(Image credit: Matt Kollat/T3)

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 will be announced at Galaxy Unpacked on 9 July, but before we get to the official launch, there's still more to be discovered on the software side – and that will benefit existing Galaxy Watch owners too.

The first discovery comes from the One UI 8 beta. The new Galaxy Watch models will launch with One UI 8, before the update is pushed to older versions, like the Galaxy Watch 7. The beta has revealed that the Now Bar is coming to the Galaxy Watch, according to Android Authority.

The Now Bar made its debut in One UI 7 on the Galaxy S25, bringing a little more information to the lock screen. It's a place where you can access details like media controls, sports scores and navigation – a little like Apple's Dynamic Island.

This is a great feature for a watch where you want glanceable information and current controllable tasks right at your fingertips and it should be a great addition to the user experience on Galaxy Watch.

That's not the only addition that has been uncovered, however. The next detail that was found doesn't come from the One UI 8 beta, it instead comes from Galaxy Watch 7 Manager. This is the part of the Galaxy Wearable app system that controls the Watch 7 and lurking within were some new watch faces – as also detailed by Android Authority.

It appears that these watch faces include those that Samsung is going to use to promote Galaxy Watch 8 – and they should be available on older Watch models too.

(Image credit: Android Authority)

The source has all the details of these new faces, but they include minimalist analogue and digital faces, a sporty chronograph, a heritage face with guilloche pattern and sun and moon phases, and many more.

This should add to the existing options, giving you an even wider selection to choose from.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is a stylish companion to Android phones, which launched in 2024 alongside the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The Galaxy Watch 8 appears to be dropping the round design for more of a squircle, building on the Watch Ultra's looks. In addition to a new Watch 8, it's also expect that there will be the return of the Classic, with the Watch 8 Classic expected to come with a rotating bezel.

All will be revealed on 9 July, so stay tuned.