Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 vs Galaxy Watch 6: All upgrades
Intro
We are nearing this year's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event, which is set to take place on July 10. The tech giant is expected to announce its next series of wearables, with the base model being the Galaxy Watch 7.
So, the big question is how will Samsung improve upon the last generation, the Galaxy Watch 6? To put it shortly, we are looking at an overall spec bump this year with improvements to the performance, a storage increase, and what might potentially be game-changing AI features. Also, we should see faster charging and maybe even longer battery life.
Even more upgrades, however, will come with the rumored Galaxy Watch Ultra, so you might want to check that one out if you are interested in the best of the best from Samsung wearables. There's even talk about a Galaxy Watch FE launching this year, which should bring basice One UI Watch features at a lower price.
Galaxy Watch 7 vs Galaxy Watch 6: differences
- Exynos W940/W1000 (3nm) vs Exynos W930 (5nm)
- 36GB vs 16GB of storage
- Galaxy AI on board the 7th generation
- 15W vs 10W charging
Table of Contents:
Design & Sizes
We don't expect to see any major differences to come with the design or size of the Galaxy Watch 7, so it should look pretty similar to the Galaxy Watch 6 from last year. That means it will measure somewhere around 42.8 x 44.4 x 9mm (1.69 x 1.75 x 0.35in) and weigh about 28.7g (1.0oz) to 33.3g (1.1oz) for the 40mm and 44mm variants.
It is a relatively compact and light design with an aluminum casing and a circular display. The bezel around the display will still be touch sensitive and the main way to navigate the watch's UI.
There were some rumors saying that Samsung might shift to a more square-shaped look for the Galaxy Watch 7, but that remains rather unlikely at this point. The display itself will remain 1.3 inches for the 40mm model and 1.5inches for the 44mm one.
Sadly, we don't expect to see any increase in the display brightness, so it will probably remain the same 2,000 nits (peak) as with the previous two generations. The rumored Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra, though, is said to come with 3,000 nits instead.
What is almost certain, however, is that the new Galaxy wearable will still get an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, which is the highest you typically find on flagship mobile devices.
Bands
The Galaxy Watch 6 introduced a brand new way to swap bands, and Samsung achieved that while still allowing compatibility with the old-style Galaxy Watch bands. That said, we weren't too impressed with the new button-release system, as the button was somewhat small and hard to press.
What's more, the default silicone bands Samsung provided with the Galaxy Watch 6 were a bit too stiff and did not wrap around your hand that well, making them sit awkwardly on the wrist. We hope this year Samsung introduces upgraded bands with a better design, although no leaks have pointed to such changes just yet.
Software & Features
We expect Samsung to release the Galaxy Watch 7 with Watch OS 5 and One UI Watch 6 on board, which will also be coming to the Galaxy Watch 6 via an update. Given the four year window for major OS updates, we can expect the new generation to last until Watch OS 9 and the predecessor until Watch OS 8.
Whatever new features the Galaxy Watch 7 introduces will probably have something to do with artificial intelligence. Samsung has already as much as confirmed that saying that Galaxy AI is coming to “the next Galaxy Watch line-up.” This will come alongside One UI 6 Watch, but it is not clear as of yet whether some of the new AI features will also come to the Galaxy Watch 6 with the update.
These features powered by Galaxy AI will aim to help you improve your health and fitness routines.
Here's a breakdown of what you can expect:
Here's a breakdown of what you can expect:
- Get a holistic view of your health: A new "Energy Score" will provide daily insights into your overall well-being.
- Personalized workouts: Galaxy AI will recommend personalized workout routines for seamless transitions between exercises, keeping your workouts engaging.
- Challenge yourself: Runners and cyclists can use the "Race" feature to compare their performance on favorite routes, adding a competitive edge to your training.
- Smarter sleep tracking: Look forward to more comprehensive sleep analytics with detailed "Sleep Score" metrics, helping you understand your sleep quality better.
