- According to a new report, Samsung will include an optical sensor for diabetes monitoring on its next Galaxy Watch.
- The feature can appear on the Galaxy Watch 4 or the Galaxy Watch Active 3.
- It will start in the second half of this year.
The first rumor about the next Galaxy Watch is here. According to Korea’s ETNews, Samsung can add a blood glucose monitoring feature to the provisional name Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch Active 3.
The new ability may make it easier for people with diabetes to track their daily blood sugar levels. The technology apparently uses an optical sensor to determine the measurements, which eliminates the need to draw blood. This is similar to how a number of smartwatches, including the Galaxy Watch 3, deliver blood oxygen or SpO2 readings.
Samsung has been working on non-invasive blood glucose monitoring techniques for some time. Last year, a method was developed to monitor blood glucose levels using a method called Raman spectroscopy. The process uses lasers to identify the chemical composition, and according to Samsung, it shows the “highest predictive accuracy among non-invasive technologies.”
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A similar patented spectroscopy system was recently unveiled at CES 2021 on a prototype smartwatch. The watch, made by a Japanese company called Quantum Operations, gives blood sugar readings in just 20 seconds.
Samsung can see a significant increase in its smartwatch sales if and when the new feature lands on its Galaxy watches. According to the latest findings of the CDC, one in 10 Americans has diabetes and one in three has diabetes.
ETNews reported that Samsung will unveil three new carriers at the next Unpacked event. It’s unclear if everyone will offer the ability to detect blood glucose levels, but given the novelty of the feature, we expect to see it on Samsung’s premium Galaxy Watch 3 successor.