Samsung to kill its Galaxy Watch Classic; NO more rotating bezel then?

Samsung could kill the Galaxy Watch Classic with the Watch 5 gen upgrade later this year. Here is what will happen next.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 may not get its “Classic treatment” this year (Samsung)

Samsung's Galaxy Watch has been around for a long while, experimenting with new and funky designs over the years. But it has become iconic with its signature rotating bezels feature, which is highly satisfying to use and works like a charm to navigate. As with all Samsung special features, it is available only on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, which is also the pricier version of the regular model. Now fresh rumours suggest Samsung is considering killing this model with the next-gen upgrade.

Based on a report from SamMobile, it is said that the Galaxy Watch 5 series could be announced alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in a few months' time. And for the firs time, we won't see a Watch 5 Classic this time. Samsung is apparently killing the Classic model this year and replacing it with a “Pro” variant. Hence, it could be known as the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, while the standard model also remains.

Galaxy Watch 5 to ditch “Classic”

It is unclear as to whether this is just a name change or more than that. Samsung killed off its Galaxy Note line earlier this year but incorporated all of its features into the Galaxy S22 Ultra. In fact, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is essentially a newer version of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, complete with a new set of cameras on its back.

Hence, if this just a name change, it could be good news for fans of the rotating bezel. The leak also adds that the standard Galaxy Watch 5 will come in two sizes this year while the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will come in just a single size. The latter could also get an upgraded battery capacity. These watches will continue to keep their circular dial design instead of morphing into an Apple Watch lookalike.

And lastly, the new models will run on One UI Watch platform, which is based on the Wear OS 3 platform from Google. There's no idea whether the new watches will get any additional health monitoring features this year, or will they be just minor updates with more focus on cosmetics.

These watches are expected to launch in a Galaxy Unpacked event in August, when Samsung could also unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 foldables.