Samsung explores ambitious new health tracking features for smartphones, watches and upcoming Galaxy Ring
- Samsung is looking to develop non-invasive glucose monitoring and continuous blood pressure checking – valuable breakthroughs that could shake up the industry
- The company aims to eventually give consumers a complete picture of their well-being via sensors on different parts of the body and around the home
Samsung is exploring the development of non-invasive glucose monitoring and continuous blood pressure checking, setting its sights on ambitious healthcare goals in a race with Apple and other tech giants.
The work is part of a broader push to put health features in a range of devices, including its just-announced Galaxy Ring, says Hon Pak, Samsung’s head of digital health, who is overseeing the effort.
The company aims to eventually give consumers a complete picture of their well-being via sensors on different parts of the body and around the home.
Health tracking is already a key selling point of smartphones and watches, with Samsung, Apple and Alphabet’s Google using the features to attract and retain customers.
Creating sensors for continuous blood pressure tracking and glucose monitoring would be particularly valuable breakthroughs. Apple has been working for years on a glucose reader that wouldn’t require users to prick their skin for blood – a potential boon for millions of diabetics.
“If we can do continuous blood pressure and glucose, we’re in a whole different ballgame,” Pak says. “I think that’s where everyone is trying to get to. We’re putting significant investment toward that.”
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He wouldn’t comment on a timeline for either feature, but said he hopes non-invasive glucose monitoring could come to the market in some form within five years.
“We are looking at everything from miniaturisation to the various different technology platforms that can do some type of glucose monitoring or anything in between,” he says.
The remarks follow Samsung’s announcement last week that it is working on a ring with health sensors. The Galaxy Ring product is scheduled for release before the end of 2024 and will come in a range of colours and sizes, Pak says.
The company is aiming to include activity and sleep tracking, with more health features to be announced later.
Smart rings from companies like Oura offer an alternative for people who don’t like to wear a watch but still want to track their health metrics and sleep patterns.
“The ring represents that community of people who want health tracking that is more comfortable and less obtrusive,” Pak says. “It’s meeting a need of a specific population of people who want to track and measure, but in a different way.”
Pak says Samsung hasn’t finalised pricing on the Galaxy Ring, but – like the company’s Galaxy Watches – it probably won’t be compatible with Apple’s iPhone.
Developing a blood sugar monitor would be a more challenging task, but one that could have major rewards. Current products on the market typically require a blood draw or a prick in the skin – an obtrusive process.
Apple has reportedly been working on a non-invasive approach since around 2010 and has made major progress. Even so, a product remains years away.
We are trying to redefine blood pressure in a way that it was originally intended, which is: how much cardiovascular risk do you have?
The two companies are also working to improve blood pressure monitoring. Samsung smartwatches have long offered the ability to determine a user’s blood pressure, but the monitoring isn’t constant throughout the day and requires calibration against a stand-alone blood pressure checker.
Pak says Samsung is “evaluating all options” to improve its blood pressure features. The aim is to go longer without needing calibration.
“We’ve been thinking long and hard about this,” he says.
Apple, meanwhile, is planning to add hypertension detection to its smartwatch later this year in a way that doesn’t require calibration, but also doesn’t provide exact readings. Instead, the watch will inform users that they may have elevated blood pressure.
Pak says traditional blood pressure readings aren’t “really that meaningful” other than showing a range of normal and abnormal.
“Whether it’s Apple or others, I think we are trying to redefine blood pressure in a way that it was originally intended, which is: how much cardiovascular risk do you have?” he says.
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Samsung also is exploring a range of different sensors for future versions of its earbuds. The company is studying new ways to measure body temperature and heart rates, adding that the ear is a closer pathway to the heart than the wrist.
Data from the ear could be combined with wrist and ambient data to provide users with a more comprehensive picture of their health.
Mixed-reality headsets could be a new frontier for health as well, Pak says. Apple is poised to release its first product in that market next week when the Vision Pro goes on sale for US$3,499.
Meditation and mental health could be key areas for such devices, he says.
“We are right now looking at partnerships to address that.”
