Samsung’s Wear OS 3.0 launch device, the Galaxy Watch 4, is almost a year old now, so it’s time for a new version. Evan Blass at 91Mobiles has scored a huge amount of imagery of Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch, including official 3D rotation animations that show the two models from every angle.

Samsung is also going with a bit of a model number change. The Galaxy Watch 5 “Pro” will replace the Watch 4 “Classic” as the high-end model, while the Watch 5 replaces the Watch 4.

The big news this year is that Samsung is doing away with the unique rotating bezel that was a staple of the high-end model. The lower-end version’s capacitive touch bezel is now the standard across all models, allowing you to run your finger around the watch face perimeter to scroll.

Going by the pictures, there doesn’t appear to be a huge difference between the two watches. The “Pro” version has a raised bezel, which lets the whole screen be recessed into the device, adding a bit of protection to the watch face. The lower-end model appears to have a flat front. Both models have what looks like a rubber watch band. The lower-end model has a buckle strap, while the Pro model has a folding clasp. Various colors and sizes will probably do some work to differentiate the two models.

So far, there is no word of a new chip inside the Galaxy Watch 5. Samsung has a history of not building a new smartwatch SoC every year (the previous Exynos 9110 was around for three years), so the assumption is that the company will recycle the Exynos W920 from the Galaxy Watch 4 for the Watch 5 line. According to the text on the back, both models use sapphire crystal and have optional LTE and GPS.

These watches should release in August when Samsung usually holds a major launch event.

Listing image by 91mobiles / Evan Blass

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1864793