Samsung is poised to introduce the Galaxy Watch 9 Classic, marking a consecutive release of its Classic model, renowned for the distinctive rotating bezel. This development deviates from the company’s previous pattern of alternating the Classic variant with each new generation.
Historically, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series has seen the Classic model appear in the Watch 4, Watch 6, and Watch 8 iterations, while being omitted in the Watch 5 and Watch 7. The anticipated inclusion of the Classic model in the Galaxy Watch 9 series suggests a shift in this release strategy.
Recent code discoveries have unveiled three codenames associated with an upcoming Wear OS update: fresh9, wise9, and projectv2. These align with previous codenames such as fresh8 for the Galaxy Watch 8, wise8 for the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and projectx2 for the Galaxy Watch Ultra (2026). Notably, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic was identified by the codename wise6bs, reinforcing the likelihood that wise9 pertains to the forthcoming Classic model.
In addition to the rotating bezel, the Galaxy Watch 9 is expected to incorporate a raise-to-talk feature, akin to that found in the Pixel Watch 4. This functionality enables users to activate voice commands by simply raising their wrist, enhancing hands-free interaction. The integration of this feature is supported by code references such as RttSettingsManagerPixelWatch for the Pixel Watch 4 and the newly added RttSettingsManager3pWearOs, indicating potential support for third-party Wear OS devices. Given the collaborative efforts between Samsung and Google on Wear OS, it is plausible that the Galaxy Watch 9 will be among the first to adopt this feature.
Samsung is anticipated to unveil the Galaxy Watch 9 series in July, coinciding with the launch of its new foldable devices.
