We're only a few weeks away from Samsung's big Unpacked event, and the leaks just keep coming. While rumors have surfaced about the next-gen Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 series that's expected to be on display, now we have our first look at some of the design upgrades that could be in store.
Noted tipster OnLeaks recently collaborated with Smartprix to show off some unofficial renders of the pricier Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra model, and its design could be taking a page from the Apple Watch Ultra. The Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra — tipped to replace the earlier Pro and Classic models — is shown with a new form factor that's a cross between a square and a circle. It sports the same round watch face but with a more angular, squarish body. A squircle, if you will.
Bordering the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra's screen looks to be the same rotating bezel found on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. The display is purportedly 1.5 inches in diameter, which again matches last year's Classic model. Most interestingly, an extra physical button can be spotted on the watch's right-hand side. Given its similarities to the Apple Watch Ultra's Action button, it could have similar functionality, letting users customize shortcuts for their workouts, stopwatch, and other apps.
The leaked CAD renders also showed off larger speakers, a new health sensor array, extra holes that could be more mics to improve speakerphone clarity, and potential watch band changes. As Smartprix notes, Samsung seems to have more seamlessly integrated the bands into the body of the smartwatch for a more streamlined look. The buttons for detaching the watch band look to have migrated as well, moving from their home on the watch band itself, as with the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, to along the top and bottom of the sensory array.
Is Samsung going full circle? Er...squircle?
We first heard rumors back in March that Samsung was considering returning to a square design for its smartwatches. The angular form factor is reminiscent of the company's earlier Galaxy Gear smartwatches, the first of which launched in 2013 with a 1.63-inch square-shaped super AMOLED display, similar to other smartwatches of the time.
Of course, it's important to take all of this with a grain of salt for now. Rumor has it Samsung will hold its Unpacked event on July 10, which could be when the company plans to announce its smartwatch models. Though we could also see Samsung announce them sooner at a smaller event or even release the watches through a press release to speed up their rollout.
But there's more in store than just smartwatches. At its Unpacked event, Samsung could also announce the next generation of foldable smartphones, including the Galaxy Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. We could also see the long-rumored Galaxy Ring, which would also generate a lot of buzz.
