Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic have been reportedly spotted on a list of Google Play-supported devices, adding weight to the rumors that the brand’s two new best smartwatch devices will debut during Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event later this month.
Currently expected to go ahead on July 26, Samsung’s summer Galaxy Unpacked event will unveil a slate of new devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5 foldable phones. We were also expecting the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 range, including the flagship Watch 6 and the Watch 6 Classic, but have heard no confirmation of the existence of a Watch 6 Pro.
This latest tidbit of information, if accurate, could be considered confirmation that no Pro model will be arriving this year.
First spotted by PriceBaba, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic have been found on a database of devices that are supported by Google. As Samsung Galaxy Watches tend to run its own version of Wear OS, wrapped within its One UI Watch interface, it requires support for the Google Play store, so its appearance on such a database makes sense.
The codenames for small and large versions of both models are ‘fresh6bs’ and ‘fresh6bl’ for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 and ‘wise6bs’ and ‘wise6bl’ for the Watch 6 Classic, the last letters presumably standing for ‘small’ and ‘large’ respectively.
Previous Classic editions such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic featured a physical rotating bezel in order to seem more like a classic timepiece with analog elements. We assume the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic will have a similar feature.
Analysis: No 6 Pro… yet
A Classic model was missing from last year’s lineup of Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 devices, with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro taking its place instead. A premium watch with a rugged raised bezel and advanced GPS features, it was Samsung’s most powerful watch to date.
This year, the roles seem to have been reversed again, with the Watch 6 missing a Pro model and the classic taking its place instead. We wonder if this is the start of a trend, with Samsung releasing two watches each cycle, alternating between a Pro and a Classic model in the second slot.
Last year, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro went toe to toe with the Apple Watch Ultra, but how does the basic Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 get on vs the Apple Watch Series 8?
