Samsung's next smartwatch just got certified, confirming many features

The Samsung Galaxy Watch (above) could soon have a successor (Image credit: Future)

There have been plenty of rumors that Samsung is working on either a Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 or a Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 3, but now we’ve had essentially official confirmation of that.

The confirmation comes from the device being certified by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) in the US, as the listings include not just model numbers (namely SM-R845 and SM-R855) but also a sketch with the words ‘Samsung Galaxy Watch’ on it.

So there’s little doubt that this is either the Galaxy Watch Active 3 or the Galaxy Watch 2 – but while we’d lean towards the latter, for reasons that we’ll get to below, the lack of the word ‘Active’ on the sketch isn’t evidence of that, since the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 simply says ‘Samsung Galaxy Watch’ on its rear, just like this.

(Image credit: FCC / Samsung)

The sketch shows the back of the upcoming wearable, and along with those words it also lists various specs and features, including GPS, LTE, a 45mm stainless steel case, a 5 ATM water resistance rating, military-grade durability, and Gorilla Glass DX protection. So it’s tough and swim-safe.

The sketch is specifically for the SM-R845 model, but it’s likely that the SM-R855 is simply a different size, or a Wi-Fi-only version. In any case, this listing confirms that a new Galaxy Watch of some kind is on the way, and suggests that it’s probably landing soon.

As noted above, we suspect this is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 2 – that’s more overdue than the Watch Active 3, and some other leaks point in that direction. For example, we recently heard that there might be a premium titanium variant of the watch, which seems too high-end for an Active model. But it could go either way really, or maybe both are in the works.

We should find out soon, as we’d expect one or both of these wearables will land alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 in August, if not before.

Via Phone Arena

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.