Samsung has forged a path for itself as makers of one of some of the most capable and desirable smartwatches on the market, and signs of the next entry in the Galaxy Watch series keep on cropping up.
New rumours concerning the Galaxy Watch 5’s design and functionality have started to emerge, with the possibility of an expandable display being one key feature. Here’s all we know so far.
When will the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 be released?
Samsung usually releases the new version of the Watch in August, as you can see below:
- Samsung Galaxy Watch – August 2018
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 – N/A
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 – August 2020
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 – August 2021
The only deviation from the pattern was when Samsung introduced the Galaxy Watch Active and followed it up with the Watch Active 2, which arrived in March and September of 2019, respectively. This now seems to be a retired model, with the company settling back into releasing standard Galaxy Watch entries.
Looking at this history, you’d have to say there’s a very good chance that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 will arrive in August 2022.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 cost?
We haven’t had any official word from Samsung about the Galaxy Watch 5, so for pricing, we’ll need to look at the previous models. The Watch comes in two casing sizes, with the option for different connectivity SKUs as well: Bluetooth or 4G varieties.
With the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, the company also introduced the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, which uses the stylings of a more traditional analogue watch. Again, this comes in two sizes.
Here’s the pricing for the Watch 4 family, which launched in 2021:
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 40mm (Bluetooth only) – £249/€269/$249
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 44mm (Bluetooth only) – £269/€299/$279
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 40mm (4G) – £289/€319/$299
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 44mm (4G) – £309/€349/$329
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic 42mm (Bluetooth only) – £349/€369/US$349.99
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic 46mm (Bluetooth only) – £369/€399/US$379.99
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic 42mm (4G) – £389/€419/US$399.99
- Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic 46mm (4G)– £409/€449/US$429.99
The prices for the Classic are closer to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, probably due to the construction, as both had rotating bezels, amongst other features.
But, with the standard Watch 4 offering practically the same software experience, it could be that Samsung keeps these two tiers in place so that it can pretty much match the price points of the Apple Watch SE and the Apple Watch Series 7.
What new features will we see in the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5?
As stated, Samsung hasn’t made any official statements about the Watch 5, so we’re reliant on leaks and rumours at the moment. Hopefully, this will change soon, but for the time being, we can rest on the wisdom of industry analysts and our own experience.
One of the most intriguing rumours we’ve seen so far is that Samsung is planning to release a smartwatch with a display that can be unrolled to make it bigger.
LetsGoDigital has reported on patent applications made by Samsung that show a device whose screen can be unfurled from two standard semi-circles to a pill-shape, gaining an extra 40% of space in the process. One downside is that there is a central area that isn’t a display but instead acts as a touch sensitive interface and home for a camera.
Here’s an image from the patent (via LetsGoDigital):
This patent was filed, along with comprehensive documentation, at the start of December 2021, so it does seem unlikely that it will be the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. But it could be a feature on its successor.
That’s not the only radical screen design from Samsung though, as LetsGoDigital unearthed another patent, this time featuring a rollable display and a chassis that can be rotated on the strap.
The practical upshot of this is that you can make the screen taller or wider to suit the app you’re using.
Again, as the patent was released around the same time as the other one, it could be too soon to feature on a watch in 2022, but there’s no doubt that Samsung has the bit between its teeth when it comes to innovating in the wearables space.
According to Korean news source ETNews, thermometer functionality will also be part of the equation on the Watch 5 line; used for detecting onset fevers, as well as helping with female cycle tracking.
Other than these slightly wacky ideas, there’s a surprising lack of rumours or news regarding the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. We’d expect the continued evolving of the Samsung One UI Watch interface along with Google’s WearOS software as the companies work towards devices that can rival or even topple the Apple Watch. But from a hardware perspective, it’s probably only going to be iterative upgrades unless Samsung has something special up its sleeves.
We’ll keep updating this article as more details become available, so do check back regularly. In the meantime, take a look at our guides to the best smartwatches and best fitness trackers.
