In short: A number of users have taken to reddit to voice complaints about the Galaxy Watch overheating while it is on the charger – the charger that came in the box with the Galaxy Watch. Users are seeing a notification on the watch saying that it is overheating and needs to cool down. This is not what it supposed to happen when the Galaxy Watch is charging, and this is not what happened with our review unit while we were reviewing the device. It appears that this is only happening with some users, and not all, as there are very few reports currently about this happening. But there is enough reports to warrant it being an issue.
Background: The Galaxy Watch includes a charging dock that uses Qi Wireless charging to charge the Galaxy Watch. So theoretically, it should work with other Qi Wireless charging pads out there, and it does work pretty well with them. However, it is a bit surprising to see it having issues with the included dock, especially since it is the same dock that Samsung has used on previous smartwatches. This is likely an issue with the watch, and unfortunately, it’s going to lead to many people thinking the watch may explode or catch fire after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco two years ago.
Impact: So far, Samsung has not yet responded to these claims. Though there aren’t a whole lot of reports of the Galaxy Watch overheating right now, so it could just be a bad batch that was produced by Samsung. Either way, hopefully Samsung will get an official statement out and get this issue fixed before it becomes a bigger issue. As that is the last thing that Samsung needs, especially after proving itself with the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy Note 9, following the exploding Galaxy Note 7.