Skip to main content

The Galaxy Watch 6 may fix one of the Galaxy Watch 5’s biggest mistakes

Samsung ditched its physical rotating bezel with the Galaxy Watch 5 series, and it was a change met with much dismay. But it seems like the feature is all set to return in the next iteration. The Galaxy Watch 6 Pro is said to sport a physical rotating bezel to interact with the device.

This news is according to Korean tipster SuperRoader. It is said that the next Pro smartwatch will bring back a physical rotating bezel to interact with the software. Further, the Galaxy Watch 6 Pro will also retain the focus on offering at least two-day battery life.

Exercise menu on the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

However, the regular Galaxy Watch 6 is likely to miss out on the feature, which would make the Pro model stand out from the non-Pro variant. It could also help Samsung make a design stride in the generational upgrade, rather than making it an iterating product.

In a world where most smartwatches look identical to each other, having an original design element like the physical rotating bezel is a big deal. With the Galaxy Watch 5, Samsung made a watch that looks indistinguishable from the competition. Earlier, I speculated that, like the 3D Touch on iPhones, maybe Galaxy Watch owners didn’t know about the existence of a physical rotating bezel, which led Samsung to drop the feature. If the company is bringing it back, it needs to market it in a better way than before, so Galaxy Watch 6 Pro owners actually know the feature is there.

Digital Trends contributor Nadeem Sarwar also speculated that the merger of Tizen and Wear OS might have made things tough for the rotating bezel on the Galaxy Watch 5 series. This could have made it difficult for Samsung to create specific functionalities for each app on the Google Play Store. And instead of opting for per-app optimization, Samsung chose to omit it. But it looks like Samsung has figured out a way to keep the DNA of Galaxy Watches in the Watch 6 Pro.

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is one of the most long-lasting Wear OS smartwatches on the market right now. It would be interesting to see if Samsung manages to make the battery life even better with the next upgrade. Apart from the return of the rotating bezel, not much is known about the upcoming Galaxy Watch 6 Pro. But for some Samsung fans, the prospect of the bezel returning is all they’ll need to jump aboard the hype train.

Editors' Recommendations

Prakhar Khanna
Prakhar writes news, reviews and features for Digital Trends. He is an independent tech journalist who has been a part of the…
I reviewed 2 of the best Android smartwatches. This is the one I’d buy
The Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, showing different watch faces.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (left) and Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 5 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

After reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, I decided to swap immediately to the Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 5. The reason was simple: until the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic came along, the latest Ticwatch was my personal top Android smartwatch and the best performer you could get. I wanted to find out if could retain this title, as I’d really loved wearing the Watch 6 Classic.

Read more
Have a Samsung phone? This is the one app you have to download
Samsung Goodlock app logo.

The main page of the Samsung Good Lock app Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends

Samsung’s One UI is a mine of hidden features, especially for users that are deep into customizing every aspect of their phone. The most obvious place to start is enabling the developer options and digging into the Labs section. But there is still a ton of functional and aesthetic ground left to cover, which is often not possible even if you turn to third-party tools and launchers.

Read more
I thought I’d hate the Galaxy Z Flip 5 — until I changed one thing
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 with its cover screen on.

It's been a little under a month since I got my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, and throughout most of that time, I've thoroughly enjoyed every second with it. I was already quite fond of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 last year, and the Flip 5 addresses my main complaint of its predecessor: the cover screen.

The 1.9-inch cover screen on the Flip 4 was fine for viewing notifications or paying with Samsung Pay ... but that was about it. If I wanted to interact with the phone in any meaningful way, I always had to open it up. But with the 3.4-inch cover screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, that hasn't been the case this year. I'm able to do so much more with the cover screen than ever before, and it's greatly enhanced the practicality of having a flip phone.

Read more