Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 looks almost certain to run Wear OS
Internal affairs
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Hidden code buried in the latest version of the Galaxy Wear app has given the best hint yet that theSamsung Galaxy Watch 4will runGoogle’s Wear OS watch software, rather thanSamsung’s Tizen.
While wereported onsimilar leaks back in February, this latest revelation further substantiates the expectation that Samsung’s next wearable will arrive running Google’s Androidoperating system.
The code was spotted by tech writerMax Weinbach, who shared a tweet detailing various codenames including “water”, which he believes to be a reference to the Wear OS compatibility of Samsung’s upcoming watches.
So when I found the Buds 2 leak, I found a few things about upcoming Galaxy Watches. There’s a new plugin codename “water.” I believe “water” is the Samsung wearable/WearOS compatibility layer. It mentions “merlot,” which I believe is the chipset for “wise” and “fresh”…1/2March 29, 2021
In the same tweet, Weinbach refers to further codenames “fresh” and “wise”, which he suggests each represent the new watches that Samsung could release between April and June.
Those watches are expected to be theGalaxy Watch Active 4and Galaxy Watch 4, successors to theGalaxy Watch Active 2andGalaxy Watch 3, respectively, which both run Tizen. We’ve already heard mutterings that the Active model would skip a numeric generation in 2021, so this latest rumor adds more fuel to that fire.
Despite the success of using Tizen in its existing wearables range, Samsung may be opting to switch to Wear OS given its potentially superior app support and wider choice of watch faces. Even so, there aren’t a whole lot of top-tier Wear OS smartwatches on the market right now – save for the likes of theFossil Gen 5and theTicWatch Pro 3– so it’ll be interesting to see whether the next Galaxy wearables truly benefit from the change.
Not just a pretty face
A new OS isn’t the only change expected of the new Galaxy smartwatches watches, though.
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In the same tweet, Weinbach makes reference to a “merlot” codename, which he believes could be a nod to the chipset used to power both devices.
The Galaxy Watch 3 didn’t make leaps and bounds with its chipset, using the same internals as the original Galaxy Watch, so it seems high time for Samsung to improve both the chipset and RAM capacity of its next offerings.
Galaxy Watch Active4 and Watch4:No major design changes No rotation bezel on the Active4, Watch4 still has the rotation bezelSame color options as this year Galaxy ZWear OSZ Fold3: splash resistance in works, don’t expect IP certified for now tho https://t.co/FoUOAFOGYxMarch 16, 2021
While there might be big changes on the way when it comes to software and hardware, we also know, thanks to Twitter leaker@chunvn8888, that there’ll be relatively few design changes with Samsung’s next wearables. According to the leak, the Galaxy Watch 4 will have the rotating bezel of its predecessors, while the Galaxy Watch Active 4 will go without.
You can’t have it all, I guess.
ViaPhoneArena
Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.
Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.
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