The battery life of Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 could be a deal-breaker for one of the most anticipated smartwatches of the year.

Samsung has yet to reveal its next-generation Galaxy Watch or official battery life projections, but we know what to expect. At the very least, we expect Samsung's latest smartwatch to last even a few hours longer than the Apple Watch 7.

In the past, the Galaxy Watch's battery life could surpass the Apple Watch by several days, but Samsung has since lowered its stamina expectations. The original Samsung Galaxy Watch boasted an impressive four-day duration, while the slimmer Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 had a battery life of up to 60 hours, or about 2.5 days.

We then tested the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, one of the best smartwatches available today, and it could not be used for 24 hours without a charge. Samsung's recently launched product is rated for up to two days, but we found battery life plummeted when consistent activity tracking and always-on display settings were enabled.

If the downward trend in battery life continues, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (or Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 4) seems destined to require daily charging like our other devices. This is not a definitive blow to how we grade smartwatches, but it is a bit disappointing given what Samsung used to offer.

That said, if Samsung can once again extend the battery life of the Galaxy Watch, it could generate more excitement for the upcoming launch of the next version on August 11. Even with fitness tracking and other premium features, we'd still want at least two full days.

So is it possible? Some would say that with the new features and sensors (i.e., body composition analysis), it would be unfair to expect improved battery life. Still, the Galaxy Watch's new software preview and recent spec leaks give us a glimmer of hope.

The upcoming smartwatch will be the first to feature a refreshed, unified version of the Google Wear OS. Tizen, the existing software for Samsung's Galaxy Watch, will be integrated into Wear OS along with Fitbit functionality. In revealing the near integration of the platforms, Google suggested that smartwatches with Wear OS will have longer battery life.

To keep things consistent, Samsung developed the One UI Watch skin to accompany the Galaxy Watch 4's Wear OS.

Instead, the Galaxy Watch 4 may have an improved battery with a rumored chipset. According to SamMobile, a website that often posts Samsung spec leaks, the next Galaxy Watch will feature a dedicated Exynos W920 chip. This chip promises faster performance, but may also improve battery performance.

It won't be long before Samsung fulfills our hopes and expectations for the battery life of the Galaxy Watch 4. The smartwatch is expected to debut at the Samsung Unpacked keynote on August 11, along with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.