Samsung is reportedly working on a next-generation of Galaxy Watch wearables. Considering the regular trend, the smartwatch should see its official unveiling somewhere in the month of August. While we still don’t have any information on the internals, various reports point towards the WearOS version. Well, the recent development seems to mention WearOS for a new codename. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
New Galaxy Watch WearOS codename surfaces online!
According to a new report by SamMobile, a new codename has appeared on the web – Merlot. For those who’re unaware, Merlot is a relatively old codename that made its way around during the kernel release of Galaxy S20. As you can see in the screenshot below, Merlot is associated with the WearOS keyword suggesting a new codename for the Galaxy Watch. It is worth noting that the latest kernel source code of One UI 3.1 does not mention Merlot.
The previous report already points to two other codenames namely Wise and Fresh. The Wise seems to correspond to the good ol’ TizenOS version of Galaxy Watch while Fresh might point towards the alleged WearOS version. There’s a solid chance that Samsung might be referring to this new WearOS version as Merlot and later down the road, decided to go with the Wise and Fresh keywords.
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To recall, we also know the two different model numbers of the next-gen Galaxy Watch. We’re talking about SM-R86x and SM-R87x. Both the model number suggests the next iteration of Galaxy Watch lineup. We should expect to see physical rotating bezels yet again as it is the defining aspect of the series.
Not the company’s first WearOS rodeo!
If you’re wondering this would be the first time for Samsung to work with WearOS, then you’re mistaken. The South Korean giant used to incorporate WearOS in its wearable during its early days. Back in 2014, the company decided to make a switch to TizenOS. Well, the decision was on the good side as since then, Samsung has landed some of the best smartwatches in the market.
While Galaxy Watch and Watch Active offerings come with a lot of powerful features, the lack of third-party apps keeps the user away from churning out maximum productivity. For instance, you can not use the wearable for Maps navigation and it also lacks Google Assistant. Bixby, on the other hand, is impressively dumb on the wearables.
