Galaxy Watch 4 vs Watch 4 Classic: Where the heck is the Active model?

There's some confusion surrounding Samsung's upcoming smartwatch series. We hear you. It stems mainly from Samsung's decision to rename its upcoming wearables in a way that doesn't make a lot of sense, and it left fans wondering what happened to the Active lineup.

First things first, Samsung is planning to release two smartwatch models later this year. Not three or four, but two, and each model will be offered in different sizes. These two models are called the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic and the Galaxy Watch 4. One has a physical rotating bezel, and the other doesn't.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is the spiritual sequel to the Watch Active 2

Although Samsung appears to have abandoned the Active moniker — at least for the time being — the company hasn't given up on the idea of selling a smartwatch without a bezel. It's just that it will no longer be called the Active, but rather the Galaxy Watch 4.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 3 sequel will have a physical rotating bezel and will be called the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, so it's no wonder why some fans were left scratching their heads.

If all this seems confusing, just try to forget about the previous Galaxy Watch models and understand that the variant with a physical bezel will be called the Classic, while the bezel-less variant will drop the Active label altogether and will be called simply the Galaxy Watch 4. Given its streamlined design, it will technically be a spiritual sequel to the Active series, even if the name won't reflect it.

Samsung is expected to unveil the new Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic in August.