Samsung Galaxy Watch 4: Release Date, Price, Blood Glucose Monitor, Specs and Leaks

Mixi March 19, 2021 | 05:10

The Galaxy Watch 3 is one of the best smartwatches currently on the market. However, leaks and rumors have started emerging about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. So what can we expect from it? Check out further information right below!

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. Photo: techadvisor

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 release date

We won't know an exact Galaxy Watch 4 release date until more intel on the next Samsung Unpacked event is either leaked online or announced by the company itself. Samsung has debuted a new smartwatch at its annual summer keynote for three years in a row, so we expect it'll stick to precedent this year, too.

What's less certain is which smartphones the Galaxy Watch 4 will launch beside. While the Galaxy Watch 3 debuted with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series. Samsung is reportedly committed to the Galaxy Note line, but it remains to be seen if the Galaxy Watch 4 will debut along with a Galaxy Note 21.

There's a chance the next Galaxy Watch comes sooner than expected, too. According to a Twitter thread from tipster Ice Universe, the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch Active 4 are due in the second quarter of 2021. This means Samsung could be launching its newest smartwatch models earlier than usual.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Price

The Galaxy Watch 3 had a sky-high price for a smartwatch at launch, even for the smallest, non-LTE variant. While you'll regularly find it on sale nowadays, Samsung clearly expected shoppers to pay a premium in exchange for its steel or titanium casing, leather band, rotating bezel, and heap of health-tracking sensors.

Launching in two sizes, the Galaxy Watch 3 41mm retailed for $400 MSRP, or $450 with LTE Cellular included. At 45mm, it sold for $429, plus $50 more for LTE functionality.

If the Galaxy Watch 4 retains the same features as its predecessor while adding in blood glucose monitoring and other upgrades, it could become even more of a high-priced luxury item. But in order to stay competitive with Apple — whose last three Series watches have sold at $399 at launch — we strongly suspect Samsung's newest watch will retail for $399, with higher prices for cellular data or a larger display.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Design

Photo: Gizmochina

We're fairly certain that specs and software differences aside, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 design won't see a major change from past years. It should retain its circular AMOLED display and (hopefully) its physically rotating bezel.

The last two Samsung Galaxy Watches had two different millimeter variants each. You can safely expect to see the same with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, though we'd love to see Samsung offer three sizes with a "mini" version. Even the smaller Galaxy Watch 3 can be a bit chonky on smaller wrists, as reported by Androidcentral.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 blood glucose monitor

Although the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4's standout health feature isn't confirmed, it's possible the watch will offer built-in glucose monitoring to help users with diabetes manage and track their blood sugar.

According to a report from ETNews, the next Galaxy Watch will have non-invasive blood glucose monitoring. Apparently the company has been working on this technology for some time.

The blood glucose monitoring works using a technique called Raman spectroscopy. The smartwatch could leverage a laser to help identify the chemical composition of glucose through the skin on a user's wrist. As described in a method developed by Samsung researchers, the laser offers high prediction accuracies.

While non-invasive blood glucose readings could be a game-changer for those with diabetes, it's important to note that such a smartwatch feature probably couldn't replace all invasive tests. It could provide better health information for users on-the-go, though, according to Tomsguide.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 New Features and Specs

Photo: TechRadar

Besides blood glucose monitoring, we don't know much about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 specs and features. There is one interesting rumor circulating around: Leaker IceUniverse, who supplies a good sum of Samsung intel ahead of Unpacked events, said next Galaxy Watch will replace Tizen with Android.

This means Galaxy Watches could be making the jump from Samsung's proprietary wearable OS to Google's Wear OS. We could make the argument that it's a smart move — and the argument that it's a disastrous one.

Software and interface aside, the next Galaxy Watch will probably feature some spec upgrades. It could build on the 8GB of storage currently offered to match the Apple Watch's large storage offerings, as well as a better battery life. Currently the Galaxy Watch 3 lasts up to two days on one charge, which is longer than the Apple Watch's 18 hour battery life but shorter than the stamina of the original Galaxy Watch.

News and leaks

So far there aren’t many Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 leaks, but one big one is that it might run Wear OS rather than Tizen. That comes from Ice Universe (a leaker with a decent track record) who claims that Samsung's "new watch" will switch to Android (presumably meaning Wear OS).

Of course, even if they're right they don't mention the Galaxy Watch 4 by name - it's possible that the new watch in question could be a new Galaxy Watch Active model.

However, there's growing evidence that some Samsung smartwatch will run Wear OS, as mention of a device codenamed 'Merlot' has also been spotted alongside the words Wear OS in Samsung source code.

We've also heard the same claim from another source, who adds that the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 will have a similar design to its predecessor, complete with a rotating bezel, and that it will be available in the same colors as 2021's "Galaxy Z."

That last bit is deeply unclear, both because no Galaxy Z models have launched yet this year, and because it's not clear whether they mean the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 3 or the Galaxy Z Flip 3.

However, rumored colors for those phones include black and green for the Fold 3, and black, beige, green, and light violet for the Flip 3.

One rumor also suggests an upcoming Samsung Galaxy smartwatch will have a glucometer, for measuring the blood sugar of the wearer. It's not clear if this is for the Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch Active 3, or both.

Beyond all that, there are a few things that we can predict. Based on previous models it’s likely that the Galaxy Watch 4 will be available in two different sizes, optionally come with LTE, and in all cases come with a heart rate monitor, an ECG, GPS, and a circular AMOLED screen.

It will also almost certainly come with a variety of exercise and activity tracking features, along with a swim-safe build.