Samsung’s take on Wear OS 5 could land with the Galaxy Watch 7 – here’s what to expect
Updates incoming
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We heard quite a bit more about the upcomingWear OS 5update atGoogle I/O 2024earlier this month, and now there are signs thatSamsungis preparing the software refresh to be ready in time for the launch of theGalaxy Watch 7in July.
As per@theordysmon X (formerly Twitter), via9to5Mac, signs of a beta version of One UI Watch 6 have popped up on the official Samsung forums. That suggests One UI Watch 6 – running Wear OS 5 underneath – isn’t far off.
Samsung Galaxy smartwatches, like theSamsung Galaxy Watch 6, have tended to be first in line for Wear OS updates. That might change asGoogle’s own range of Pixel smartwatches becomes more established, but it hasn’t so far.
What we don’t get from this leak is any indication of when the One UI Watch 6 beta might launch, but it shouldn’t be long now. That would mean a month or two of testing beforethe rumored July 10 launchof the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7.
What to expect
We’ve previously heard talk that Samsung is atthe forefront of Wear OS 5 development, and we’ve long expected the software update to roll out at some point during 2024 after the Wear OS 4 upgradestarted rolling out in 2023.
At Google I/O 2024 wegot a few indicationsof what to expect with this next update. First up is better battery life, which is always welcome on smartwatches – apparently up to 20% less battery is used when running a marathon with the help of GPS.
Then there are new metrics for runners to make use of, including Ground Contact Time, Stride Length, Vertical Oscillation, and Vertical Ratio (those are similar to the metrics you can access on thebest Apple Watches).
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Refinements to watch face customizations are also on the way, as well as improved data sharing with Google Health Connect – so other apps on your phone will be able to dig deeper into the stats being collected by your smartwatch.
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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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