Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 codenames suggest there will be a new Classic this year

With summer right around the corner, new Samsung Galaxy Watch models will almost certainly be here soon — the biggest question is: which ones? Obviously, we’re looking forward to a Galaxy Watch 9, but what else? A new Ultra model? Maybe another Classic? We’ve already heard a few competing theories, and now we may be starting to get close to some answers, as we uncover new evidence in the form of some Galaxy Watch codenames.

Last year, Samsung brought us the Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic, alongside a minor Watch Ultra refresh. If you’ll recall, the Watch 8 was in development under codename Fresh 8, while the Watch 8 Classic was Wise 8. And even though it didn’t get a new codename last year, the Watch Ultra still went by Project X2.

Looking through a recent Google Wear OS app update, we’ve spotted what sure look like the next generation of Galaxy Watch codenames:

It doesn’t take much imagination to see that Fresh 9 looks like the Galaxy Watch 9, Wise 9 should be the Galaxy Watch 9 Classic, and Project V2 makes sense as a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

One interesting consideration is that we’re seeing this in Google software, rather than in a Samsung app. It’s also nice to find a hard-to-ignore Galaxy Watch 9 Classic reference like this, especially in light of a recent theory Sammy Fans has been promoting, suggesting that Samsung’s historic smartwatch release cadence might mean that the company would skip a new Classic model this year. At least based on this, we’d bet the Watch 9 Classic still has a good chance of showing up.

Beyond those codenames, we’ve also got some progress to share on new Galaxy Watch features.

Raise-to-talk was one of our favorite new capabilities to debut with the Pixel Watch 4, but so far, it’s remained a Pixel Watch exclusive. Now, this is hardly anything definitive, but the existing RttSettingsManagerPixelWatch setting we’ve seen in Google code has now been joined by a new RttSettingsManager3pWearOs one. Labeling it “Wear OS” rather than “Pixel Watch” could easily imply broader support, and we could even see that “3p” meaning “third party.”

For now, though, none of this is officially proof of anything, and we’re really just taking it all in to help inform our expectations for what Samsung should be announcing in just another month or two. Most recently, that’s been looking like a possible July 22 London event, where we should also get to meet Samsung’s latest foldables, including that new Wide model.