Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 Leak Shows Familiar Design and a Chip Reset

Samsung’s next smartwatch leaked this week, and at first glance, the Galaxy Watch 9 looks like a rerun. The new renders, said to be official press images, show the same circular display perched on the same squircle case Samsung introduced with last year’s Galaxy Watch 8. The case colors and band choices are new, and almost everything else has stayed put.

Underneath the case, Samsung is making a quiet swap. The company has confirmed it is moving the Galaxy Watch 9 from its in-house Exynos chip to Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear Elite, the first wearable silicon Qualcomm announced at Mobile World Congress in March. The shift puts on-device AI on the wrist and lands the Watch 9 at a price widely expected to climb at least $50 over its predecessor. Galaxy Watch 8 is currently on sale starting at $219.

The Renders That Barely Move

Android Headlines published the press images of the upcoming Galaxy Watch 9 this week, crediting tipster @OnLeaks, and the post describes them as “official press images of the upcoming Galaxy Watch 9.” They show the watch in light and dark silver colors, plus a near-black case, paired with white, green, and dark blue bands. The underside of the case has a plastic finish against the wrist, a carryover from the Galaxy Watch 8. The visible differences from last year come down to a fresh case color, a new default band, and a subtler brushed metal treatment.

The “circle on a square” design language stays. The squircle body and rounded display that debuted on the Watch 8 in 2025 carry over to the Watch 9, including the rear sensor array, which appears unchanged. After a few months on the Watch 8, Android Headlines notes, the squircle design has grown on reviewers, with the case making the watch more durable and helping it sit flatter for more accurate readings.

Samsung is offering the base Watch 9 in two sizes: 40mm and 44mm. The 40mm ships in Cream or Graphite, and the 44mm ships in Silver or Graphite, a small departure from the Watch 8, which shared the same colorway between sizes. Both sizes will come in Bluetooth and LTE versions, and Samsung is not jumping to 5G on the Watch 9 yet, even as Apple’s latest watches all use 5G instead of LTE. The renders show no Classic variant this year.

Why Samsung Is Swapping Exynos for Snapdragon

The chipset switch is the load-bearing change. Android Headlines reports that Samsung has confirmed it is moving the Galaxy Watch 9 to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite, which Qualcomm announced at MWC in March. The shift marks a return to Qualcomm silicon after a generation on Samsung’s in-house Exynos W chip.

Qualcomm is selling the chip on AI. SammyFans, citing earlier reports, says the new processor brings on-device AI capabilities to the wearable, alongside power-efficiency gains that come from running Qualcomm silicon on top of Wear OS 7 and Samsung’s One UI 9 Watch layer. That mix, on-device AI plus a tighter OS stack, is the kind of integration Apple has spent the last three watch generations building.

There is a wrinkle worth flagging. SammyFans noted earlier this week that the Galaxy Watch 9 may retain the Exynos W chip while the Snapdragon Wear Elite is reserved for the second-generation Galaxy Watch Ultra. Android Headlines, in its exclusive on June 23, treats the Snapdragon switch as confirmed for the Watch 9. Samsung has not publicly settled the question, and the answer lands at Unpacked.

Either way, the silicon swap signals where Samsung is putting its R&D dollars. The renders look like last year’s watch, and the silicon story is a generational reset, and that is the part Qualcomm leaned into when it pitched the Wear Elite. The remaining question is whether on-device AI shows up as a daily-use feature on a 40mm wrist, or as a battery-draining demo.

Trail Run Tracking and the Rest of the Software Leak

The hardware leak landed on Tuesday; the software leak landed the night before. Leaker @GalaxyTechie posted the final wave of Watch 9 and Ultra 2 software screenshots on June 22, captioned “Final wave,” and the post has drawn 9,013 views and 156 likes on X at time of writing. The watermarks obscure the details, but the silhouettes of new UI cards are visible. Samsung’s update focuses on health tracking, with trail run tracking, a new Samsung Health markers panel, and a redesigned watch face for the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

Trail run tracking is the clearest addition. The Watch 8 offered workout profiles for runs and hikes, and the Watch 9 appears to add a dedicated trail run mode, suggesting tighter elevation handling and pace-segment breakdowns. The screenshots also show a revamped Compass app icon, hints of a Sinus rhythm feature, and a handful of small UI cleanups that point to a thinner, more tile-driven One UI 9 Watch surface.

Most of the new health features have already been confirmed by Samsung itself. On June 8, the company rolled out a major Samsung Health overhaul with a new Vitals feature, Daily Cardio Load, and Heart Health Score, and Android Central reports that many of those features, plus an updated Antioxidant and AGEs Index, will land on the Watch 9. Samsung’s own messaging calls the next Galaxy Watch “an AI-powered health companion,” Android Police notes, citing Samsung’s own framing.

A $50 Price Hike, and the RAM Shortage Behind It

The renders hide a price story. Android Headlines expects a $50 price hike, which would push the Watch 9 to $399 for the Bluetooth model and $429 for the LTE version, against a Galaxy Watch 8 starting price of $219 in Samsung’s current sales. The Pixel Watch 4 sits at $349, so the Watch 9 would still come in cheaper than Google’s closest wearable.

