Samsung’s next Unpacked event is only a week away. And, naturally, leaks about the upcoming foldables, watches, and Samsung’s newest product — the Galaxy Ring — have already informed us about what to expect. Adding to this momentum, Samsung just announced a new chip that is likely to power the Galaxy Watch 7 series and the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Dubbed “Exynos W1000,” this is Samsung’s first commercial chip built on a more advanced 3-nanometer process. As per the new product page that popped up on Samsung Semiconductor’s website, the refined manufacturing process translates to 2.7 times better performance than the previous Exynos W930 that drives the Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic.
With the Exynos 930 itself being a slightly overclocked version of the older W920 chip, this is effectively the first upgraded chip since the Galaxy Watch 4 series, which was launched in 2021. Samsung also follows a system-in-a-package (SiP) design similar to the Apple Watch, with the processor, modem, RAM, storage, and power management solutions embedded onto the same board. In effect, this translates to faster communication between the components and, thus, smoother real-life performance.
Structurally, this chip marks a significant upgrade over the older chip, elevating it from a dual-core CPU to a five-core CPU setup, which now results in more effortless task handling. While the higher performance raises concerns about a decline in the battery life compared to the Galaxy Watch 6 or older watches, Samsung claims better battery backup and faster charging. Additionally, support for newer RAM technology will likely result in improved multitasking with the new chip and enhance its longevity.
Samsung adds that the chip supports a new “2.5D always-on engine,” which will keep detailed always-on watch faces running on the newer watches without drawing significantly higher power. The chip comes with 32GB storage, which suggests that the Galaxy Watch 7 series and the Galaxy Watch Ultra will now have double the storage of previous models.
With the new chip being revealed right before the launch, it is almost inevitable that it will be included in the newer Galaxy Watch lineup, including the Galaxy Watch Ultra. However, due to size constraints, it may not power the Galaxy Ring.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.