Leaks and hints from Samsung level to a Galaxy Watch Extremely watch arriving this summer time as an alternative of the long-rumored 7 Professional. We’ll discover out the reality on the subsequent Unpacked occasion; the actual query is, what’s going to a Samsung “Extremely” watch appear like, and the way will it differentiate itself from the Apple Watch Extremely collection?
Final week, I completed my Apple Watch Extremely 2 assessment, saying, “Your transfer, Samsung,” as a result of I hoped the model would take inspiration from its premium options for the upcoming Galaxy Watch 7 Professional. Days later, by pleased coincidence, Samsung mentioned it could launch “new premium fashions” of Galaxy Watches with “upgrades” throughout its Q1 2024 earnings name. Its execs did not elaborate, however quickly after, Android Headlines claimed to have noticed “Extremely” and “Fan Version” watch mannequin names in its One UI beta code.
I do not care whether or not it is referred to as the Galaxy Watch Extremely, 7 Extremely, or 7 Professional. What issues to me, after reviewing the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional and Galaxy Watch 6 Basic, is that Samsung will get its “premium” smartwatch proper from the beginning, even when it has to steal methods from Apple, OnePlus, Garmin, or different manufacturers to take action.
It ought to kick Apple’s a** in battery life
The Galaxy Watch 5 Professional launched in 2022 with fairly constant three-day battery life, however pure capability drain and annual One UI updates lower into its battery life. My colleague Andrew Myrick, who owns the 80-hour 5 Professional and the 36-hour Apple Watch Extremely, says his Extremely lasts longer in 2024.
A Put on OS flagship, Samsung-made or in any other case, will price as a lot as a mid-range smartphone if no more. An “Extremely” watch wants the longevity to match, or Samsung’s most loyal prospects will really feel burned.
An April Samsung leak indicated its subsequent flagship smartwatch would have a 578mAh capability, on par with the Watch 5 Professional. We hardly ever see any watch hit above 600mAh; extra capability would make any watch too thick or heavy. So, how will Samsung make its Extremely last more than the Professional? I can solely consider one possibility.
The brand new Put on OS hybrid interface debuted with the 100-hour OnePlus Watch 2, however any watch can use it. With out diving into trivialities, Put on OS watches can assign background duties like notifications, watch face information, and coronary heart fee monitoring to a low-power co-processor, saving the battery-guzzling duties for the primary processor.
Virtually all Android watches use a processor and co-processor, however Exynox chips look like the exception. The final mannequin’s Exynos W930 chip had twin Cortex-A55 cores, as an example; examine that to the Pixel Watch 2’s Snapdragon W5, which has 4 Cortex-A53 cores and a 22nm Cortex M55 co-processor.
Samsung watches are quick and long-lasting, but it surely must show the Galaxy Watch Extremely will nonetheless be “premium” 4 years from now.
Samsung watches have glorious, environment friendly efficiency pace. Transitioning to a power-saving hybrid system may be more durable for Samsung and its Exynos division than its Qualcomm-reliant rivals.
Possibly the rumored Exynos W940 might change that; it is imagined to be 50% extra environment friendly. However Samsung might simply cancel out that effectivity with extra RAM to realize Extremely-quality pace.
The opposite (unlikely) possibility is for Samsung so as to add a secondary grayscale display screen that kicks in at any time when the battery is low. It is the tactic utilized by the Mobvoi Ticwatch Professional 5, and it really works rather well! However the Samsung show leaks I’ve heard have revolved round squircles or micro-LED tech, so I would not depend on it.
I do not know what an “Extremely” Android watch seems like
At 61g, the Apple Watch Extremely 2 falls on the sting of consolation, because of the sunshine nylon strap and fairly skinny titanium case. It additionally has a 1.9-inch show — squircle-shaped, clearly — which makes studying notifications a breeze.
