Next-gen Samsung Galaxy Watch draws near as FCC visit reveals a bunch of key specs
First-gen Samsung Galaxy Watch
However the company plans to label its next big alternative for the industry-leading Apple Watch lineup, this is pretty much guaranteed to see daylight sometime in the coming months. If recent history is any indication, the official announcement could beat the joint Galaxy Note 20/Fold 2 launch event to the punch by a few days. At the same time, you shouldn't rule out the possibility of seeing Samsung's newest Android and iOS-compatible smartwatch unveiled even sooner.
Why else would the tech giant be so quick to certify the as-yet-unnamed wearable device both in China and the US? That's right, the SM-R845 and SM-R855 have already been cleared by the Federal Communications Commission, and if their family relation to the SM-R820 and SM-R830 variants of the Galaxy Watch Active 2 was not obvious enough, the regulatory documents include a sketch specifically identifying one of the two models as a "Samsung Galaxy Watch."
Before jumping to conclusions, you should keep in mind that's probably not the SM-R845's full name, so we're still left guessing whether Samsung will go with a Galaxy Watch 2 or Watch Active 3 moniker. On the decidedly bright side of things, the sketch does reveal an unusual wealth of information about this large next-gen smartwatch model, including its 45mm case size, stainless steel build, Gorilla Glass DX protection, 5 ATM water resistance rating, MIL-STD-810G durability, GPS functionality, and built-in LTE support.
Naturally, we expect the device to come in Wi-Fi-only variants in addition to LTE-enabled flavors, as well as a smaller size carrying the aforementioned SM-R855 model number, and last but not least, some different materials too. In fact, SamMobile recently revealed Samsung has super-premium titanium variants in the pipeline alongside traditional stainless steel and aluminum models.
Unfortunately, the FCC has absolutely no insight into any other specs and features to make public right now, although we do know a significant storage upgrade is brewing, as is a solid battery size improvement. This definitely sounds more like a Galaxy Watch 2 than a Galaxy Watch Active 3 to us, but obviously, we'll have to wait for an official announcement to find out which of Samsung's top-notch Apple Watch rivals will be followed up soon.
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