Samsung Galaxy Watch8 and Watch8 Classic Official: Slimmer Design, Rotating Bezel Returns, and New Health Features

Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy Watch8 and Galaxy Watch8 Classic, and this generation brings a bold redesign inspired by the "squircle" shape first seen on the Galaxy Watch Ultra. While there’s no new Ultra model this year, the original gets a storage upgrade and a new Titanium Blue colorway.

Galaxy Watch8: Thinner, Brighter, Smarter

The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 is now 11% slimmer than its predecessor, making it the thinnest Galaxy Watch ever at just 8.6mm. It comes in two sizes—40mm and 44mm—with 1.34” and 1.47” circular AMOLED displays respectively, reaching up to 3,000 nits brightness for top-tier outdoor visibility. It’s powered by the Exynos W1000 (3nm) chipset, with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage.

Running on One UI 8 Watch (based on Wear OS 6), the Watch8 introduces new features like Depthless Notifications, Pinned Apps, and quick-glance widgets. Battery life is improved too: 325mAh for 40mm and 435mAh for 44mm, with fast wireless charging supported.

Health tracking gets smarter with a redesigned Bioactive sensor, better skin contact for accuracy, and features like Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load, Antioxidant Index, and an upgraded Running Coach. Dual GPS ensures precise outdoor tracking.

Galaxy Watch8 Classic: The Rotating Bezel is Back

The Galaxy Watch8 Classic brings back the beloved rotating bezel, adding a tactile layer to navigation. It also debuts a new Quick Button for fast access to your favorite apps. Available only in 46mm, it’s slightly thinner than its predecessor at 10.6mm and packs a 425mAh battery.

Surprisingly, the display is just 1.34”, the same as the smaller Watch8 variant. However, it makes up for it with 64GB of storage, ideal for offline content like maps and music.

Galaxy Watch Ultra Refresh

The Galaxy Watch Ultra didn’t get a full update but now comes in a new Titanium Blue color and doubles its storage to 64GB, keeping it competitive for power users.

Pricing and Availability

Pre-orders for the Galaxy Watch8 series start today, with official sales beginning July 25. Here's a quick look at the pricing:

Galaxy Watch8 (Bluetooth/4G)

40mm: £320 / £370 | €380 / €430

44mm: £350 / £400 | €410 / €460

Galaxy Watch8 Classic (Bluetooth/4G)

46mm: £450 / £500 | €530 / €580

Galaxy Watch8 (2GB+32GB): €379

Galaxy Watch8 Classic (2GB+64GB): €529

Galaxy Watch Ultra (2GB+64GB): $399.74