The rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is set to receive an upgrade that could bring it on par with the Apple Watch when it comes to potential life-saving features.
This is because the company has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for the Irregular Heart Rate Notification (IHRN) feature that will be added to the Samsung Health Monitor app.
This new feature will be added to the Galaxy smart watches via the One UI 5 Watch update, which Samsung said about it (Opens in a new tab) It comes first to Galaxy Watch devices coming later this year, and later expands to earlier versions. So expect the Galaxy Watch 6, which is likely to be released in the summer, to have an IHRN grip, followed by the Galaxy Watch 5 and later the older Watch models.
As the name suggests, IHRN aims to detect irregular heartbeats along with the Galaxy Watch’s electrocardiogram (ECG) capabilities, in order to notify the wearer of potential heart problems such as atrial fibrillation; Such things can increase the likelihood of strokes and heart failure. Early warnings of such heart problems can be the difference between life and death in some cases.
In fact, the IHRN will notify users when it detects an irregular heartbeat, which should prompt the Galaxy Watch wearer to take an ECG test for a more accurate measurement, as well as seek advice from a doctor.
IHRN features aren’t new to the smartwatch world, having been present in Apple Watch models since Series 4, which brought ECG functionality and were even touted as saving lives. And IHRN can be avoided on the Google Pixel Watch via the Fitbit app.
The addition of IHRN to the Galaxy Watch lineup makes it more competitive with competing smartwatches, which is needed given the rising popularity of the Pixel Watch, which appears on our best smartwatches list.
While Samsung makes some very good smartwatches, when it comes to health monitoring and other safety features, it’s arguably far behind the likes of Apple. So it’s no surprise that the One UI 5 Watch is set to offer features like custom heart rate zones, improved sleep handling and improved emergency SOS functionality; Areas where the Apple Watch has made progress.
Hopefully, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 will have health and wellness features that can be picked up on the heels of the Apple Watch Series 8.
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