Samsung confirms the next Galaxy Watch will jump to Qualcomm’s new SoC
Source: Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung confirmed at MWC 2026 that the next Galaxy Watch will feature Qualcomm’s 3 nm Snapdragon Wear Elite SoC.
- The chip includes a dedicated Hexagon NPU, enabling on‑device AI features such as smart replies, text summaries, and AI fitness coaching.
- This move suggests a pivot away from Samsung’s Exynos W1000 toward Qualcomm to better support “holistic wellness” and AI use cases.
Announcement at MWC 2026
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon Wear Elite chip for smartwatches and other AI‑centric wearables. The chip is a significant upgrade from previous Snapdragon Wear chips like the Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1.
During Qualcomm’s press conference, Samsung’s Mr. InKang Song, Executive Vice President and Head of the Technology Strategy Team at MX Business, Samsung Electronics, confirmed that the next‑generation Galaxy Watch will integrate the new Snapdragon Wear Elite SoC and will serve as an “even more holistic wellness companion.”
Photo credit: C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Snapdragon Wear Elite Specs
- Process: 3 nm (compared to the 4 nm Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1).
- Core configuration: Similar to the Exynos W1000 (1 performance core + 4 efficiency cores), though exact details have not been disclosed.
- AI hardware: First Snapdragon wearable chipset with a dedicated Hexagon NPU, supporting low‑power AI tasks such as keyword/activity recognition, noise cancellation, smart replies, text creation, text summaries, and AI fitness coaching.
The first commercial devices powered by Snapdragon Wear Elite are expected to launch in the next few months, though it’s unclear whether this will be the Galaxy Watch 9, Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, or another wearable. Qualcomm also highlighted Motorola’s Project Maxwell proof‑of‑concept wearable (shown at CES 2026) as an early Snapdragon Wear Elite device.
Implications for Samsung
Samsung’s recent focus on AI makes the switch from its own Exynos W1000 SoC to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite logical. While the exact performance and battery‑life gains remain to be seen, the primary benefit is expected to be enhanced AI‑driven features on the next Galaxy Watch.