Samsung is about to shake up its smartwatch lineup next month, and it’s not just a spec bump this time. The Galaxy Watch 8 series—including the Watch 8, Watch 8 Classic, and Watch Ultra 2025—is embracing a fresh design language inspired by last year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra. Yes, the squircle design is now front and center across the entire range, signaling a bold, rugged aesthetic shift for Samsung wearables.
While the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and Ultra models will look strikingly similar, the Classic keeps its thicker, notched rotating bezel—a fan-favorite feature I’m glad Samsung didn’t kill off. The Quick Button, introduced with the Ultra last year, also makes its way to the Classic. Interestingly, the base Galaxy Watch 8 adopts the squircle frame too, though it’s subtler here, perhaps because the standard model isn’t built with rugged outdoor use in mind. It raises the question: is Samsung overextending a rugged design to a general-use watch just for the sake of consistency?
Design leaks have been everywhere—OnLeaks’ CAD renders last month, an APK teardown before that, and even a Watch 8 Classic popping up on eBay this week. So while the official reveal is set for Samsung’s Unpacked event in July, the surprise factor’s long gone. What’s new is Samsung’s shift to a hero color strategy: blue. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2025 will drop in a new blue bezel with a matching Marine strap, following the Galaxy S25 series’ lead earlier this year.
Personally, I’m curious how Samsung plans to justify this rugged design language for a non-rugged watch lineup. It feels like branding cohesion for its own sake, but if it means stronger builds and fresh colorways, I won’t complain. Now, we just wait for that Unpacked invite.
