Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: What we want to see

The Galaxy Watch 3 is arguably the best smartwatch for Android users and one of the few wearables that can really go from head to toe with the Apple Watch. But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect – there is still room for hardware improvement, and the software could also get a major overhaul. The company has been playing it safe for a while, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is a good opportunity to take a leap forward.

But what could the Galaxy Watch 4 bring to the table? We have a few ideas for what we’d like to see, including some significant advancements as well as fixes for things that are quite frankly pretty broken.

More computing power and memory

Samsung hasn’t made significant improvements to the internals of its smartwatches since the original Galaxy Watch from 2018. The Galaxy Watch 3 still revolves around a dual-core Exynos 9110 chip, and the 4GB of on-board storage isn’t exactly roomy. It’s clear that the Galaxy Watch 4 could use some new build-in to improve responsiveness or to add scope for new features.

Unfortunately, it’s not clear what Samsung could do next. There is no follow-up to the Exynos 9110 as we write this. Perhaps the simplest option is an Exynos 9110, which is based on a newer manufacturing process (e.g. 7 nm instead of 10 nm). However, this may not result in a larger jump in speed. There is a real chance a CPU upgrade for the Galaxy Watch 4 will be done iteratively, unless Samsung really introduces a new design.

However, there are still ways the company can improve performance. More RAM could help the Galaxy Watch 4 do more tasks at the same time, not to mention enable tasks that might require more memory. And a memory upgrade is both easy and overdue – Apple has had smartwatches with 32GB of storage for a while, so there’s no excuse for Samsung to stick with 8GB.

Also read: The best smartwatches you can buy

More (and better) sensors

The best smartwatches are valuable health and fitness devices. Samsung already knows this and has features like EKG readings and blood oxygen monitoring, but there is clearly room for growth for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. This could improve the sensors already in place.

The most likely addition is a blood glucose meter. Rumors of such monitors have already got around in the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Apple Watch Series 7. Plus, it just makes sense. About 10.5% of the US population has diabetes, according to the CDC. If these diabetics can track their blood sugar levels without drawing blood or wearing more than the Galaxy Watch 4, it could improve their quality of life significantly.

Most of all, we would like Samsung to repair existing sensors. The Galaxy Watch 3’s GPS and heart rate sensors are intermittently inaccurate. While the errors are usually not extreme, they are enough to skew your fitness and health data. A more accurate measurement could help the Galaxy Watch 4 compete with both traditional smartwatches and (in some cases) specialized fitness watches.

Before anyone asks, no, we don’t expect Samsung to bring MST back. The company is clearly shying away from its magnetic card stripe emulator after dropping it with the Galaxy S21, and hearts are unlikely to change when the Galaxy Watch 4 becomes available.

A better software ecosystem

The Samsung version of Tizen is considered one of the best portable software platforms outside of the Apple Watch for good reason. The circular surface is generally easy to understand, responsive, and even pleasant to use if you have a rotating bezel. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if the Galaxy Watch 4 included just a small refinement of the experience you see today.

However, Tizen hasn’t evolved much and the cracks are starting to show. Above all, the app selection is still modest. You’ll find useful apps like Spotify and Strava, but you can’t rely on finding niche apps like Apple’s – and Google’s Wear OS at least has Android basics to make app conversions easy. No matter how much the Galaxy Watch 4’s hardware improves, it can be tricky when users can’t find the utilities they want. Samsung could do more to bring developers to justice, or at least pay to make certain apps available.

Continue reading: Why Samsung Should (and Why Not) Drop Tizen for Wear OS

However, will Samsung just switch to Wear OS? Not necessarily. While the company is rumored to be releasing a Wear OS watch, it might not be the Galaxy Watch 4. While Samsung is looking to shake things up with fresh software, the Google platform may need to be heavily tweaked if it does Keep the rotating bezel and other functions that you know from the Galaxy Watch range. Ultimately, we’re keen for Samsung to refine their experience and expand their app choices – it doesn’t matter how the company gets there.

Mind you, this includes better support for non-Samsung phones. While you can certainly use existing Samsung smartwatches with non-Galaxy phones and even iPhones, pairing with these handsets is a hassle. No, we wouldn’t expect the Galaxy Watch 4 to work as well with an iPhone as it would with the Apple Watch (Apple’s own guidelines prevent this), but it would be great to use the wristwear with a Pixel or Mi phone without it Feeling like we took a step back

More design options

When you ask an Apple Watch owner about their preferred design feature, they might point out the sheer range of cases and bracelets to choose from. You can get a wide variety of case colors and materials along with many, many official straps. If you are adventurous enough, the real chance is that you will never run into another person with a similar appearance. There is no such variety at Samsung. There are only three effective Galaxy Watch colors, two material options, and a handful of official bands.

The Galaxy Watch 4 deserves more choice. Samsung doesn’t have to compete with Apple, but it would be nice if there was enough choice to get a watch as extroverted or reserved as you are. Why not offer a wide range of colors for materials and case sizes as well as first-party bands in more than a few styles? Your watch is an ideal match for your wardrobe, not just your phone.

There was nod in that direction with a Samsung Design Studio feature for creating your watch for the latest timepieces. However, we would like this to come to life for the Galaxy Watch 4 and the ability to create a highly customized watch. The ingredients are there – Samsung just has to prevail.

They tell us: what would you like from the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4?

Poll is loading

Of course, we may not be able to cover all of the features you could want here. What would you like to see in the Galaxy Watch 4? Please let us know in the comments!