Since 2018, when the first Galaxy Watch launched, right up to the Watch 8 in 2025, Samsung equipped its smartwatches exclusively with proprietary Exynos chips. In 2026, that tradition comes to an end. According to WinFuture and confirmed by Qualcomm's public announcement at MWC 2026, the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 will receive the Snapdragon Wear Elite — the company's first "elite" wearables chip.
What the new chip changes — and why it's more than just numbers
The Snapdragon Wear Elite (SW6100) is manufactured using a 3-nm process — the same as the Exynos W1000 in the Watch 8. However, the architecture is fundamentally different: five cores in a big.LITTLE configuration — one high-performance core at 2.1 GHz and four energy-efficient cores at 1.95 GHz, plus an Adreno 622 graphics accelerator. According to Qualcomm's claims, the new platform delivers 30% better energy efficiency compared to the previous generation.
Energy efficiency is the real pain point. The Galaxy Watch 8 in the 40 mm format with a 325 mAh battery barely lasted until evening with active use. Now the same model will receive a 382 mAh battery (Samsung will probably round it up to 400 mAh in marketing — an increase of about 23%). The Watch Ultra 2 jumps even more dramatically: from 590 to approximately 784 mAh, that is, plus 35%.
"The chip will make the watch a better health companion"
— InKang Song, head of Samsung's mobile technology strategy, at MWC 2026
What else is known from regulatory databases
- FCC and CMIIT certified the Galaxy Watch 9 (SM-L340, SM-L345) and Watch Ultra 2 in mid-June 2026 — a standard pre-launch step.
- Galaxy Watch 9 Classic is gone: no model numbers with a rotating bezel appeared in regulatory databases. The lineup appears to be discontinued.
- Memory: 2 GB RAM, 32 or 64 GB internal storage depending on the model.
- Charging: remains 10W — Samsung isn't rushing into a wattage race this time.
When and how much
Samsung officially confirmed Galaxy Unpacked for July 22, 2026 in London. The Watch 9, according to leaks, will start from €409 — roughly on par with its predecessor. The Ultra 2 is in the range up to €749. Along with the watches, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, and Galaxy Glasses are expected.
The big question that remains open: if the Snapdragon Wear Elite provides the same 3-nm foundation but with better architecture — does Samsung's switch to Qualcomm mean that its own Exynos wearables direction is effectively closed? We'll find the answer in what Samsung shows inside the next Watch 10 — or doesn't show at all.
