Samsung’s next Galaxy Watch upgrade might not be equal after all

Samsung recently confirmed that its upcoming smartwatches will adopt Qualcomm’s new wearable platform, a move expected to deliver a major boost in performance and battery life.

But a new leak now suggests that not every watch in the lineup will benefit from the upgrade.

According to a report citing industry sources, the high-end Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is likely to feature the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip, while the standard Galaxy Watch 9 could continue using Samsung’s in-house Exynos processor instead.

If accurate, the strategy would mark a shift for Samsung’s smartwatch lineup, effectively creating a clearer performance gap between the Ultra model and the regular Galaxy Watch.

A big step forward for wearable chips

The Snapdragon Wear Elite platform, announced at Mobile World Congress 2026, is Qualcomm’s most powerful wearable chipset to date.

Built on a 3nm process, it promises up to five-times faster CPU performance and up to seven-times faster graphics than previous Snapdragon wearable chips.

The chip also includes a dedicated neural processing unit capable of running AI models directly on the watch, enabling features such as real-time voice processing, smarter health insights, and context-aware notifications without relying heavily on cloud processing.

Qualcomm also claims the platform could deliver around 30% longer battery life, thanks to its improved architecture and power efficiency.

A split strategy for Samsung’s watches

Samsung has traditionally relied on its own Exynos wearable chips, but the company confirmed last week that upcoming Galaxy Watch models will incorporate Qualcomm’s new platform to power more advanced AI-driven features.

However, the latest leak indicates that the Snapdragon chip might not appear across the entire lineup.

Instead, Samsung could reserve the more powerful silicon for its premium models while sticking with Exynos in the standard Galaxy Watch.

That approach wouldn’t be unprecedented, as Samsung often differentiates its products through processor choices, and a similar strategy has been used in its smartphone lineup.

What it could mean for the Galaxy Watch 9

If Samsung does split its wearable processors, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 would likely become the showcase for Qualcomm’s new chip, potentially offering faster performance, improved AI capabilities and longer battery life.

The Galaxy Watch 9, meanwhile, may remain closer to current models in terms of raw processing power, positioning it as the more affordable entry point into Samsung’s smartwatch ecosystem.

Samsung is widely expected to unveil its next Galaxy Watch lineup alongside its foldable phones this summer at its bi-annual Galaxy Unpacked event, which means we may not have to wait long to find out which watches get the upgrade.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is currently down to £299 on Amazon, a £150 price cut compared to its recommended retail price

[via Notebookcheck]