Samsung touts metabolic health tracking that Apple can’t yet do
The Peninsula
Samsung Electronics Co. will unveil a new health tracking feature that Apple Inc. s watches don t yet have in the latest effort to steal a lead on the...
Samsung Electronics Co. will unveil a new health-tracking feature that Apple Inc.’s watches don’t yet have in the latest effort to steal a lead on the US electronics leader.
Set for a grand unveiling in Paris on Wednesday, its new Galaxy Watch models will track the wearer’s Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) index, which may provide an indicator of metabolic health and biological age. An Ultra edition, designed to go up against the $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2, is also expected to debut alongside new foldable handsets and a Galaxy Ring health tracker.
South Korea’s biggest company relied on its consumer electronics business to help it weather a deep downturn in memory last year, and is now seeking to build on that with an ecosystem of devices and services to rival Apple’s. Wearables and health are key pillars of that endeavor, as Samsung branches out to compete with the Oura ring while enhancing the capabilities of its watches.
"Samsung’s ecosystem portfolio is core to attracting brand switchers in the premium segment,” Canalys analyst Jack Leathem wrote ahead of the Galaxy Unpacked event. "Bringing AI-powered health and fitness features to wearables will be important to differentiate from other ecosystem vendors and smartwatch specialists.”
The company pioneered the foldable smartphone category as a premium offering in 2019 and has pushed its adoption on the global stage, though Samsung phones haven’t made inroads in the world’s biggest smartphone market, China. Foldable shipments reached 17.5 million in 2023, with Samsung holding a 63% market share, according to Canalys. The company’s expected to refresh its flip and larger foldable models on Wednesday.
