One UI 9 Watch beta opens to Galaxy Watch 8 owners in Korea

If you own a Galaxy Watch 4, the software stops here. The stable release should reach the Watch 5 and newer, and LTE owners report they cannot enroll.

By iDeviceAug 26, 7:05 AM CTUpdated Aug 28, 12:27 PM CT3 min read

Ask about the Galaxy Watch 8

Can it get wet (shower, pool, swimming)? Yes, you can shower and swim in it. It is rated to 5 ATM. It is not for scuba diving. Its rating is IP68.
What does it cost? It costs $299.99. That is the list price.
Does it measure blood pressure? Yes, it measures your blood pressure.
Does it read blood glucose? No, it has no glucose sensor.
Does it track sleep apnea? It looks for signs that you may be at risk. Its screening is FDA-cleared. It is a signal to act on, not a diagnosis.
Does it work with my phone? It works with an Android phone only. There is no iPhone app.
How heavy is it? It weighs 30g to 34g. The weight varies by size or finish.
How does it connect? It connects over Wi-Fi.
How sharp and bright is the screen? The screen reaches 3000 nits at its brightest.
What chip is inside? It runs on Exynos W1000.
Which AI assistant does it use? It uses Samsung Galaxy AI.
What software does it run? It runs Wear OS 6. It has One UI Watch 8 over the top.
What is it made of? It is made of aluminium.
Does it do satellite SOS? No, it does not do satellite SOS.
What kind of screen is it? It is an AMOLED screen. The pixels light themselves, so blacks are deep and it can dim to almost nothing.
Does it track sleep stages? Yes, it tracks your sleep stages.
Does it do 4G LTE? Yes, it has 4G LTE.

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Samsung opened the One UI 9 Watch beta, the next version of its smartwatch software, to Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic owners in South Korea. SamMobile reported the program going live, a couple of weeks after beta firmware turned up on Samsung’s servers. The update carries the build number ZZH3, weighs around 2GB, and brings Wear OS 7 with Samsung’s own additions on top of it. Enrolment runs through the Samsung Members app.

Owners of LTE models report they cannot enroll, which could be a deliberate restriction or an early enrolment problem that Samsung will fix. Korea is the only market for now, with the United States expected to follow and little beyond it, since Samsung rarely runs watch betas anywhere else. When the stable release arrives it should reach the Galaxy Watch 5 series and newer. The Watch 4 is not on that list. Samsung has stopped giving it new operating system upgrades.

Update, Aug 28, 12:27 PM CT: SammyGuru reported the One UI 9 Watch beta has reached US owners of the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Watch 8 Classic, through the Samsung Members app.

Update, Aug 26, 10:15 AM CT: Gemini's Raise to Talk comes down from the Galaxy Watch 9 to the Watch 8 in this beta, 9to5Google reported.

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