The Samsung Galaxy Sport, or rather the Galaxy Watch Active as it’s been referred to in the latest leaks is up for a new round of rumors, this time coming in the form of new hardware specifications passed along by SamMobile. It seems that the new specifications conflict with some of the previous reports, particularly in terms of screen size, and suggest that the device will have a 1.1-inch display instead of a 1.3-inch panel.
In theory, it could be that Samsung has developed the next wearable in two sizes, as it has done before with previously-launched smartwatch models including the 2018 Galaxy Watch which became available with a 1.2-inch and 1.3-inch display. A 1.3-inch panel was also hinted at previously by a leaked firmware which indicated that the display should have a resolution of 360 x 360. According to the recent report by SamMobile, however, this is not going to be the case and Samsung will have only one smaller model up for sale later in March, following MWC 2019.
Likewise, although the device has previously been referred to as the Galaxy Sport or Galaxy Watch, the device will apparently hit the market as the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, making it a direct successor to the model launched last year while hinting at a more durable package. It will be water-resistant at up to 50 meters while the internals will be housed in a 13mm profile, just like the Galaxy Watch.
The smaller 1.1-inch panel may have also forced Samsung to power the upcoming Galaxy Watch Active with a smaller 236mAh battery. In contrast, the 1.3-inch Galaxy Watch (2018) relied on a 472mAh unit, whereas its smaller 1.2-inch counterpart concealed a 270mAh battery. Reducing the screen size of a smartwatch seems to take a considerable toll on the battery capacity and a 1.1-inch panel could translate into the smallest battery ever implemented by Samsung into its smartwatches; a close-second being the Samsung Gear S2 launched in 2015 with a 250mAh unit inside.
To round things up, the latest rumors claim that the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active will be the smallest Samsung smartwatch to date, powered by the smallest battery yet. A compact wearable with a brand new design, ditching the rotating bezel in favor of a cleaner look embracing the 2.5D curved glass and possibly new gesture-based commands provided by Tizen OS 4.0. The chipset will be the same as last year, i.e., the Exynos 9110 housing two CPU cores clocked at up to 1.15GHz, and should be coupled with 4GB of storage.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is expected to be unveiled on February 20 along with the new Galaxy S10 smartphone series during the OEM’s Unpacked event, and for the first time in Samsung’s wearable portfolio, the new model should offer support for Bixby Reminders and possibly two-way wireless charging capabilities, or at the least, a newly-designed charging pad codenamed “TX PAD for Pulse.” The Korean chaebol has been very quiet regarding the next smartwatch and until it will be made official, information acquired through leaks and rumors remains subject to change.