The Galaxy Watch 6 series brings a new Exynos chip, longer battery life, and Wear OS 4. One model even gets back a fan-favorite feature
At today’s Samsung Unpacked event, we got the expected announcement of the Galaxy Watch 6, the next iteration of the company’s higher-end but standard, bezel-less smartwatch. However, the more interesting reveal was for the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, which brings back Samsung’s signature rotating physical bezel after the company removed it last year. Beyond that, both watches are getting modest upgrades with a new chip and longer battery life. They’re also among the first smartwatches to run Wear OS 4.
As we mentioned, the biggest change is the return of the physical rotating bezel on the Watch 6 Classic. It operates like before, so you rotate it to cycle through UI elements and scroll up and down pages. Twisting it is as satisfying as ever, with audible and tactile clicks with every incremental turn. The bezel itself, however, is 15% thinner than its last appearance in the Watch 4 Classic, although it still rises over the screen enough to provide a protective lip. Samsung probably thinks you won’t need that extra protection, though, because the displays on both Galaxy Watch 6 models use Sapphire Crystal glass and are rated MIL-STD-810H for being able to withstand low pressure, exposure to high and low temperatures, and shock.
Besides the aforementioned physical rotating bezel, there are a few other things that separate the Classic and the regular Galaxy Watch 6. First, they each come in two sizes. The standard model, which is just an iterative update from last year’s Galaxy Watch 5, comes in 40mm and 44mm variations, while the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic features 43mm and 47mm sizes. There is no update to the Pro model, which made its debut last year — in fact, Samsung says the Watch 5 Pro will continue to sell alongside these two watches.
