According to a report from Korea, Samsung will announce the Gear S4 along with the Galaxy Note 9 in August. The last two generations of the Gear smartwatches were announced at IFA in Berlin. Samsung has not yet announced the official launch date for the Galaxy Note 9, but reports from Korea point towards August 9.

Samsung will be reportedly using Panel Level Packaging (PLP) to build the application processor (AP) for the Gear S4. Apart from being cheaper, the new process can also apparently help Samsung in making the devices thinner. The report says Samsung is commercially experimenting with the new technology starting with the Gear S4.

Will have a bigger battery?

Interestingly, popular leaker from China, Ice Universe, stated in a Weibo post yesterday that the Gear S4 will have a bigger battery than its predecessors. It makes us wonder if this is in anyway related to the alleged benefits of PLP chips. Whatever may be the magic Samsung is using, it is always heartening to see manufacturers opting for larger batteries instead of slimmer devices.

With the Galaxy Note 9, Gear S4, Galaxy Tab S4, and Bixby 2.0 rumored to launch at the same time, the impending Unpacked event is shaping up to be an exciting ride for fans. Let’s hope Samsung brings something more than incremental changes to the table.