Samsung ​Galaxy Watch 4 complete guide: 11 August unveil expected

Updated: Everything we know so far about the next Samsung smartwatch
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The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has now been confirmed – and pretty much every aspect of the new smartwatch has been leaked ahead of its official 11 August unveiling.

It seems we will see a sporty Galaxy Watch 4 and a classier Galaxy Watch 4 Classic version. And it will run Wear OS with Samsung putting its own One UI on top, rather than Tizen.

Read on for all the information we have – and what's been rumored.

When will the Galaxy Watch 4 launch?

Samsung ​Galaxy Watch 4 complete guide: 11 August unveil expected

The Galaxy Watch 4 will be announced at a Samsung Unpacked event on 11 August 2021.

And leaks from Amazon Canada have revealed that the Galaxy Watch 4 will be available to buy from 27 August.

How much will the Galaxy Watch 4 cost?

We also have Amazon Canada pricing, which we've listed below with direct USD conversion:

  • Galaxy Watch 4 40mm: $309 CAD ($246)
  • Galaxy Watch 4 44mm: $346 CAD ($276)
  • Galaxy Watch 4 Classic: 42mm $427 CAD ($341)
  • Galaxy Watch 4 Classic: 46mm $463 CAD ($370)

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 specs and features

According to Sammobile, the Galaxy Watch 4 will utilize an Exynos W920 chipset, which will massively boost performance. Apparently, the CPU boasts 1.25x faster processing times compared to the Exynos 911, which was used on the Galaxy Watch 3.

It’s also reported that there will be more than 8x better graphics performance, which will be in charge of powering the One UI that the company confirmed will overlay Wear OS.

Apparently it will also have 1.5GB of RAM, another boost over the Galaxy Watch 3.

And we also have an idea of the headline features of the Galaxy Watch 4:

  • Bioimpedence sensor for measuring body fat
  • VO2 Max
  • Blood oxygen tracking
  • Heart rate monitor

Of course, we don't yet know whether blood pressure monitoring or ECG will make it over from the Galaxy Watch 3. We assume these apps would need to be totally remade for Wear OS – so it could be that the Galaxy Watch 4 is a backwards step in terms of health features.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 pictures

Ahead of Samsung sharing software details about its next Watch, it seems we have our first look at just how the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 will look.

Ultimately, it looks like a blend of the Galaxy Watch and the Galaxy Watch Active with no sign of that physical rotating bezel, but a double up on physical buttons, which are closer in look to the ones included on its Active watch.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

Samsung ​Galaxy Watch 4 complete guide: 11 August unveil expected

Leaks from Amazon and a host of other tipsters also show off a pared back Galaxy Watch, which looks closer to the Active 2 range. That looks to have been discontinued in favor of one singular Galaxy Watch brand. It's said to come in 40mm and 44mm sizes..

It also seems to confirm there will be silver, rose gold and black case options here too offering a nice array of looks.

The first alleged renders of Samsung's upcoming new to surface were the ones pictured above, which seem to back up the idea that Samsung's Wear OS-packing smartwatch will be available in multiple looks and also indicates that signature physical rotating crown looks set to be dropped.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

Samsung ​Galaxy Watch 4 complete guide: 11 August unveil expected

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic looks to be the closest fit to the older design of the Galaxy Watch 3 – for those looking for something that resembles a dress watch.

It will boast a stainless steel and aluminium case, and according to reports, come with white, grey and black color options. They'll all work with removable 20mm bands and come boxed with small/medium and medium/large bands.

And rumors say that the Classic will launch in 42mm and 46mm case sizes.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Wear OS

Samsung ​Galaxy Watch 4 complete guide: 11 August unveil expected

The biggest news about the Samsung Galaxy Watch has already been confirmed – it will switch from Tizen to Wear OS. It will be an a--new version, named Wear 3.

Wear OS is to go under a major overhaul, and it's now a "unified OS" with Samsung and Google bringing tech to the party.

That means it will enjoy some of the usability aspects and features of Tizen, but also the app catalogue of Wear OS.

Bringing Samsung's brand and volumes to the table – coupled with Fitbit running the fitness tracking – will certainly ignite interest in the platform, and this was made clear in a statement by Samsung.

If you know your recent Samsung smartwatch history, the company was a launch partner for Wear OS back in 2014, but switched to its own operating system for the Gear 2. It's spent the last 5 years growing a selection of apps, watch faces and features for Tizen, including top-end health metrics such as blood pressure, ECG and other apps such as hand washing timers.

Samsung ​Galaxy Watch 4 complete guide: 11 August unveil expected

Samsung unveiled that its One UI will merge with new Wear

So what can we expect from Samsung's Tizen and Google's Wear combined? Along with general performance improvements, there will be watch face creation and health services powered by Samsung.

We can expect fitness tracking features powered by Fitbit and crucially access to more apps including new rebuilt ones from the likes of Strava, Spotify and Adidas Running along with Google apps like Maps and Google Pay.

We now also know that Samsung's One UI, which features on its smartphones will be put on top of Wear with the view to better mirror Samsung smartphone features on its smartwatches.

So blocking calls will block calls on the watch and changing clock settings will adjust them on the watch too. Watch-centric apps downloaded on a Samsung phone will automatically install and download on your Galaxy Watch as well.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 battery, charging and connectivity

Those range of certifications as well as additional rumors have revealed some hardware details we can expect from the Galaxy Watch 4 including details in battery, connectivity options and how durable the watch will be.

Its presence at the FCC seems to confirm that NFC will be onboard, which should unlock Google Pay payment support. There's also confirmation of dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and the option of LTE and Wi-Fi only models. There is also mention of GNSS receivers, which would seem to point to some form of GPS tracking functionality.

On the battery front, we can expect the Watch 4 to feature a 247mAh capacity battery and will support 5W charging. There will also be wireless charging support too.

In terms of durability, the latest speculation suggests it will have a 5ATM water resistance rating, MIL-STD 810G military levels of ruggedness and the screen will have Gorilla Glass DX+ protection.


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James Stables

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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.


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