Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, its newest wearable, is set to debut with health-tracking functionalities, encompassing heart rate and sleep monitoring, while also furnishing users with a daily readiness score, revealed a senior executive to CNBC.
During an expansive discussion, Hon Pak, the head of Samsung Electronics’ digital health division, delved into various topics, including the company’s inaugural venture into the ring product category, contemplations regarding a subscription-based model for the Samsung Health app, and his envisioned artificial intelligence “coach.”
The Galaxy Ring was first hinted at by Samsung in January, during the press briefing accompanying the launch of the S24 smartphone. This innovative offering from the South Korean technology behemoth is slated for its premiere unveiling at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, commencing on Monday.
Pak outlined the array of features integrated into the Samsung Galaxy Ring, emphasizing its sensor-equipped design capable of providing comprehensive health insights. Among its functionalities, the ring will offer readings on heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep movement, and sleep onset latency.
Additionally, users can anticipate the introduction of a “vitality score,” amalgamating data on both physical and mental readiness to gauge productivity levels effectively. Access to these metrics will be facilitated through the Samsung Health app, ensuring seamless monitoring and analysis.
While the precise release date and pricing details remain undisclosed, Pak hinted at the possibility of integrating contactless payment functionality into the Galaxy Ring, akin to smartphones. He indicated a dedicated team is exploring this avenue, highlighting the device’s potential beyond health-centric applications.
Beyond its health-tracking capabilities, Samsung is actively developing non-invasive glucose monitoring and blood pressure sensing functionalities for its wearable devices. Pak acknowledged the ongoing progress in this domain, particularly regarding non-invasive glucose monitoring, which could revolutionize current practices reliant on skin-piercing devices for glucose level checks.
Samsung is strategically leveraging its ecosystem of devices to bolster its presence in the health sector, a focus area cultivated over several years. With a portfolio encompassing smartphones, smartwatches, and now the Galaxy Ring, Samsung aims to cater to diverse consumer preferences and enhance its offerings in health technology.
The decision to venture into the realm of “smart rings” stems from customer feedback, as Hon Pak elucidated, emphasizing the importance of providing choice and versatility to users. Some customers prefer the convenience of a smartwatch, while others seek a simpler yet effective solution with a smart ring. Pak affirmed that wearing the smartwatch and Galaxy Ring simultaneously would yield distinct health insights, catering to varying user preferences and needs.
While Samsung is not pioneering the concept of smart rings, with competitors like Oura already in the market, the company’s approach underscores its commitment to innovation and customer-centricity. Past iterations of Samsung’s flagship smartphones featured sensors for health tracking, but recent models have transitioned away from this design, given the comprehensive health-tracking capabilities offered by their smartwatches.
Nevertheless, Pak hinted at the potential inclusion of health sensors in future smartphones, acknowledging the enduring ubiquity of mobile devices. This strategic consideration reflects Samsung’s continued exploration of opportunities to integrate health technology seamlessly into its product ecosystem, ensuring accessibility and convenience for users.
Pak elaborated on the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI) within Samsung’s health services, emphasizing its potential to harness the vast troves of data collected by their devices. His vision revolves around AI’s ability to distill this data into deeper insights into an individual’s health status.
He highlighted the significance of large language models, sophisticated AI constructs trained on extensive datasets, which power various applications such as chatbots. Pak envisaged these models as instrumental in providing enhanced insights into health metrics, leveraging data from medical records, physiological parameters, device interactions, and wearable data to offer personalized recommendations.
Anticipating the future, Pak envisioned a digital assistant functioning as a health coach, delivering tailored advice in a manner conducive to behavior change. He stressed the importance of the assistant’s ability to offer guidance in the appropriate tone and context, thereby maximizing its effectiveness in driving behavioral shifts.
Regarding Samsung’s digital assistant, Bixby, Pak hinted at its potential integration with large language models, recognizing the transformative impact such a collaboration could yield in revolutionizing the human-computer interface. While acknowledging Bixby’s significance, he emphasized the exploration of alternative options to enhance user experience and engagement.
In contemplating the prospect of a subscription-based model for the Samsung Health app, Pak underscored the imperative of augmenting its capabilities and insights before implementing such a service. He emphasized the role of AI assistants in enriching the app’s offerings, emphasizing the necessity of delivering comprehensive and holistic health insights to justify a subscription-based model effectively.
