Samsung appears to be making steady progress on its next generation of wearables as new leaks emerge about the upcoming Galaxy Watch 8 series. While much of the tech world's attention has been focused on Samsung's foldable phones, these fresh reports suggest the company is simultaneously preparing to refresh its smartwatch lineup with modest but welcome improvements.
Battery Certification Reveals Two-Model Strategy
Recent certifications spotted on the SafetyKorea website have revealed batteries intended for Samsung's next-generation smartwatches. According to these leaks, Samsung will continue with a two-model approach for 2025, offering the standard Galaxy Watch 8 alongside a Galaxy Watch 8 Classic variant. This strategy maintains Samsung's pattern of providing consumers with different style options while keeping the core technology consistent across the lineup.
Marginal Battery Improvements Coming
The TUV Rheinland certification has revealed that the battery designated for the Galaxy Watch 8 (model number EB-BL330ABY) will feature a typical capacity of 435mAh. This represents a modest improvement over the Galaxy Watch 7's 425mAh battery capacity. While this 10mAh increase may seem incremental, even small improvements can be meaningful for wearable devices where battery life remains a critical concern for users who rely on their smartwatches throughout the day.
Galaxy Watch 8 Battery Details
- Standard Galaxy Watch 8 battery: 435mAh (model EB-BL330ABY)
- Galaxy Watch 7 battery (previous gen): 425mAh
- Improvement: +10mAh
Model Numbers
- Galaxy Watch 8: SM-L320, SM-L325U, SM-L330, SM-L335U
- Galaxy Watch 8 Classic: SM-L500, SM-L505, SM-L505U
Expected Launch: July 2025 alongside Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7
Model Numbers Hint at Multiple Size Variants
A separate leak on social media platform X has revealed potential model numbers for the upcoming watches. The standard Galaxy Watch 8 appears to be associated with model numbers SM-L320, SM-L325U, SM-L330, and SM-L335U, likely representing different size variants and connectivity options. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic seems to correspond to model numbers SM-L500 and SM-L505, with the U suffix likely indicating LTE connectivity for the US market.
Potential Feature Upgrades
While these leaks focus primarily on battery certification and model numbers, there's speculation that the Galaxy Watch 8 series could introduce features that didn't make it into the previous generation. One particularly anticipated feature is blood glucose monitoring, which Samsung has reportedly been developing for potential release as early as the second half of 2024. If implemented, this would represent a significant advancement in health monitoring capabilities for consumer wearables.
Design Speculation Continues
Previous rumors had suggested that Samsung might be considering a departure from its traditional circular watch design in favor of a more Apple Watch-like squircle shape. However, the current leaks don't provide any confirmation regarding design changes, leaving this aspect of the upcoming watches still open to speculation.
Expected Launch Timeline
The Galaxy Watch 8 series is anticipated to debut alongside Samsung's next-generation foldable phones—the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7—at the company's summer Unpacked event. Based on Samsung's previous launch patterns, this event is likely to take place in July 2025, giving consumers a few more months to wait before the official unveiling.