- Advanced running metrics: Get insights into your running performance with features like "Aerobic Threshold (AT) / Anaerobic Threshold (AnT) Heart Rate Zone," allowing you to optimize your training zones.
Battery and Charging
While the battery capacity on the regular Galaxy Watch 7 is said to be unchanged, we can expect longer battery life thanks to the new chipset. The Exynos W940/W1000 is said to offer 50% better efficiency, which gives Samsung the opportunity to muster more endurance from the 300mAh (40mm model) and 425mAh (44mm model) batteries.
During our Galaxy Watch 6 review last year the battery lasted us about a day and a half with our use, so this year it might be two full days. This would be an awesome jump and improvement, so hopefully Samsung delivers.
As for charging, it is said to increase by 50%, going from 10W on the Galaxy Watch 6 to 15W on the Galaxy Watch 7. Of course, we are talking wireless charging here.
Models and Prices
Just like with the Galaxy Watch 6, the Galaxy Watch 7 will come in two sizes: 40mm and 44mm. Buyers will also have the option to choose between a Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + Cellular versions for both sizes.
Prices are expected to be the same as those of the Galaxy Watch 6. With that in mind, here are the expected Galaxy Watch 7 prices:
- Galaxy Watch 7 (40mm): $299.99 Wi-Fi only; $349.99 Wi-Fi + Cellular
- Galaxy Watch 7 (44mm): $349.99 Wi-Fi only; $379.99 Wi-Fi + Cellular
Having cellular means you are able to use the watch without having your phone nearby, including for phone calls or anything that requires an internet connection. Keep in mind that even if you don't have support for cellular connectivity you can still pay with your watch wirelessly at POS terminals.
Specs
A quick view of the Galaxy Watch 7 vs Galaxy Watch 6 specs comparison:
| Specs | Galaxy Watch 7 | Galaxy Watch 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Size and Weight | 40mm: 38.8 x 40.4 x 9mm, 28,7g 44mm: 42.8 x 44.4 x 9mm, 33.3g | 40mm: 38.8 x 40.4 x 9mm, 28,7g 44mm: 42.8 x 44.4 x 9mm, 33.3g |
| Processor, RAM, Storage | Exynos W940/W1000 (3nm), 4GB RAM, 32GB storage | Exynos W930 (5nm), 2GB RAM, 16GB storage |
| Software | Wear OS 5, One UI Watch 6 | Wear OS 4, One UI Watch 5 |
| Battery and Charging | 300/425mAh battery capacity 15W wireless charging | 300/425mAh battery capacity 10W wireless charging |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, compass, heart rate, barometer, skin temperature, blood oxygen, altimeter, ECG, geomagnetic, light | Accelerometer, gyro, compass, heart rate, barometer, skin temperature, blood oxygen, altimeter, ECG, geomagnetic, light |
Most notable here is the jump from a 5nm chip to a 3nm one. The Exynos W940 (which might be called W1000) should offer a nice boost to performance but also battery efficiency. The new chipset is said to be have 50% better efficiency and 30% faster performance compared to the older one, which would be a massive jump and visibly impact the user experience.
On top of the new processor, the new model is also said to get double the storage (32GB) and it might even get slightly more memory than its predecessor (4GB). This is all, presumably, to facilitate some of the new features related to AI.
Another difference to point out is the faster 15W charging on the newer model. Since the battery capacity is rumored to remain the same on the Galaxy Watch 7, this should mean less time on the charger before the watch gets to 100% compared to the Galaxy Watch 6.
Summary
So, even though the Galaxy Watch 7 sounds a lot like a spec bump, the jump is significant enough to make this new generation possibly much better than the Galaxy Watch 6 was. The new chipset and the fact that it comes with Galaxy AI on board is probably what will separate the new model the most, but the faster charging and (maybe) longer battery life would make it a truly worthy upgrade over its predecessor.
Unlike with the 6th generation, though, this year the base Galaxy Watch might have to compete with a more affordable and more well-equipped variant, so might not be as successful.
Stay tuned for the full comparison and more information from leaks and reports.
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