such as British GQ, The Independent, Digital Spy, Pocket-lint, The Mirror, WIRED, and Metro.