Examine that to the 1.5-inch Galaxy Watch 6 Basic, which weighs a mere two grams much less because of its rotating bezel and chrome steel body. You’d assume {that a} Galaxy Watch Extremely would have a good bigger show to stay as much as the identify, however you’d attain a degree the place smaller wrists could not bear the burden.
Samsung can (A) go painfully heavy with a rotating bezel, (B) go capacitive regardless of the drawbacks, or (C) take the Apple/Google route with a crown.
The Galaxy Watch 5 Professional stored its weight down with its capacitive bezel. After I polled my colleagues, nevertheless, they collectively insisted that any Extremely watch would wish a greater resolution — both the rotating bezel or a crown. They’d prioritize useability over consolation.
Samsung allegedly needs to change to a squircle Galaxy Watch sooner or later, however Android watch house owners see that because the purview of Apple and its imitators; they may hate the change for its look, even when the sq. display screen makes studying and typing simpler. Nonetheless, I am unable to consider one other approach to get an even bigger show with out killing our wrists.
Samsung will not let the Extremely stand by itself deserves
Samsung likes to make its gadgets interconnected, the identical as Apple. It is why you want a Samsung cellphone to test Galaxy Watch ECG readings, or why Samsung is “engaged on” making the Galaxy Ring suitable with different non-Galaxy telephones.
That is in all probability not going to alter with the Galaxy Watch Extremely, even when it prices sufficient to be a standalone system. It will in all probability have built-in mobile information for calling and all of the well being sensors on the planet — perhaps even blood sugar monitoring — however Samsung will nonetheless need you to research your information on its cellphone.
Naturally, die-hard Samsung followers with disposable revenue will purchase a Galaxy Watch Extremely with their S24 Ultras, as a result of they need the very best tech always — the identical with Apple Watch Extremely 2 consumers. The query is whether or not Samsung can step exterior of that area of interest, and what sort of worth it might probably provide apart from “huge battery, huge display screen.”
Sooner or later, AI like Gemini would be the spine of wearable tech, supplying you with a pure approach to entry data or ship replies with out being depending on a tiny display screen. Nevertheless, the tough launches for the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI pin show how far off that future is.
Fortunately, there’s one other “AI” possibility Samsung can take.
Samsung’s Extremely path forward is well being and health
Other than Apple nerds, one kind of particular person constantly buys smartwatches within the $500–$1,000 vary: athletes, gymnasium rats, and health freaks.
That is why Apple began going all-out on health the yr the Extremely got here out, specializing in runners, hikers, and cyclists. It focused individuals who would usually spend a grand on premium Garmin watches just like the Epix or Fenix.
Critical athletes will not accept any conventional smartwatch as a result of they want weeks of battery life, not days. Nevertheless, Apple nonetheless received over the weekend warrior sorts who need stable health options once they have time however higher smarts and apps throughout the week.
I have been harping on Samsung’s lack of health progress during the last couple of years. To its credit score, the Galaxy Watch 5 Professional did add offline GPX maps, a preferred characteristic on health watches. Nevertheless, it took them till final yr so as to add coronary heart fee zones, and Samsung nonetheless lags behind in areas like GPS accuracy and each day readiness.
Samsung will take a stride ahead for well being monitoring this summer time with the Galaxy Ring, which provides you with a each day “Vitality Rating” primarily based in your sleep high quality. Samsung will name it an “AI” software, but it surely’s principally the identical algorithm different health watch manufacturers have used for the previous few years.
The following step is to include exercise information and your VO2 Max stage to find out how lengthy to get well after a exercise or what number of lively exercise minutes you want that day to get fitter safely. It is the important thing characteristic Garmin and Fitbit watches provide, and I’ve little doubt Apple is working by itself model.
Even when some folks solely need the Galaxy Watch Extremely to be as RAM-packed, long-lasting, and large as doable, Samsung cannot escape the truth that loads of folks see watches as a coaching software or well being tracker, before everything. Past the Android super-fans, nobody will purchase an “Extremely” watch that does not go above and past for health software program.
