Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch Active 4 might be around the corner

Samsung didn't announce a new smartwatch when it unpacked the Galaxy S21 series last January but that wasn't at all surprising nor disappointing. Samsung usually launches its wearables in the third quarter of the year, along with the Galaxy Note series of that year. 2021, however, seems to be a year of big changes for Samsung, especially in its release cadence. According to a new tip, the Galaxy Watch 4 might be announced in the next few months, including a somewhat unexpected Galaxy Watch Active 4.

The Galaxy Watch 3 was launched just last August so it hasn't exactly had that much time to enjoy its exclusive position in Samsung's wearable portfolio. There has been no Galaxy Watch Active 3 so far and, given there was no Galaxy Watch 2 either, it was presumed that Samsung would just be alternating between "Classic" and "Active" every year. Apparently, that won't be the case.

According to Ice universe, a Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch Active 4 are both in the pipeline. Additionally, they will actually be arriving in the second quarter of the year instead of the usual third. That could shift Samsung's product lineup for the entire year, though an earlier wearable product launch might not actually put that big a dent anyway.

More interesting, however, would be the features that these fourth-gen smartwatches would have, something the tipster is silent about, at least for now. Already expected, though not confirmed, would be a non-invasive glucose measuring feature. This could put Samsung ahead of the race when it comes to health-centric features that Apple usually leads.

There is, however, also the rumor that Samsung will be switching away from Tizen to Google's Wear OS for its smartwatches. That could still happen, though probably in only one of these two models. There still a lot of unknown details but, if we're this close to their debut, those might soon start falling into place.