What you need to know
- At the July Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event, Samsung announced the release of the Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic.
- The watches are powered by a new Exynos processor and feature larger displays and batteries.
- Both new smartwatches are available for pre-order now and for purchase starting on August 11.
It may seem like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 series just came out, but — believe it or not — we're already at the next iteration. Today at Samsung's July Galaxy Unpacked event, the tech giant announced the new and refreshed Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic.
The successors to the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro are welcome additions to Samsung's series of wearables, with the Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic boasting more interactive features compared to their predecessors to "democratize advanced health monitoring tools," according to TM Roh, Samsung's president and head of mobile.
"From sleep and fitness coaching to nutritional insights, Samsung is providing new and convenient ways to help users gain understanding and take action for better health and wellness," Roh said.
Samsung highlights that these updates include functions such as "in-depth analysis of Sleep Score Factors — total sleep time, sleep cycle, awake time, plus physical and mental recovery — to help users understand the quality of sleep received each night."
Other features include enhanced sleep coaching capabilities that integrate reminders and sleep instructions with a user's paired smartphone, as well as customized workout routines and irregular heart rhythm notifications.
In addition to the recent updates, the Watch 6 series is also equipped with staple features such as a temperature sensor, barometer, and more. The watch will also be able to connect seamlessly with the new Galaxy Z Flip 5 camera for better hands-free control of photos and videos.
Further, the Watch 6 rocks an armor aluminum case with a sport brand, while the Classic packs a stainless steel case with an eco-leather band. Both watches run on Google's Wear OS 4 with Samsung's One UI 5 Watch and are powered by Exynos W930 Dual-Core 1.4GHz processor. In addition to the experiences Samsung is highlighting,
Samsung's new Galaxy Watch 6 comes in 40mm and 44mm size variants, with a 1.5-inch Sapphire Crystal Super AMOLED display for the former and a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED display for the latter. The watch's Classic counterpart comes in 43mm and 47mm options, with similar displays.
While the popular rotating bezel was noticeably absent in the Watch 5 series, Samsung decided to bring back the feature in this latest iteration. The Watch 6 sports a bezel that is 30% slimmer, while the Classic's rotating bezel is 15% thinner than its Watch 4 predecessor.
Further, the Classic and standard Watch 6 models are available in Bluetooth and LTE configurations. Samsung also notes that the latest series is equipped with a larger battery and reduced battery consumption. Both the standard Watch 6 40mm and Classic 43mm have 300mAh batteries, whereas the 44mm Watch 6 and 47mm Classic boasts 425mAh batteries. Samsung says the watches should last up to 40 hours, but we'll have to see how true those claims are.
The Galaxy Watch 6 40mm comes in Graphite and gold, while the 44mm is available in Graphite and silver. Meanwhile, you can get the Classic counterpart in black or silver for both the 43mm and 47mm variants.
The new watches are available for pre-order now and for purchase starting August 11, with the Watch 6 starting at $300 and its Classic counterpart starting at $400, depending on size variants.
In addition to announcing the Watch 6 series at its latest Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung also revealed its new foldable smartphones, including the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Galaxy Z Fold 5, tablets such as the Galaxy Tab S9, and its latest assortment of accessories. Samsung also continues to highlight last year's Galaxy Watch 5 Pro for outdoorsy types, with the watch set to gain enhanced GPX features with the upcoming One UI 5 Watch update.
The new Galaxy Watch 6 is the latest smartwatch from Samsung, sporting a faster processor, more RAM, and the latest Wear OS 4 software with tons of new features. It also has a bigger screen to enjoy all your apps with and connects seamlessly to your Galaxy smartphone, like the new Z Flip 5.
