Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 release date: Everything we know about Samsung’s next smartwatch

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 is in dire need of an update. Since it launched, Samsung has found time to trot out not one but two Active versions, without so much as a peep on the subject of the original smartwatch. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 surprised us by launching in place of the expected Galaxy Watch 2, exactly one year after the original was first unveiled. 

While this is hardly a bitter disappointment – the Watch Active 2 is shaping up to be an impressive product in its own right – the question remains: what has happened to the follow-up to Samsung’s original full-blooded smartwatch?

The rumour mill is starting to churn, and although information is scarce we’re starting to see some evidence that Samsung isn’t done with the Galaxy Watch just yet. We’ve gathered every tiny bit of information on the topic and dumped it all right here, so don’t go anywhere; here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 2. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 2: Everything we know so far

Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 release date: When will it launch?

Um, your guess is as good as ours. We were all expecting a Galaxy Watch 2 to launch this August, and we were all soundly shocked to find a brand new Galaxy Watch Active on our proverbial doorstep instead. After all, it has only been six months since the first Watch Active arrived on shelves. 

If we had to take an educated guess, we’d start by considering Samsung’s normal release schedule. The next Galaxy Unpacked event will (probably) take place in February 2020, and will likely usher in a new era of Galaxy S-series smartphone. Between now and then, we expect Samsung to announce all manner of smaller devices, one of which could well be the Galaxy Watch 2; given the current one-smartwatch-per-six-months trend, however, we’d suggest marking February 2020 in your calendar. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 price: How much will it cost?

The short answer is: we’d hate to see the Galaxy Watch 2 rise beyond the £300 mark. This is, however, woefully optimistic. The Galaxy Watch starts at £279, edging up to £299 if you want to splash out on the 46mm watch face. The 4G version of the smartwatch is available on EE for £20/mth, although buying the device outright on Amazon will cost you a cool £340. 

What we meant to say, then, is this: while we’d hate to see the Galaxy Watch 2 rise beyond the £300 mark, it’s looking incredibly likely. Expect to pay no less than £320 for the rumoured wearable.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 specs and features: What will it do?

You mean, apart from telling the time? Samsung’s current generation of Galaxy watches connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth, allowing you to answer calls, communicate with Bixby and even take control of some functions remotely (e.g. taking a photo). You can also play music, using either the built-in speakers or a pair of wireless earbuds, pay for services via NFC and track your fitness levels. 

Suffice it to say that the Galaxy Watch 2 will do all of the above. Truth be told, that’s the only thing we can say with any real certainty; leaks are thin on the ground, with only the tiniest morsels of gossip sprinkled about to keep us sated until closer to the Galaxy Watch 2’s official launch.

Here’s what we know so far.

A mega-secret codename

One of our absolute favourite leak sites, SamMobile, published an article in June that revealed the in-development codename for what we all assumed would be the Galaxy Watch 2. The name is “Renaissance”, which lines up rather neatly with the codename given to the recently unveiled Galaxy Note 10 – “Da Vinci”. 

This complicates things. There’s every chance that “Renaissance” was actually the name given to the Galaxy Watch Active 2 – after all, it launched alongside “Da Vinci” in August. In which case, the Galaxy Watch 2 (originally thought to be launching in August) remains a closely guarded secret. Great. 

All manner of shapes and sizes

According to CashKaro – not the most reliable of sources, we’ll admit – the Galaxy Watch 2 will come in two sizes: 40mm and 44mm. The same article suggests that the new wearables will launch in “Q3 2019” which, as we all know, ends in September.

Once more, we have a problem: the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2. It launched in Q3 2019, in – you guessed it – both 40mm and 44mm dial sizes. It looks like Samsung pulled the mother of all bamboozles to keep its next-generation wearables from the prying eyes of leaksters.

Digital bezel

Alright fine, this isn’t a leak, but under the circumstances we’re allowed a bit of leeway. The Galaxy Watch Active 2 ditches the physical rotating bezel in favour of a digital one that we all think is rather neat. It’s a space-saving, weight-saving measure that represents a total stylistic overhaul, and we hope to see the same thing applied to the new Galaxy Watch.