Samsung’s Galaxy Watch8 series is likely to arrive in a squircle body shape, similar to that of the Galaxy Watch Ultra released last year. The Galaxy Watch8 will come in two sizes, while the Watch8 Classic, which is expected to bring back the rotating bezel, will only be available in one single size.
This information comes from a deep dive inside the One UI 8 Watch firmware for the Galaxy Watch8 Classic. One of the animation files shows the images you can see below (to the left of the names are the internal codenames Samsung used for these devices).
Interestingly, there’s no reference to a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, so the original may remain the top dog of the line for another year. As evidenced by the images above, the Watch8 series will have a squircle body but will retain a circular screen, just like the Galaxy Watch Ultra. So its divisive design is now being implemented throughout the range.
The Galaxy Watch8 Classic could also get a Quick Button like the Galaxy Watch Ultra, as well as extended vibration pattern support. Unfortunately it’s unclear from this data whether it will also have the much-anticipated rotating bezel.
The Galaxy Watch8 series will launch with One UI 8 Watch, which will bring the Now Bar that debuted in One UI 7 on smartphones, to watches. There will also be support for randomized watch faces, a battery protection feature that limits charging to a certain percentage, and a new Shortcuts app which will allow you to place some frequently used apps right onto your watch face.