The story of the Samsung Galaxy Watch
Generations and strap changes
- 2026Watch9 and Watch Ultra2
Unveiled July 22, 2026: Watch9 in 40mm and 44mm, and a single 47mm Watch Ultra2.
- 2025Galaxy Watch8 and Classic
Watch8 and Watch8 Classic introduced the Dynamic Lug System for band changes at the click of a button.
Dynamic Lug replaces the long-standing 20mm standard; older Galaxy and generic 20mm bands no longer fit.
- 2023Galaxy Watch6
Watch6 brought a display about 20% larger; the Classic kept a rotating bezel.
A button replaced the spring-bar structure for one-click band changes.
- 2021Galaxy Watch4
The Watch4 and Watch4 Classic switched to Wear OS, developed with Google.
- 2020Galaxy Watch3
A steel round-bezel watch in 41 mm or 45 mm, plus a titanium model.
- 2019Galaxy Watch Active
A bezel-less, lighter aluminium model with a 28.1 mm display.
It used a 20 mm fluoroelastomer band.
- 2018Galaxy Watch
The first Galaxy Watch kept the circular bezel, in 42 mm and 46 mm sizes.
- 2015Gear S2
Samsung's first smartwatch with a circular display; it had the rotating bezel that became a hallmark of the Classic line.
- 2013Galaxy Gear
The Galaxy Gear had a 1.9-megapixel camera attached to the strap.
The camera was attached to the strap.
Firsts and innovations
Samsung says sleep apnea detection on Galaxy Watch earned the world's first De Novo authorisation of its kind from the US FDA in 2024.
The Galaxy Watch8 series, the Watch9's predecessor, was the first smartwatch with Wear OS 6 and Gemini. Samsung says it was also the first to bring an Antioxidant Index to a smartwatch.
Samsung presented the Watch8 series as the first smartwatch with Wear OS 6 and Gemini built in. It also says the series was the first to bring an Antioxidant Index to a smartwatch.
Samsung says its Dynamic Lug System, used on the 2024 Galaxy Watch Ultra, lets wearers easily switch straps.
The 2024 Galaxy Watch Ultra was Samsung's first product with a 3nm processor. With the Watch7, it was among the first Galaxy watches with dual-frequency GPS.