Galaxy Watch 3: All the fitness features that Samsung promised for its next smartwatch
Samsung promised advanced health features for its latest smartwatch, such as an FDA-approved ECG and blood oxygen monitoring.
Samsung announced the new Galaxy Watch 3 at its online Unpacked event alongside Wednesday The new Galaxy Note 20 phones and the latest foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 2. The recently unveiled Galaxy Watch 3 has the same sleek look and large round screen as the original Galaxy Watch,
Galaxy Watch 3: All the fitness features that Samsung promised for its next smartwatch
with all the fitness features of the 2019 Galaxy Watch Active 2 off. There is also the promise of advanced health features such as an FDA-approved electrocardiogram (EKG or EKG) and blood oxygen monitoring (SpO2). But not all of these will be rolled out immediately.
Samsung
The Galaxy Watch 3 brings back the physical rotating bezel from the original Galaxy Watch and the Gear line before it, except that the bezel edges are now smoother. This rotary knob can be used to operate the interface without touching the screen.
That's probably the biggest, and perhaps the only difference between the new Watch and the Watch Active 2, aside from physical size. It has no new sensors and only a few new features that will actually be available at launch.
Like its predecessors, the Watch 3 has built-in GPS, is water resistant to 5 ATM for both indoor and outdoor swimming, and can track up to 40 different activities, seven of which are automatic.
It also adds a new feature that allows you to sync workout videos from the Galaxy Health app, prompting you on your wrist for each exercise while streaming that video to your phone or TV.
The Galaxy Watch 3 extends the running coach feature introduced with the Active 2 by providing real-time feedback on pace and form. At the end of the run, the watch generates a more detailed analysis, including your flight and contact time, designed to help you improve your performance and reduce injuries. It also uses maximum oxygen consumption (also known as Vo2max) to determine your fitness level and recovery.
In theory, you can also measure your blood oxygen levels on demand, but this feature, along with the post-run reports, won't be available at launch. Samsung says they will come via a software update later in 2020.
And those are not the only features that can be found on the Watch 3. It is also equipped with an EKG app that has just been cleared in the US by the Food and Drug Administration. It can indicate when your heart rhythm could indicate atrial fibrillation (also known as aFib), a serious heart condition that can lead to a stroke. There is also a blood pressure app that is pending FDA approval. In theory, both could have been available on other Galaxy watches like the Active 2, but the features have remained inactive so far. Samsung couldn't provide a timeline for when these additional features would be rolled out to US users - they will only be available in South Korea at launch.
One of the new health features that will be available immediately is the new trip detection, which works in the same way as the fall detection feature on the Apple Watch (Series 4 and above). The watch will immediately notify an emergency contact if it detects you have taken a hard fall, and will share your location.
The Galaxy Watch 3 is also designed to make sleep tracking more robust by analyzing the four sleep stages and providing a sleep score based on quality and duration, along with tips for improvement. It can also track stress levels on command, just like its predecessors.
The Galaxy Watch 3 will be available in 41mm and 45mm options, both available in metal finishes of silver or bronze. The 45mm version will also be available in black and even a titanium version. The watch starts at $ 399 (£ 399, AU $ 649) for the 41mm Wi-Fi only model, and it's $ 50 (£ 40, AU $ 150) more for LTE.
Check back in the next few days for the full review.
Galaxy Watch 3: All the fitness features that Samsung promised for its next smartwatch
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