Galaxy Watch 3 firmware leak reveals features and watch faces

Even before the Galaxy Note 20 gets its time on the virtual stage, Samsung may announce its next wearable. Or maybe it won't and will lump it together in one grand Unpacked 2020. Whether it's within the next two weeks or next month, the Galaxy Watch 3 is all but known, partly because it won't be changing the formula that much. There will be some changes, of course, and we're getting to see some of those thanks to a dump of the firmware that will be running on the smartwatch.

The Galaxy Watch 3 will be coming in two sizes, the 41mm SM-R850 and the 45mm SM-R840, something confirmed by that firmware as well. But other than the size and the batteries, 247 mAh and 340 mAh, respectively, the two will be completely identical in every spec, from the 360x360 screen resolution to the Exynos 9110 that has powered Samsung's smartwatches since 2018.

The smartwatches will at least run on One UI 2.0, currently the latest version available on the Galaxy Watch family as well as the Samsung Gear S3. This brings, among other things, new smartwatch faces with customizable digital edges. These edges can be set to show a variety of information as well as smartwatch controls, including world clock, activity tracking, PowerPoint control, and alarm, just to name a few. There's even an animated and dynamic weather watch face that will change depending on, well, your current location's weather.

Samsung's and Microsoft's partnership is also starting to trickle down to the tiny screen. Instead of Samsung's own email app, a Microsoft Outlook watch app will be preinstalled by default. The built-in PowerPoint control digital edge is also one manifestation of that tie-in. For better or for worse, Bixby is still the only virtual assistant you'll get on your wrist.

Although a lot is already known about the Galaxy Watch 3, there are still some things that remain uncertain. XDA wasn't able to confirm rumors that the smartwatch will have new gesture controls, like fist-shaking to mute calls. The site also believes that the earlier rumored July 22 announcement is wrong and that Samsung will reveal the Galaxy Watch 3 alongside the Galaxy Note 20, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, and the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+ on August 5.