Galaxy Watch Classic Demise May Have Just Been Confirmed By Samsung

Samsung's Galaxy Watch line and the Gear S generations before it are arguably among the highest-profile smartwatches to come from a phone manufacturer next to the Apple Watch. When Samsung embraced Wear OS last year, the Galaxy Watch also became one of the most prominent smartwatches running Google's platform, at least until the Pixel Watch finally launches later this year. Despite having had problems with support for popular smartwatch apps, the Galaxy Watch gained fame for some of its unique features, particularly its rotating bezel. Sadly, that distinctive feature might be going away again in this year's model, probably for good this time around, and Samsung itself may have become the source of the confirmation of the rotating bezel's demise.

The rotating bezel mechanism isn't new, having existed on many sports watches long before smartwatches even came into being. On Samsung's smartwatches, however, this mechanism became an important — but not completely critical — input method. The component allows users to scroll through content, though they still have to tap on the screen to confirm actions or press the side buttons for other functions. Compared to repeatedly swiping on a tiny screen or twisting a tiny crown, the bezel is definitely more convenient and ergonomic — it can even be somewhat addictive like a fidget toy.

Despite being a groundbreaking feature, Samsung hasn't been consistent in showing loyalty to its bezel. The company removed the feature completely in the Galaxy Watch 2, replacing it with a touch-sensitive bezel that serves the same purpose. It returned the mechanism in the Galaxy Watch Active 2 but then split its smartwatch line between a "normal" model and a Classic edition, the latter being the only one of the two with a rotating bezel. Now it seems even this Classic edition is gone for good.

Rumors have been swirling that Samsung will ditch the rotating bezel again on this year's Galaxy Watch 5 series, and they're mostly based on the unconfirmed claims that there won't be a Galaxy Watch 5 Classic in the lineup. There will reportedly be a Galaxy Watch 5 and a Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, but neither is believed to sport that unique rotating bezel.

Of course, that is mostly hearsay at this point, but the beta version of Samsung's Health app almost makes it official. According to 9to5Google, the app had added the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro to its list of supported devices ... with no Classic name in sight. Additionally, both Galaxy Watch 5 models look more like the non-Classic Galaxy Watch 4, meaning they'll likely support that capacitive bezel you can swipe around to scroll through lists and apps.

It's hard to put complete faith in a beta app, but the Samsung Health app's track record in accidentally revealing things like this makes it a bit more credible. There may also be significant reasons why Samsung is retiring this mechanical rotating bezel, most probably due to build costs and durability. Having a moving physical part, especially for a smartwatch, could be an invitation for disaster, and Galaxy Watch fans might just have to get used to a future without it. Hopefully, though, Samsung has perfected the capacitive bezel so that it won't have showstopping issues at launch like in the past.