Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, Classic and Ultra leak reveals striking squircle design for upcoming series
Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event is said to take place in July, and with it, the company is expected to launch a range of devices, including foldable phones and smartwatches, including the Galaxy Watch 8, Watch 8 Classic, and Watch Ultra 2. Yes, you read that right. Going by the leaks and a new development, Samsung could be launching three smartwatches this time around, with the return of the Classic variant and the second-generation Ultra variant as well. Courtesy of tipster Evan Blass, the latest renders of the rumoured upcoming watches have leaked — and there's a lot to unravel. This is probably the biggest leak yet when it comes to Samsung's next-generation smartwatches.advertisementGoing by the leaked renders, the most interesting bit to notice is the squircle design on the Galaxy Watch 8 series smartwatches — across the range. So, not only is the Watch Ultra 2 — or whatever Samsung decides to name it once it is official — launching alongside the standard and Classic, but the latter two will also feature a squircle design — a squarish chassis with a round dial — for a more seamless look.When it comes to the other cosmetic changes — while the standard Galaxy Watch 8 has the squircle design, it only has two buttons on the sides: a home/power button and a back button, just like its predecessor — the Galaxy Watch 7. However, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 are seen sporting three buttons: a home/power, a back, and a circular Quick/Action button, which first debuted last year with the original Galaxy Watch Ultra. Other than this, the Watch 8 Classic is seen sporting a black rotating bezel along with a black leather strap, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 seems to have a new blue shade, apart from the dark grey and orange finishes, along with a fixed bezel up top.advertisement
Over the past few years, Samsung seems to have alternated between its Classic and more rugged smartwatch offerings. The third and fourth generations arrived in successive years, followed by the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, which took a more outdoor-focused approach. The sixth generation marked the return of the Classic, only for Samsung to introduce the Galaxy Watch Ultra as its seventh-generation flagship last year — a clear evolution from the Watch 5 Pro. However, with the eighth generation, all signs point to the return of the Classic line, along with the introduction of the standard version and the Ultra variant, also said to launch without alternating between years.As mentioned above, the Galaxy Watch 8 series, alongside the Galaxy Z series foldables, are expected to take centre-stage during July's Galaxy Unpacked event. The smartwatches will most likely boot One UI 8 Watch atop Android's Wear OS 6. The company is probably skipping the number 7 to unify the number scheme across versions, similar to how Apple did it with their latest software release (iOS 26, macOS 26, and so on).
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