A new generation of Samsung smartwatches is now available for pre-order. The Galaxy Watch 6 series took the stage at Unpacked in Soul and will be ready to ship out on August 11. The new smartwatches have a refined design, and the Classic model brings back the physical rotating bezel after one year of absence. But what else is new?
Hardware-wise, the Galaxy Watch 6 series employs slightly bigger screens with higher resolutions and brightness, bigger batteries, an additional 512MB of RAM for 2GB total, and the latest Exynos W930 chipset.
Sensor-wise, the Galaxy Watch 6 is similar to the previous models. It has a 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor, which incorporates optical heart rate, electrical heart signal, and bioelectrical impedance analysis sensors.
In addition, there's a temperature sensor, an accelerometer, a barometer, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a light sensor. Oh, and the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic has a 3D Hall sensor to determine the position of the physical rotating bezel.
Galaxy Watch 6: Better fitness and sleep trackig
Samsung's new smartwatches ship with the latest version of Wear OS (4) and One UI Watch (5). They boast new fitness and sleep-tracking capabilities, as well as new apps and new and updated watch faces.
In addition to blood pressure and electrocardiogram monitoring, the Galaxy Watch 6 brings Irregular Hearth Rhythm Notifications to help users understand their heart health more comprehensively and check for Atrial fibrillation (AFib) even when they're sleeping.
Samsung introduces improved Fall Detection and better sleep tracking with on-device Sleep Coaching. Sleep analysis, in general, is better thanks to individualized Sleep Messages developed with the National Sleep Foundation. And every morning, Galaxy Watch 6 users can get more detailed feedback about their sleep and sleep consistency.
The smartwatches also offer Personalized Heart Rate Zones for fitness enthusiasts. The heart rate zones are no longer generic but account for the user's training intensity levels and goals, which should make them a lot more useful. Track Run records are also new and join over 100 existing workout trackers.
A new Skin Temperature API
The skin temperature sensor available on the Galaxy Watch 6 is not actually new. It was introduced with the Galaxy Watch 5 series, but apart from enabling temperature-based menstrual cycle tracking through a Samsung Health update, the sensor didn't do much.
With the release of One UI Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 6 series, Samsung is making a new Skin Temperature API available. Partners and app developers will soon have access to this API to create new use cases based on advanced infrared technology.
Samsung demonstrates the power of the Skin Temperature API through the newly launched Thermo Check app, which lets users measure the temperature of objects contact-free. For example, they can use the app and the Galaxy Watch 6 to measure the temperature of their favorite meals or the ocean before a swim.
New apps, upgraded Camera Controller, on-watch Find My Phone
Samsung's smartwatches now support more apps, including WhatsApp, Google Calendar, and Gmail, and they'll soon welcome a new addition: Audible. Plus, Peloton and MyFitnessPal got new updates to offer better fitness tracking and nutritional data.
Furthermore, Samsung brings its new Wallet app to the Galaxy Watch 6, along with an upgraded Camera Controller app that now allows users to switch modes and adjust zoom levels.
And last but certainly not least, the Galaxy Watch 6 series lets users find their misplaced phones. Find My Phone with map support is now available for the latest smartwatch, which is a fairly big deal and is bound to bring some peace of mind among Samsung device users.
