Samsung's Galaxy Watch 9 keeps the Watch 8's squircle design, moves the real changes under the hood.
Samsung's next smartwatch generation arrives July 22 at Galaxy Unpacked in London, and the biggest difference between the Galaxy Watch 9 and its predecessor has nothing to do with how it looks. Leaked CAD renders from credible tipster Onleaks and AndroidHeadlines show the Watch 9 retaining the squircle design language that debuted with the Watch 8 last year, with a circular screen housed in the same protective frame. The Watch 8 was a major overhaul over the Watch 7, but the Watch 9 is a refined version.
The real story is inside. Samsung has confirmed the next-generation Galaxy Watch will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, though it remains unclear whether the standard Watch 9 gets the new chip or only the Watch Ultra 2. That change brings a dedicated NPU for on-device AI tasks, plus support for Bluetooth 6.0, UWB, Micro-Power Wi-Fi, and 5G RedCap.
The Exynos W1000, which debuted in 2024, still delivers decent CPU performance but has fallen behind on connectivity. The Snapdragon shift is the most significant internal upgrade Samsung's wearables have seen in years.
The Watch 9 will come in two sizes, 40mm and 44mm, with color options including Cream and Graphite for the smaller model and Silver and Graphite for the larger one. Both will run Wear OS 7 with Samsung's One UI 9 Watch skin, promising power efficiency gains from the combination of the new Qualcomm chip and updated software.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, which Evan Blass leaked in full renders, follows a similar playbook. The 47mm squircle chassis carries the same three-button layout and orange-accented action button as the original.
New markings on the dial resemble the rotating bezel from last year's Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and with rumors suggesting Samsung won't launch a new Classic model this year, the Ultra 2 could inherit that feature. The watch is expected to pack a 784mAh battery and carry a 10ATM water resistance rating with sapphire crystal protection.
Samsung is reportedly bumping prices across its wearable lineup. The Watch 9 and Ultra 2 will launch alongside the company's next foldables on July 22, when all remaining questions about dial rotation, exact pricing, and final specs get official answers.
