Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 And Watch 5 Pro | Focuses on Sleep And Health Tracking
Samsung’s latest software (Samsung Galaxy Watch 5), brimming with enhancements for sleep and wellness, will debut on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watches set to release later this year.
With its new One UI 5 Watch software set to launch on the forthcoming Galaxy Watch line later this year, Samsung is emphasizing its commitment to improving sleep, fitness, and wellness features. The company has revealed several updates to anticipate.
New Features and Improvements in Samsung Galaxy Watch 5
Samsung’s upcoming software update, One UI 5 Watch, will introduce notable features such as an expanded sleep coach and customized heart rate zones. While the update will initially be exclusive to the new Galaxy Watch line, owners of Galaxy Watch 4 and 5 in the United States and Korea can sign up for the beta program this month.
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The emphasis on sleep, health, and wellness reflects a trend that has been prevalent in the wearables industry for a few years and has gained momentum during 2022 and 2023. In 2022, both Apple and Samsung introduced temperature sensors in their latest smartwatches, and Oura, a smart ring manufacturer, recently announced a range of new sleep-related features. Moreover, in the previous year, Google’s Fitbit incorporated the capability to monitor for potential signs of stress continuously in its Sense 2 smartwatch.
The Growing Emphasis on Sleep, Health, and Wellness in Wearables
Samsung’s upcoming software will enhance the presentation of the sleep score on the watch’s sleep insights screen and enable sleep coaching directly from the wrist. The sleep coaching feature evaluates a user’s sleep patterns and assigns an animal mascot based on the analysis. Currently, this feature can only be accessed through a user’s phone, but the software update will change that.
According to Hon Pak, head of Samsung’s mobile experience business’ digital health team, the alteration aligns with Samsung’s objective of making sleep data more accessible.
Hon Pak stated, “Our users are indicating that just sharing the data with them is no longer adequate; they require actionable insights and assistance.”
Hon Pak envisions that the future of sleep tracking involves delving deeper into how various elements such as activity and stress impact an individual’s sleep patterns and overall wellness. He revealed that Samsung is exploring ways to incorporate heart rate variability and stress into its sleep-tracking features, but did not elaborate further.
Hon Pak expressed, “We believe that the initial stage involves highlighting the interrelationships in a user-friendly manner.”
Overcoming Challenges: Battery Life and Continuous Monitoring
The battery life of smartwatches presents an obstacle across the industry for using them as sleep trackers. Devices such as the Apple Watch Series 8, Google Pixel Watch, and Galaxy Watch 5 usually last only one to two days on a single charge, posing a challenge for reliable sleep tracking. With wearables increasingly recording more health metrics in the background, enhancing battery life in smartwatches will become crucial, as per Hon Pak’s remarks on the industry’s future direction.
As per his statement, “Health seems to be a substantial driving force behind smartwatch purchases, leading to an increased demand for continuous passive monitoring.”
The One UI 5 Watch software update will introduce several other wellness-related features, such as personalized heart rate zones akin to Fitbit’s offering, support for running and walking in the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro’s route workout function, and automatic fall detection for users aged 55 years and above.
Broadening the functionality of Samsung’s route-tracking feature is especially advantageous, considering that the existing version is only operational during hiking and cycling workouts.
Samsung’s SOS feature will also undergo enhancements that streamline the process of sharing location details directly with emergency services and gaining access to medical information.
Samsung’s announcement also hints at the possibility of valuable health features being delivered via software updates rather than brand-new hardware. This notion was evident in 2022 when Apple unveiled a range of new health features for the Apple Watch via its WatchOS 9 update, including an energy-saving mode, in-depth running metrics, and more extensive sleep-tracking capabilities. Similarly, Samsung recently introduced cycle-tracking functionality, leveraging the Galaxy Watch 5’s temperature sensor.
Even seemingly minor features, such as those included in One UI 5 Watch, can be significant for Samsung to remain competitive with rivals. According to Bloomberg, Apple is developing an AI-powered health coaching tool that utilizes data from the Apple Watch, indicating that the wearable health tech industry is becoming even more competitive. Samsung usually launches new Galaxy Watches in August, which is when we’ll likely get more information about the software update and Samsung’s upcoming wearables.
