Samsung’s new Watch 8 Models have built-in Google Gemini AI

A Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 on screen during Galaxy Unpacked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, US, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Samsung Electronics Co. unveiled two upgraded smartwatches and new artificial intelligence software in its latest attempt to stand out in a crowded market led by Apple.
| Photo Credit:
MICHAEL NAGLE

Samsung Electronics Co. upgraded its line of smartwatches, its latest attempt to stand out in a crowded consumer electronics category dominated by Apple Inc.

The devices — the $350 Galaxy Watch 8 and the $500 Galaxy Watch 8 Classic — are among the first gadgets to hit the market with Google’s Wear OS 6 operating system, which has the search giant’s Gemini AI chatbot built in. The assistant can be summoned by voice or by using a button on the watch. In addition, the company announced a series of new foldable phones. All of the new hardware is available for preorder Wednesday and begins shipping on July 25.

Other updates to the Galaxy Watch line include slimmer designs, longer battery life, brighter displays and the addition of artificial intelligence features. Both devices borrow design cues from last year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra, giving the watches rounded screens that are more similar to the look of traditional watches.

The more expensive Watch 8 Classic has a stainless steel frame and a rotating bezel with a new button that can be programmed to various functions such as starting or pausing a workout. 

The Galaxy Watch 8 is available in silver and graphite, in 40 mm and 44 mm sizes, with the base price being $50 higher than last year’s Galaxy Watch 7. The higher-end Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is a larger 46 mm and comes in white or black. The company is also offering an updated titanium blue version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra for $650.

The Galaxy Watch has long played a key role in Samsung’s ecosystem, with the company often bundling it with other devices to drive sales. But now with ongoing hardware and software upgrades, Samsung is positioning it to stand as a more compelling standalone product. 

It helps that the broader wearables market has been growing. Global shipments grew 5.4 per cent in 2024 to approximately 535 million units, according to market research firm IDC. Apple dominated the category with 24 per cent share of the global market in the fourth quarter, followed by Xiaomi at 12 per cent. Samsung and Huawei Technologies Co. were roughly tied at 8 per cent. As the competition heats up, Samsung has had to look for new ways to stand out, particularly around health tracking and design.

With Google’s Gemini assistant built in, users can use the technology to give the device multistep instructions, according to Samsung — asking it to find the closest coffee shop and then provide walking directions there. The watches also include a series of AI-powered wellness features announced last month, including tools for measuring antioxidant levels and vascular load as well a running coach and sleep management upgrades. 

Samsung did not announce any updates to the Galaxy Ring, unveiled last year as a competitor to the popular Oura Ring from Finnish startup Oura Health Oy. But Samsung is still committed to the product line and is working on improving the experience, said Drew Blackard, senior vice president of mobile product management.

“I think what we need to be doing, and what you’ll see more of us doing in the coming months, is innovating on the software side of things so that you get more and more value out of the ring itself,” Blackard said in an interview. “Those are areas that we’re focused on through the Samsung Health application and just bringing more utility through it because we do think there’s a lot of opportunity. It’s still in the early stage.”

Blackard said, however, that the company has no immediate plans to make its smartwatches and smart ring compatible with iPhones. “We’re still very focused on trying to ensure that more and more Samsung users are using them first,” he said, adding that the company might reevaluate later on.

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Published on July 10, 2025