Samsung is prepping to launch a new generation of smart wearables, including the Galaxy Watch 7 series and Galaxy Ring, adding to the 2024 lineup alongside the Galaxy Fit 3, which debuted earlier this year.
One of the most hotly anticipated wearables is the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra, expected to be the company’s answer to Apple’s Watch Ultra 2. Now, a new leak has revealed the design of the upcoming Watch 7 Ultra in its entirety, revealing a massive new redesign.
This comes from high-resolution 5K renders of the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra released by OnLeaks (via Smartprix). The new design changes are summarised as follows:
New Squircle Design: The Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra moves away from the circular dials we have seen on Galaxy Watches forever in favor of a radical new Squircle dial (neither square nor circle), but the actual display is disappointingly still a circular panel. This makes the new design look very inconsistent, but opinions can differ.
Larger dimensions: While the display size remains the same 1.55-inch diameter as the Watch 6 Classic, the Watch 7 Ultra has slightly larger dimensions at 47 x 47.4 x 16.4 mm compared to the Watch 6 Classic’s 46.5 x 46.5 x 10.9 mm.
Bezel design change:Â There are no numerical indicators on the Watch 7 Ultra’s bezels, unlike the Watch 6 Classic. It has been replaced with subtle lines and minimalist indicators (like on a traditional quartz watch).
New button:Â There is now a new circular button in the middle of the right side of the Watch 7 Ultra, accompanying the other two buttons, which have been carried over from older watches.
New Health Sensor layout:Â The health sensors are now arranged in a circular fashion instead of the predecessor’s ring arrangement. Furthermore, the temperature sensor has been shifted upwards.
Watch Straps: There are new styles of watch straps that are better fixed to the watches with a new mechanism to add or remove the straps.
Speaker and microphone changes:Â The speaker grilles are drastically larger and placed on the left side of the frame, and there are multiple microphone holes on the chassis for better calls.
This redesign is a very clear attempt by Samsung to try to closely resemble the Apple Watch Ultra without copying Apple’s entire homework. The new larger squircle body might house better components and a bigger battery.
However, we wish that the display was also a squircle instead of staying circular; the edges look very inconsistent now. It could be that the company stayed with a circular display since a squircle display could pose challenges with software optimisation.
Expect the Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra to debut alongside the Watch 7, Galaxy Ring, and the new foldables at Samsung’s upcoming Unpacked event, rumored to be held in Paris, France, on the 10th of July 2024.
