What you need to know
- Two new spec leaks point to the Galaxy Watch 3 having two display sizes: 1.2-in on the 41mm and 1.4-in on the 45mm, slightly larger than the previous Galaxy Watches while the new watches will be physically smaller.
- Fitness sensor array and placement seems to be the exact same as the Watch Active 2.
- Battery will also perfectly match the Watch Active 2, while both models will have 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.
We're still awaiting the imminent launch of the Galaxy Watch 3 after support pages for the new model went live a week ago, but today brought us two leaks of the upcoming watch's specs after the watch passed through the FCC. Both Sammobile and XDA's Max Winebach found the Galaxy Watch 3 will share many of its specs with last fall's Galaxy Watch Active 2.
The health sensors on the schematic are a 1:1 match to the Galaxy Watch Active2. If I were a betting man, I'd expect the same HRM with the 8 photodiodes. The back panel is almost exactly the same as the Watch Active2, actually. I wouldn't doubt that they are re-using internals. pic.twitter.com/yZne8meyn3The health sensors on the schematic are a 1:1 match to the Galaxy Watch Active2. If I were a betting man, I'd expect the same HRM with the 8 photodiodes. The back panel is almost exactly the same as the Watch Active2, actually. I wouldn't doubt that they are re-using internals. pic.twitter.com/yZne8meyn3— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) June 16, 2020June 16, 2020
The Galaxy Watch 3 appears to be rocking the same heart sensor array — 8 photodiodes with ECG and blood pressure monitoring — as well as the same battery capacity and clock speed (ie processing configuration) as the Watch Active 2. The upcoming model looks like it will have 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, as well as the Galaxy Watch's trademark rotating bezel. IP68 waterproofing, MIL-STD-810G durability, and the option for stainless steel or titanium for each size rounds out the more predictable specs. The dimensions for each model listed — 45 x 46.2 x 11.1 mm and 41 x 42.5 x 11.3 mm — are slightly smaller than the previous generation while still packing slightly larger screens, so that rotating bezel looks thinner this go around.
Another bit of good news for current Galaxy users looking to upgrade to the newest Watch models: the Galaxy Watches that passed through the FCC were using the same wireless charger as the original Watch Active and Watch Active 2, so at least that seems to still be the same. The bottom plate of the watch is also damn near identical to the Watch Active 2, so the Watch 3 might be more of a re-skin of the Watch Active 2 that has that sweet rotating bezel and double the storage for storing offline music.
Ara Wagoner was a staff writer at Android Central. She themes phones and pokes YouTube Music with a stick. When she's not writing about cases, Chromebooks, or customization, she's wandering around Walt Disney World. If you see her without headphones, RUN. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco.
