There’s a lot to like about Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4. It has plenty of health tracking functionality, fast performance, a slick design and the new Wear OS software that Samsung and Google created together. But if the rumors are turn out to be accurate, the Galaxy Watch 5 could address one the Galaxy Watch 4’s biggest shortcomings: battery life.
I’m also hoping to see Samsung commit more fully to Google’s software and services. The Galaxy Watch 4 currently feels caught between Google and Samsung’s ecosystems, as my colleague Scott Stein wrote in his review.
Samsung hasn’t said a word about plans for its next smartwatch, although the company typically debuts new wearables in August. Details about Samsung’s collaboration with Google on Wear OS did come at last year’s Google I/O conference, so it’s possible that some software details might arrive at this year’s Google I/O on May 11. There haven’t been many rumors about the next Galaxy Watch yet. But here’s our best guess at what Samsung might be planning, based on leaks and the company’s previous launches.
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A possible August announcement
Only Samsung knows when the next Galaxy Watch will arrive. But the company has a history of launching new wearables in August alongside other new products. For example, the Galaxy Watch 4 debuted in August last year, while the Galaxy Watch 3 arrived in August 2020. Samsung has already launched a passel of new gadgets in 2022, from the Galaxy S22 lineup to the cheaper Galaxy S21 FE, new laptops and tablets. The one thing we haven’t heard about yet is smartwatches, so there’s a chance Samsung could be saving this for its typical August Unpacked event.
A larger battery than the Galaxy Watch 4
One of the Galaxy Watch 4’s drawbacks is its relatively short battery life, which typically lasts for between one and two days. There’s a chance that might change with the Galaxy Watch 5. Tech blog Sam Mobile claims it’s found a regulatory filing indicating that the 40-millimeter size of the Galaxy Watch 5 will have a slightly higher battery capacity than the Galaxy Watch 4. Samsung declined to comment on the report.
Longer battery life would make the Galaxy Watch 5 a more capable sleep tracker, since you might not have to charge it every night. It would also help Samsung catch up to Fitbit in that regard, since its Sense and Versa 3 watches can last for multiple days on a single charge. Battery life was one of the Galaxy Watch 4’s biggest shortcomings during CNET’s testing, so an improvement would be a welcome change.
Scott Stein/CNET
It might be able to measure your temperature
The Galaxy Watch 4 can already monitor metrics like your body composition, blood oxygen levels and heart rate. Samsung might further its health ambitions by adding the ability to measure body temperature to the Galaxy Watch 5, according to Korean news outlet ETNews. The report doesn’t provide much detail, other than to say that Samsung has “devised a technology that can measure body temperature as accurately as possible.” Samsung declined to comment on ETNews’ report.
But TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is well-known for his Apple product predictions, has cast doubt on this development. He suggested “algorithm limitations” could hold Samsung back from bringing this feature to the Galaxy Watch 5.
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Samsung is facing this challenge as well. Unlike previous media reports, I think Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 in 2H22 might not support the body temperature measurement due to algorithm limitations.— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 1, 2022
Temperature sensing isn’t new to wearables. Oura’s wellness ring of the same name can measure temperature from your finger to help detect changes that might be happening in your body. Fitbit devices like the Sense and Versa 3 can also detect temperature.
Scott Stein/CNET
If Samsung does add temperature sensing to its next smartwatch, it would be another sign that wearables have become comprehensive health and wellness devices. Metrics like blood oxygen saturation measurements are now relatively common on wearables from Apple, Fitbit, Samsung and Garmin.
Samsung might ditch the Classic model
The Galaxy Watch 4 comes in standard and Classic versions, but that could change with the Galaxy Watch 5. Instead, Samsung will launch the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, according to Sam Mobile. The regular Galaxy Watch 5 will reportedly come in two sizes, while the Pro version might be limited to one size. It’s also unclear whether Samsung would bring the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic’s rotating bezel to the Galaxy Watch 5 or 5 Pro, the report says. While the blog didn’t share additional details on what to expect from the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro specifically, it’s possible the new branding could indicate a significant update that’s more than just a refresh.
Drew Evans/CNET
It’ll likely run Wear OS
Samsung hasn’t announced any details about its next smartwatch yet. But since the Galaxy Watch 4 runs on Wear OS, it seems plausible that its successor will too. Google and Samsung collaborated to develop the new Wear OS, which means Samsung is likely committed to using that software for its future smartwatches. Sam Mobile’s report also says the watch will have a new version of One UI, Samsung’s customized version of Google’s software for watches.
Samsung was the first to launch a smartwatch that runs on Google’s new Wear OS. But the landscape will get more competitive soon with the new Wear OS expected to arrive on watches from other companies such as TicWatch, Fossil and Google’s Fitbit brand. We’re expecting to learn more about what’s next for Wear OS during Google I/O.
What we want from the Galaxy Watch 5
Longer battery life and new health-tracking features are always appreciated. But what we really want from the Galaxy Watch 5 is software that makes it feel more wholly part of Google’s ecosystem. The Galaxy Watch 4 feels torn between Google and Samsung. Yes, it has the Google Play app store and other Google apps. But the setup process and health tracking still largely rely on Samsung’s apps.
The company is addressing that to some extent by bringing Google Assistant to its watch. But we’re hoping to see closer Google integration in the next version that will truly make the Galaxy Watch 5 feel like the ultimate Android smartwatch.
For more, check out all the rumors we’ve heard about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4. Plus, the best smartwatches you can buy this year.
