This year’s Galaxy Watch5 series could get one big unexpected downgrade

TheSamsung Galaxy Watch5series has been in the rumor mill for months now, with many features and upgrades in store. Some, such asbetter battery life, are no-brainers, while others, like the rumoredbuilt-in thermometer, present a bit of a head-scratcher as to how the company would implement them. Amidst all the leaks, new reports suggest that the Galaxy Watch5 series will lose a key physical feature that’s been present in at least one variant of Samsung’s smartwatches since the Gear S2.

One of the best features of theSamsung Galaxy Watch4 classicis the iconic rotating bezel that allows you to scroll through menus with ease. However, just as rumors suggest that Samsung won’t be releasing a Watch5 Classic this year, it looks like the clicky rotating bezel won’t be carrying on to the Watch5 series either, at least according to reliable leaker Ice Universe. Up until now, you wouldn’t have been far off to think that at least one variant of Samsung’s next-gen watches (likely the Watch5 Pro) would have gotten the feature.

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If the rumor pans out, Samsung will be eliminating a handy and highly loved feature that doesn’t negatively impact the device’s look, waterproofing, or durability. While it’s unclear why the company would do away with the rotating bezel, the situation’s not all gloomy. It could replace it with the digital bezel we saw on theGalaxy Watch4and previous Galaxy watches.

Earlier this month, leakedWatch5 codenames— Heart-S, Heart-L, and Heart-Pro — suggested that Samsung is working on three device variants with model numbers SM-R90x, SM-R91x, and SM-R92x, respectively. All three models will be sized differently. They are also touted to feature much-needed battery improvements across the board, with the smaller variants getting a 10 percent capacity bump compared to respective Galaxy Watch4 models. The upcoming pro model could even get a massive 60 percent increase from the high-end member of the Galaxy Watch4 series.

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