The basic Samsung Galaxy Watch has been the go-to Android smartwatch for several years. The sporty, understated, attractive design, choice of case sizes, and long list of features make it an easy recommendation. Anyone can wear a Galaxy Watch because its safe look doesn’t stand out or turn people off.
Still, there’s trouble ahead for the Galaxy Watch. Numerous leaks have shown that the Galaxy Watch 8 is set to be the ugly duckling in the new series. Samsung appears to have abandoned key design elements for its cheapest smartwatch in favor of adopting a controversial look across all three new models.
It’s the squircle of life
Samsung’s going all-in on the new look
Samsung adopted a squircle design (meaning a circular screen in a mostly square case) for the Galaxy Watch Ultra in 2024, and it remains one of the boldest, most eye-catching smartwatches you can buy.
It was an inspired choice on Samsung’s part to make its tough smartwatch look so funky, and it was even more funky than its last attempt at such a product, the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
However, the Ultra’s squircle doesn’t appear to be unique in the Watch 8 range, as the Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch 8 Classic have similar cases in all the leaked photos.
Samsung’s smartwatches have been messy for years, with different models coming and going, with various designs and names. It’s a pain to understand what each Galaxy Watch model does that’s special, where it fits within the range, and when a sequel may come along. It needed to do something about it.
Samsung’s design team likely saw the Watch Ultra’s success and thought, let’s just do the same thing across the board next time.
It’s leaving a good thing alone with the Watch 8 Ultra, which may look almost exactly like the last Ultra smartwatch. This is a good thing, as Samsung nailed the hardcore look well. When you see one, it’s instantly recognizable.
However, Samsung’s design team likely saw the Watch Ultra’s success and thought, let’s just do the same thing across the board next time, and we’ll have multiple winners on our hands.
Diminishing design returns
A circle does not fit where a square should go
If only success were that easy. The three new Galaxy Watch 8 models diminish in attractiveness the further down the chain you go. This makes me sad because Samsung is bringing back the Classic style for the Watch 8 series.
A Watch Classic means the reintroduction of a rotating bezel, one of Samsung’s best smartwatch innovations, which was last seen on the Watch 6 Classic. This time the rotating bezel sits on top of a squircular case, complete with two big buttons and a crown hidden inside a guard structure for protection.
It’s not as tough-looking as the Galaxy Watch 8 Ultra, but it’s not far off, and frustratingly is nowhere near as classy as the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. Instead, it’s daring, experimental, and confused.
The glitzy circular bezel, its most eye-catching design element, is at odds with the flat, straight case sides, while the curved corners, top, and bottom of the case throw off the visual balance.
There’s just too much going on, and in trying to bring cohesiveness to the family, Samsung looks to have eliminated the Classic’s chic individual identity.
I’m not sure the Watch 8 Classic’s look works, but it will be a conversation starter. Still, conversations around the basic Galaxy Watch 8 will probably start with “no thanks.”
Samsung did the unthinkable and used the same squircle case as the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic for the Watch 8, but without the bezel, crown, or any of the fancy finishing on the case.
It’s a mistake because there’s no hiding from the circular screen and square-ish case here. It’s the overriding, in-your-face, like-it-or-loathe-it design element, and Samsung killed what made the old, basic Watch models so good: the unfussy simplicity that appealed to all.
The Galaxy Watch 7 did everything right
Samsung may have taken its squircle obsession too far
The Galaxy Watch 8 needs to be Samsung’s bread-and-butter smartwatch. It’ll inevitably be the cheapest, provide the most-used health tracking features, and won’t include anything too niche so that Samsung can attract the most people.
The Galaxy Watch 7 did this brilliantly. The simple yet sporty design really worked, particularly due to the strap, which gave the impression of being integrated into the case without needing to be. The way it lifted away from your wrist made it look cool, and it was very comfortable to wear.
It looks like Samsung will integrate the strap into the case for the Watch 8. What choice did it have when it fully embraced the squircle? It’s an overly complicated, less attractive option, and robs the Watch 8 of a design feature that makes it stand out from other smartwatches.
The Watch 8’s case looks like a cut-price version of the Watch 8 Classic and Watch 8 Ultra. It may single out owners as taking the cheap option. The Watch 7 may have lacked a unique identity, but it never looked like the poor sibling.
What’s the one thing detractors who don’t like the Apple Watch say about it? It’s not round. Many people want a round watch. It’s the default and most accepted shape. The Galaxy Watch 7 was round and immediately acceptable to everyone, which is what the most affordable model in the range should be.
The Galaxy Watch 8 is neither round nor square, and there’s a danger it will divide opinion because of it, which is not what any brand wants to do with its potentially biggest seller.
Dare to be different
But never take risks with what should be the safe choice
From the Galaxy Gear to the Galaxy Watch Active, and the Galaxy Watch Classic to the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, Samsung never settled on a consistent look or nomenclature for its smartwatch range.
However, from the Galaxy Watch 4 to the Galaxy Watch 7, it discovered a style that worked, was recognizable, and appealed to most people looking for an Android smartwatch.
The Galaxy Watch 8 is set to break tradition, showing that Samsung, even after all these years, doesn’t understand what works for its smartwatches.
Consistency works. It may not have been exciting, but the Galaxy Watch 8 should have been a simple evolution of the Galaxy Watch 7. All it needed to do was make it slimmer, lighter, and offer more colors and straps, all while updating the technology.
There was no need to mess with the established design. The squircle is too challenging for the basic model, and not everyone will like it. It’s the right strategy for a niche model like the Ultra, but terrible for the model it expects to sell to most people who want a smartwatch, not a statement on their wrist.
