Samsung makes some of the best Android smartwatches. With the 2022 Galaxy Watch 5 series, the company made incremental internal improvements and focused mainly on enhancing the design and offering longer battery life. It also expanded the lineup with the rugged Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, though a follow-up model to the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic with its iconic rotating bezel was nowhere to be seen. Rumors have indicated the Korean giant could bring back the rotating circular dial with the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic in 2023, which has now leaked in renders.
The leak comes from the ever-reliable @OnLeaks and MySmartPrice, so there's little reason to doubt its authenticity. In the renders, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic looks quite similar to the Watch 4 Classic with a brushed metal body. Thick bezels surround its circular display, with the Home and Back buttons located on the chassis' right side. You can also see a D-Buckle Sport Band on the smartwatch, similar to the one Samsung offers with the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.
It is difficult to ascertain from the images if the Watch 6 Classic will feature slightly thinner bezels than the previous model.
A physical rotating dial makes it easy to navigate around on your smartwatch. It is an intuitive way to scroll through lists quickly. You can also use the rotating bezel on the Samsung Galaxy Watch to cycle through your Wear OS tiles and notifications.
Rumors indicate the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic could feature a bigger 1.47-inch circular display with a slight bump in resolution. It might use the Exynos W980 chipset, which as per leaks, should be about 10% faster than the Galaxy Watch 5's W920 SoC. With the Classic model returning to Samsung's smartwatch lineup, the company might not launch a Watch 5 Pro successor this year.
The Galaxy Watch 6 series should launch alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 lineup at an Unpacked event in Q3 2023. Samsung typically holds an Unpacked event in August, though rumors suggest the company could move the timeframe up by a couple of weeks to July this year.