It’s been over a decade since Samsung launched its very first smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, in 2013. But looking back, one of the most iconic features ever fitted onto Samsung’s smartwatches has to be the rotating bezel, which first made its debut on the Gear S2 in 2015. Sadly, this feature was completely omitted from the brand’s 2024 models — the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra, which instead received touch-sensitive bezels.
Samsung Galaxy Watch to finally regain its rotating bezel?
However, we might, and the keyword is might, be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after all. Samsung is rumoured to launch quite a number of products at its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event in July 2025, with the Galaxy Watch 8 included in the list.
But it seems like a “Galaxy Watch 8 Classic” will also be joining the lineup as it has received certification from Bluetooth SIG. Looking at the history of Samsung smartwatches, models that come with the “Classic” moniker usually mean a watch with a more premium and traditional watch design and a physical rotating bezel. Though it’s unknown if the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic will come with all of these things.
“Vanilla” Galaxy Watch 8 to sport larger battery than Watch 7?
Two batteries with different capacities for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 have received certification from SafetyKorea, a South Korean agency set up to ensure consumer product safety in the country by providing a centralised platform for certification, monitoring, and information.
Identified using the codenames EB-BL330ABY and EB-BL505ABY, these are believed to be the batteries for the Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, respectively. A TUVRheinland certification has further revealed that the vanilla Galaxy Watch 8 will come with a 435mAh battery, which is larger than the 425mAh unit found in the Galaxy Watch 7.
As for the Classic variant, no specific capacity info has been revealed just yet. But for context, the Galaxy Watch Ultra sports a 590mAh battery.
Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: The Galaxy Watch Ultra replacement?
To recap, Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Watch 8 along with the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic at its upcoming July Galaxy Unpacked event.
However, the question is, will the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic be the replacement for the Galaxy Watch Ultra, or will there also be a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 coming in the future? Well, we will have to wait at least till July this year to find out.
