Samsung brings back the Classic version for the Watch8 series

At the Unpacked event held in July 2025, Samsung unveiled its latest smartwatch offerings: the Galaxy Watch8 and the Galaxy Watch8 Classic, featuring a nostalgic rotating bezel design that returns after a year’s absence. Both models have received a substantial design refresh, drawing inspiration from the Galaxy Watch Ultra released last year, with a more angular casing surrounding the traditional round bezel. A standout feature of the Galaxy Watch8 is its enhanced display, which now boasts a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, a significant upgrade from the 2,000 nits offered by the prior generation Watch7. This improvement makes the smartwatch more functional in bright environments, ensuring visibility under various lighting conditions. Powered by the Exynos W1000 chip and equipped with a BioActive Sensor, the Galaxy Watch8 continues to focus on health monitoring. It tracks heart rates, EKGs, and body composition. New features introduced include Bedtime Guidance, which provides personalized sleep recommendations based on historical sleep data; Vascular Load, which assesses stress on the vascular system during sleep and suggests lifestyle adjustments; a Running Coach that helps optimize running pace; and an Antioxidant index that gauges carotenoid levels from fruits and vegetables. While these features offer valuable insights, they rely on a multitude of user health factors, and their practical application may vary. Both smartwatches operate on One UI 8 Watch, based on Wear OS 6. This software update includes Google’s Gemini, enabling voice-activated inquiries without typing, and integrates with Samsung Health, Calendar, Reminder, and Clock apps. Although no modifications are being made to the Galaxy Watch Ultra, Samsung is launching a new Titanium Blue variant priced at $650. The Galaxy Watch8 starts at $350 for the Bluetooth model, which is $50 more than its predecessor, and $400 for the LTE version. Available in 40mm and 44mm sizes, the watch comes in graphite and silver. The Galaxy Watch8 Classic is available for $500 (Bluetooth) and $550 (LTE) in a 46mm size. Pre-orders for all models have commenced, with general availability set for July 25 in the U.S.