They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and there are likely very few tech products on the market right now that emphasize the validity of that old aphorism than the fast-approaching Galaxy Watch 8, Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025).
Do you prefer the graphite Galaxy Watch 8 or white Galaxy Watch 8 Classic?
That’s obviously not a fair question or a fair comparison, because it’s very clear that the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic will offer more functionality than the “regular” Galaxy Watch 8… at a higher price.
The upcoming Galaxy Watch 8 looks radically different from last year’s Galaxy Watch. | Image Credit — Evan Blass
The rotating bezel-rocking Watch 8 Classic is also unquestionably thicker and presumably significantly heavier than its non-Classic sibling, although it remains to be seen if that will result in a noticeable battery life advantage. At first glance, it looks to me like the square/circle combination on the Galaxy Watch 8 is a bit weirder than what the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic has going for it, which might be due to the smaller size of the cheaper timepiece or the slightly smoother and more natural curves on the costlier model.
Of course, you don’t have to (and I’m fairly certain many of you will not) agree with my first impression, which may be distorted by how much I traditionally love round, thin, and lightweight smartwatches.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is pretty classically handsome in a white colorway. | Image Credit — Evan Blass
Keep in mind that the Galaxy Watch 8 is expected to come in a silver colorway in addition to the graphite paint job leaked in all its glory today, while the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is likely to rock, well, classic black and white flavors. Perhaps more interestingly, Samsung’s 2025 sequel to last year’s Galaxy Watch 7 should start selling relatively soon in both 40 and 44mm case sizes, with the belated follow-up effort to 2023’s Galaxy Watch 6 Classic only expected to come in a single 46mm variant (with or without standalone cellular connectivity, of course).
That Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) design is starting to grow on me
I’ll be honest, I had hoped to see Samsung‘s 2025 wearable lineup resemble the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic more closely than have to look at an all-squircle smartwatch portfolio.
The squircle still makes the most sense for the rugged Galaxy Watch Ultra line. | Image Credit — Evan Blass
But at least in this color option, I kind of dig the second-gen Galaxy Watch Ultra. The undoubtedly upgraded rugged timepiece looks pretty distinctive in what’s likely to be marketed as a “Titanium Blue” version… which strikes me as closer to a silver hue as far as the actual case is concerned. The band is very much blue and very much appealing, although I’m still sad to hear that the Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025) might ditch its predecessor’s Titanium White model in favor of this colorway while keeping the Titanium Silver and Titanium Gray paint jobs around.
For the time being, there’s not an awful lot that I can tell you about the internal upgrades of the Galaxy Watch 8, Watch 8 Classic, and Watch Ultra (2025) over their forerunners, but with an official announcement likely to take place in just a couple of weeks or so, you should probably expect full spec sheets and lists of capabilities to drop any minute now.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.
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