Will we see the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 emerge in 2024? Very likely. Here, we collected all the rumours, specs, features and more we'd expect (and like) to see in the South Korean company's next wearable.
With Fossil out of the smartwatch game and Google still trying to find its footing with its wearable, Samsung's Galaxy Watch series is currently the only real contestant against Apple's dominance in the smartwatch market.
That said, like many other manufacturers, Samsung struggled to drum up interest about its smartwatches in recent years. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, albeit a super-capable health companion, wasn't all that different from its predecessor from a features point of view (it is faster, though).
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 also arrives in the same year Apple is expected to announce the Apple Watch Series X, which marks the tenth anniversary of the franchise.
Not to mention, Samsung is also taking the wind out of its sails by launching the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Ring later in 2024. Should we be excited about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7? Let's find out.
When will the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 be released?
Samsung announced the Galaxy Ring in January during the company's semi-annual Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event. It often announces the latest slate of Galaxy Watch wearables in the second Galaxy Unpacked event, which usually happens in July.
We expect to see more details about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch 7 Pro model closer to July. Samsung told PCMag that the Pro and the Classic versions of the Galaxy Watch will get new models every other year, which means we'll see a Galaxy Watch 7 Pro in 2024.
This also means there won't be a Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Classic. If you like that rotating bezel, you can opt for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic or wait for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic in 2025.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 cost?
The recommended retail price of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 starts from £289/ $299/ AU$ 549. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5's original price started from £269 / $280 / AU$ 499, so there has been a price increase between different generations. On that note, it's likely the Galaxy Watch Watch 7 will retail for around £309/ $319/ AU$ 599. This is for the 40mm non-LTE version.
It's harder to guess how much the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Pro will cost. The recommended retail price of the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro at launch was £429/ $449/ AU$ 799. Seeing the price increase of the standard version, our educated guess is that the Galaxy Watch 7 Pro will cost around £469/ $499/ AU$ 899.
Design and features
Samsung Galaxy Watches already offer a vast selection of health and fitness features, including sleep, stress and exercise monitoring. However, it seems Samsung is planning on adding even more to the Galaxy Watch 7, like sleep apnea detection.
In a press release, the company stated that the sleep apnea feature has received De Novo authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With sleep apnea detection enabled, the smartwatch will be able to detect signs of sleep apnea using a compatible smartphone.
During the Galaxy Unpacked event in January 2024, Matthew Wiggins, Head of Samsung Research America's Health Solutions Lab, introduced Galaxy AI. This new machine learning algorithm is said to kick off an "entirely new era of digital health" with four new smart sleep analysis indices for the Galaxy Watch.
Unless the new features require new sensors, the new sleeping indices will most likely make their way to existing Samsung Galaxy Watches as well as the upcoming Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 7 Pro.
One supposed big hardware update is the rumoured inclusion of a new 3-nanometer chipset (via Android Central). Theoretically, this would enable the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 to function longer on a single charge.
It's also possible that Samsung will go down the Apple Watch way by improving processing efficiency, but instead of extending battery life, it adds more features, keeping the battery life as is.
MicroLEDs are also hot in wearable circles, and Samsung is rumoured to be working on its MicroLED wearable. Said rumours call the upcoming MicroLED smartwatch Galaxy Watch Ultra; it's doubtful Samsung will call its watch that.
However, if Samsung can bring out a MicroLED smartwatch later this year before Apple, that would be a big win for the South Korean company. Apple is said to be working on MicroLED displays for its wearables, but we don't expect to see these surface before 2025.