The hike is being driven by parts. Android Headlines points to the current RAM shortage, which it says is also affecting other components now, as the reason a price increase is “fully expected.” Battery sizes have not yet been disclosed through certification filings, though Android Central reports that the Watch 9 and the Ultra 2 have surfaced in China’s 3C database with 10W wired charging, matching the Watch 8. Charging speed, at least, is not where the new money goes.

The 28 Percent Slump That Makes This Launch Exist

Samsung needs this launch to land. Counterpoint Research’s Q1 2026 data, surfaced via SammyFans, shows global smartwatch shipments grew 4 percent year over year. Samsung was the only major brand in the data set to flag a downturn, with Galaxy Watch shipments down 28 percent year over year in the same quarter. Samsung’s global smartwatch market share slipped from 7 percent in Q1 2025 to 5 percent in Q1 2026.

The rest of the table ran the other way. Apple led the worldwide smartwatch market with 23 percent share, up 21 percent year over year, on the strength of its newest Watch portfolio. Huawei held second at 17 percent, up from 16 percent a year earlier, and Xiaomi stayed third at 10 percent, up 9 percent. imoo rounded out the top four at 7 percent share.

That is the demand Samsung is launching into. Global shipments grew 4 percent year over year, while Samsung’s fell 28 percent in the same period. The Watch 9 ships with a new silicon and a new AI pitch. The renders look familiar. The financial backdrop does not.

Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Carries More of the Bet

The Watch 9 will not carry the load alone. Press renders of the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, posted by leaker Evan Blass this week and surfaced through SammyFans, show Samsung’s rugged watch getting three design refinements: bezel markings in the 1-12 hour style that the original lacked, a simpler silicone strap with the ridged pattern gone, and what SammyFans describes as a slightly cleaner overall look. The squircle case, circular OLED display, dual speaker vents, and rear health sensors carry over from the first Watch Ultra.

The Ultra 2 will also be doing more of the silicon work. SammyFans reports that the Watch Ultra 2 is set to run the Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset, which lines up with the Android Headlines exclusive on the chipset switch. Battery is the bigger number: SammyFans reports the Ultra 2 is getting a battery that is 34 percent bigger than the Apple Watch Ultra and 35 percent larger than the original Galaxy Watch Ultra released in 2024. The Ultra 2 is also tipped to be Samsung’s first smartwatch with 5G connectivity, though that detail is not yet confirmed.

The Ultra 2 will ship in two colors, Titanium Gray and Titanium Silver, both with LTE, and SammyFans notes the “Titanium” prefix suggests a titanium case, which Samsung abandoned on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung has confirmed it will not release a Watch 9 Classic this year, instead folding the Classic-style bezel numerals into the Ultra 2 lineup. The base Watch 9 ships in two sizes and two colors each, and the Ultra 2 ships in a single Titanium case. Both run the latest Samsung One UI 9 Watch on top of Wear OS 7.

Across the launch, Samsung has been pushing the Watch 9 and Ultra 2 hardware through certification, including the India BIS filing that cleared the Watch Ultra 2 BIS certification ahead of Unpacked.

What’s Confirmed and What Isn’t

A short list of facts sits outside the renders. Samsung has confirmed the Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset is coming to the next Galaxy Watch, and confirmed the Health app overhaul that lands on the Watch 9, both via press materials and the June 8 Health update. Korean media has pegged the next Galaxy Unpacked for July 22, 2026, in London, and SammyFans and Android Headlines both reference that date. Pricing, battery sizes, and the specific on-device AI features are still unconfirmed.

The most consequential uncertainty is the chipset split. Android Headlines treats the Snapdragon switch as confirmed for the Watch 9, while SammyFans reports the Exynos W may stay on the base model and Snapdragon is reserved for the Ultra 2. Samsung has not publicly resolved which one ships in the 40mm case on the wrist. Either outcome carries its own trade-off: a clean Qualcomm switch across the lineup would reset the silicon story, and a split would hedge against the cost of going all-in on a new chip. The answer lands in five weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will Samsung announce the Galaxy Watch 9?

Samsung is widely expected to hold its next Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, 2026, where the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will share the stage with new foldables.

How much will the Galaxy Watch 9 cost?

Android Headlines expects a $50 price increase over the Galaxy Watch 8, putting the base Watch 9 at $399 (Bluetooth) and $429 (LTE), though Samsung has not confirmed pricing. The Galaxy Watch 8 starts at $219 in current Samsung sales.

What’s different about the Galaxy Watch 9 versus the Watch 8?

The squircle design language carries over, but the chipset is expected to move from the Exynos W to Qualcomm’s new wearable chip, with on-device AI and a tighter Wear OS 7 plus One UI 9 Watch stack.

Should I buy the Galaxy Watch 8 now or wait for the Watch 9?

The Galaxy Watch 8 is on sale starting at $219 in Samsung’s latest promotions, while the Watch 9 is expected to start around $399 if the $50 hike lands. Buyers looking to save can pick up the Watch 8 now; buyers who want the new chipset and AI features should wait for the July 22 announcement.

Will the Galaxy Watch 9 get on-device AI?

Qualcomm’s new chip pitches on-device AI as its headline feature, and SammyFans reports the chip will bring AI capabilities to Samsung’s wearables. Whether the Watch 9 ships with the same AI feature set as the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is one of the open questions Samsung will answer at Unpacked.