Squircle Confirmed: Here Are Renders of the Galaxy Watch 8 Lineup

Last year, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which was a completely new model, built to compete directly with Apple's Watch Ultra. Not only did it come with a more intense spec sheet, but it also changed up the design by moving away from a circular build to a “squircle” build. The screen remained round, though.

That move to a new design might have been done to test the waters, as it seems that Samsung is ready to make the entire Galaxy Watch 8 lineup with squircles. We heard that rumor before, based on graphics in the One UI 8 beta, and now, we have actual renders of the Watch 8 family, confirming the design change.

From Top to Bottom, the Galaxy Watch 8 Series Adopts a Squircle Design

Design changes are risky moves for tech companies. While no one likes a stale aesthetic, there have been too many occasions when a company chooses to switch things up and ends up ruining it in the eyes of the consumer. Samsung Galaxy Watch models have been circular for the longest time, and generally speaking, there's a limit to what can be changed with watches. This year, though, Samsung is ready to bring something (sort of) new.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra was a new smartwatch model introduced by Samsung last year, and one of the most obvious differences was that its body used a squircle design instead of one that was mostly circular. It was polarizing, but generally, it seemed to be well accepted.

This year, thanks to renders released by Android Headlines, we know that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 family will all bring the new look. Personally, I like it a lot. I do think it may be the most polarizing with the base Watch 8, but the other models carry the new design quite well. For full context, there will be three watch models released this year—more than usual—and they'll be:

• Galaxy Watch 8
• Galaxy Watch 8 Classic
• Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025)

The regular Watch 8 will be fairly basic, featuring two buttons on the side and a predominantly plain design. The Watch 8 Classic is the most exciting of the bunch to me. It has two buttons, the Quick Button that the Watch Ultra introduced last year, and it marks the return of the rotating bezel. The new Watch Ultra is still a squircle, though it is more squared off than the others. You get two buttons on the side and a Quick Button.

The Galaxy Watch 8 Family Is Expected to Launch Next Month, Around the Same Time as Last Year

If you've been excited to see Samsung's new smartwatch family, you likely won't have to wait very long. The watches are expected to launch alongside Samsung's foldables, which generally launch in the summer months. This year, it seems we can expect those devices to arrive sometime in July, though an exact date isn't known.

Last year, we saw a July launch, but the years before that, the smartwatches came in August. Based on rumors, leaks, and Samsung's own teasing, it seems the Summer Unpacked event is close, so I think there won't be any waiting until August.