Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Returns with Familiar Chip, Divides Fans Over Battery and OS Choices

The upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series is set to make its debut in early July, alongside the highly anticipated Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7.

While excitement is building, one detail has stirred a mixed reaction among tech enthusiasts: Samsung is sticking with the Exynos W1000 chipset for the Watch 8 — the same chip used in the Watch 7.

That might seem like a letdown at first, but let’s take a closer look. The Exynos W1000 is still one of the fastest smartwatch processors in the market. It sports a penta-core configuration (4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.5 GHz + 1x Cortex-A78 @ 1.6 GHz), Mali-G68 MP2 GPU, and fast LPDDR5 RAM, all built on a 3nm GAA process. For daily smartwatch tasks, that’s more than enough horsepower.

It’s also worth noting that chips manufactured a year later — even if they carry the same name — can perform slightly better thanks to improved manufacturing yields and optimizations. That could mean smoother performance and better power efficiency for the Watch 8, even with a familiar CPU.

Design-wise, both the vanilla Galaxy Watch 8 and the returning Watch 8 Classic will likely share the same “squircle” case, reminiscent of the Galaxy Watch Ultra. The Classic variant is rumored to come in 46/47mm sizing with a 1.5” display and a 450 mAh battery. It will likely run One UI 8 Watch based on Wear OS 6.

What the Fans Are Saying

While performance might be consistent, battery life remains the elephant in the room. Many users feel two-day endurance is no longer acceptable in 2025, especially with real-time monitoring enabled. Samsung is catching flak for not pushing the boundaries in battery tech like some of its competitors have.

Another hot-button issue is the absence of Tizen OS, Samsung’s now-defunct in-house system praised for its efficiency and responsiveness. Wear OS has improved — arguably thanks to Samsung’s influence after its partnership with Google — but many users still miss the lightweight feel and longer battery life of Tizen-based watches.

For now, the Watch 8 seems to prioritize evolutionary refinement over revolutionary leaps. Whether that’s enough to satisfy loyal users or push newcomers to make the leap remains to be seen.

Final Thoughts

The Galaxy Watch 8 may not be a game-changer, but it’s a solid iteration — especially if Samsung has quietly optimized its internals. However, with rising competition from brands offering week-long battery life and polished features, Samsung’s watch division might need more than a familiar chip to truly impress.