Samsung may soon bring the design language of the Galaxy Watch Ultra into its mid-range smartwatches, with a new leak suggesting the upcoming Galaxy Watch 8 and 8 Classic will adopt the ‘squircle’ case shape.
The move would mark a significant departure from the purely circular standard (and Classic/Pro) models of the past three Galaxy Watch generations. However, it is a form factor Samsung has a bit of history with—and not just with last year’s Ultra, either. Old-school smartwatch fans will remember the ‘squircular’ Gear Sport from 2017.
Leaked animation files (shown below), reportedly unearthed within early One UI 8 Watch firmware by Android Authority, depict both rumored models sporting this blend of a square-edged body and a round display. It suggests Samsung might be unifying its design approach, moving away from the distinct circular look that defined the non-Ultra watches since the Galaxy Watch 4.
While it’s naturally unclear at this stage, the leaked illustrations also suggest that the Watch 8 will have slimmer bezels than the Classic model—a pattern we last saw with the Galaxy Watch 6 series. This could be due to a potential rotating physical bezel, but, again, it’s all just speculation at this stage.
The leaked image suggests the Watch 8 could have slimmer bezels, while the Watch 8 Classic could be slightly thicker (and feature a ‘Quick’ button). This is something we’ve seen happen with the Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic. Moreover, it’s unclear if Samsung has retained the rotating bezels on the Classic (though there’s hope).
Where this leaves the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, of course, also remains to be seen. A rumor from last month suggested that the Korean brand was preparing a successor to last year’s new flagship device (and not an 8 Classic), though this latest coding would suggest the opposite.
Samsung is expected to reveal its latest wares at some point this summer—likely in mid-July—so we won’t know for sure until then. In the meantime, we’ll continue to track all the latest leaks and build a clearer picture of what’s to come.
