Samsung is again having a hard time keeping leaks in check, and the latest example is a set of official Galaxy Watch 4 renders that have appeared online. Earlier this week, alleged CAD-based renders of the Galaxy Watch Active 4 also surfaced, providing a glimpse at Samsung’s next smartwatch. The company is hosting an event next week which might include an official Galaxy Watch 4 announcement.
The Galaxy Watch 4 is highly anticipated for a number of reasons. It is not just going to be Samsung’s latest attempt at challenging the Apple Watch dominance, but it also has a whole ecosystem’s future riding on its shoulders. To recall, Samsung merged its Tizen smartwatch OS with Google’s own Wear OS to create a unified platform that delivers a solid app ecosystem, reliable battery life, and above all, a smooth user experience. The Galaxy Watch 4 will be the first smartwatch to offer the new combined experience, and as such, the expectations are high.
The latest leak comes from 91mobiles and provides a closer look at the design, which appears to haven taken inspiration from the Galaxy Watch 3 as well as the Galaxy Watch 2. Samsung is relying on seamless metallic aesthetics paired with smooth curves and multiple color combinations to entice buyers with varied tastes. However, the biggest design tweak is that the rotating dial from its predecessor appears to have been nixed, and it looks like the capacitive bezels are coming back. Also, it appears that the leaked Galaxy Watch Active 4 images that surfaced earlier this week actually depicted the Galaxy Watch 4. In other words, there doesn’t appear to be an ‘Active’ model in the pipeline.
Subtle Design Tweaks & A Focus On Software
The Galaxy Watch 4 will reportedly come in 40mm and 44mm sizes, which is just the standard affair. As for the color options, buyers will get to choose between black, dark green, rose gold, and silver trims. Of course, Samsung will also offer straps in multiple material options and a wide color palette to go with its new smartwatch. The build will reportedly come with 5ATM water-resistance, MIL-STD 810G certification for ruggedness, and a layer of Gorilla Glass DX+ to protect the screen. Another minor design change is that the screen appears to be flat, instead of the 2.5D curved glass that Samsung employed on the Galaxy Watch Active 2. Interestingly, previous leaks have suggested that Samsung is copying the walkie-talkie trick from Apple Watch for its next smartwatch.
Rumors also suggest that the Galaxy Watch 4 will be offered in two models — an affordable aluminum model and a more premium stainless steel variant. A smartwatch chip based on the 5nm process will reportedly be in use, although the make remains unclear. As far as features go, Samsung will likely carry over ECG measurement, blood pressure monitoring and SpO2 analysis to its upcoming smartwatch. Unfortunately, the chances of blood glucose measuring appearing on the Galaxy Watch 4 are rather slim at the moment. Both Samsung and Apple are said to be chasing a non-invasive method for measuring blood sugar levels, but the technology is allegedly at least another year away from being deployed on a smartwatch.
