The Galaxy Watch 8 series ditches traditional watch band pins for an Apple-like connector

Ben Schoon | Jul 9 2025 - 8:05 am PT

Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 8 series brings a new design language, but also ditches one of the appealing parts of past generations by making a proprietary connector that works more like the attachments on Pixel Watch and Apple Watch.

First introduced on last year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra, Samsung’s new “dynamic lug” connector is a quick-release alternative to traditional watch pins. The new system has a button on the watch hardware that releases whatever band or adapter is connected.

This is now fully replacing the traditional pin connection that’s been used on Galaxy Watch for roughly a decade now (since 2015’s Gear S2), making last year’s Galaxy Watch 7 the final release with typical pins and lugs.

The change was somewhat inevitable as most of Samsung’s competition uses its own system (see the aforementioned Apple and Pixel Watch), and it was clear Samsung was moving in this direction for a while. Where many generations of Galaxy Watch used a quick release pin, the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 7 series instead used a new mechanism in the band that would release the grip on a pin which, in itself, had no quick release option. That was certainly the first sign that Samsung was moving away from traditional band connectors, but the new system just replaces that entirely.

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“Dynamic lug” holds the band tightly, to the point that it’s almost hard to remove in our experience. Unlike Apple and Google’s connectors, there’s no motion beyond pulling involved in removing a Galaxy Watch band. Bands reconnect with an audible click.

Samsung has a plethora of first-party bands using this new system, and the good news is that they’re interchangeable across the entire lineup. There’s a “small” size for the 40mm Galaxy Watch 8, but the 44mm Watch 8, the Watch 8 Classic, and both generations of Watch Ultra will all be using the same “large” size. Technically, a traditional band can also still be used with Samsung’s lugs for leather and select other bands, much like how some first-party Pixel Watch bands can be used just for their adapters.

What do you think of this change?

Galaxy Watch 8 starts at $349, with the entire updated series available for pre-order starting today.

Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, and Galaxy Watch 8 are now open through Samsung.com with up to $1,100 in trade-in values, plus an additional $50 in Samsung credit when you order through NewGeekGuide’s links below, but that credit only applies if you check out within 30 minutes.