Samsung’s most intriguing fitness tech of 2024 isn’t Galaxy Ring or Watch 7 — it’s Galaxy AI

Sunday Runday(Image credit score: Android Central)In this weekly column, Android Central Fitness Editor Michael Hicks talks concerning the world of wearables, apps, and health tech associated to operating and well being, in his quest to get sooner and healthier.Samsung’s 2024 lineup of gadgets is shaping as much as revamp its Health app and health instruments, catering to sporty customers in a approach we’ve not seen from Samsung since its final Galaxy Active watch. The query is, will Samsung’s main AI push — and gadgets just like the Galaxy Ring — do sufficient to make Samsung aggressive for health once more, or does it have to go even additional?I criticized Samsung’s health efforts final yr, primarily on account of some wonky well being and GPS information when reviewing the Galaxy Watch 6. While Apple and Google pushed onerous in 2023 to enhance Apple Fitness Plus and Fitbit Premium on their watches, Samsung’s efforts felt extra perfunctory and outdated. Now, my angle in direction of Samsung has (tentatively) flipped. My coworkers suppose the Galaxy AI might be a “glorious mess,” they usually’re in all probability proper. But I’ve seen how manufacturers like Garmin, Amazfit, and Fitbit have used algorithms behind the scenes to information athletes’ coaching, and I’ve been ready eagerly for one of many larger manufacturers with extra machine-learning know-how to step into the fray. If Samsung performs its playing cards proper, it may make athletes much more enthusiastic about its wearables.Samsung’s 2024 health {hardware} plans(Image credit score: Samsung / Android Central)We know that the Galaxy Ring will arrive someday in 2024; I already spent final week’s column gushing concerning the Ring’s potential, so I will not retread outdated floor right here besides to say that Samsung has the possibility to make sensible rings explode as a classy, informal different to smartwatches for sleep and health monitoring. You may not know that Samsung appears set to launch one other health tracker within the first half of 2024: the Galaxy Fit 3. Arriving almost 4 years after the Fit 2, the Fit 3 might have a wider AMOLED show and higher battery life than the Fit 2. More importantly, it exhibits that Samsung is being attentive to fitness-focused customers once more, and the Fit 3 ought to provide a extra polished software program expertise than your regular finances health tracker.(Image credit score: Windows Report)Then, clearly, we’ll get the Galaxy Watch 7 this summer time — and it is certain to obtain the “My Vitality Score” metric revealed at Galaxy Unpacked. Similar to Fitbit’s Daily Readiness or Garmin’s Body Battery, it’s going to use well being and sleep information to evaluate your skill to work out (or typically perform) that day, with “Booster Card” warnings if you happen to’re overly burdened or why the AI algorithm believes that you simply slept badly.We additionally assume that Samsung will alternate again to the Galaxy Watch 7 Pro after the Watch 6 Classic final yr. Like the Watch 5 Pro, it ought to have a number of days of battery life, counterbalancing one of many primary complaints that athletes have with common smartwatches: they’re liable to die on you in the course of a exercise. A Samsung patent displaying a sensible ring as a controller for a pair of sensible glasses (Image credit score: Samsung / Android Central)Finally, we’re on account of obtain Samsung’s unnamed mixed-reality headset someday in 2024. Possibly known as “Samsung Glasses,” the headset is supposed to problem the Apple Vision Pro for critical VR followers. Why carry it up right here? Because health apps are the killer perform that helped the Oculus Quest 2 and Quest 3 promote tens of tens of millions of items. People love dropping themselves in VR worlds to burn energy, so if Samsung can attraction to those self same at-home train followers, it could actually assist the headset’s possibilities of success. We’ve even seen patent proof of Samsung utilizing a sensible ring as a VR controller, and the Galaxy Ring may additionally monitor your burned energy or hand actions throughout a exercise or energetic sport. The Galaxy AI may very well be a coaching game-changerAside from my hype surrounding the Galaxy Ring, I do know that Samsung in all probability will not have an excessive amount of groundbreaking health tech in a finances tracker just like the Galaxy Fit 3. And I think it’s going to attempt to market the Samsung XR headset as a “serious” machine, so I do not know if enjoyable health apps will enter the equation. Samsung will save its finest health tips for the Galaxy Watch 7 and 7 Pro. So far, we all know they’re going to in all probability run Wear OS 5 and use a 3nm Exynos W940 chip, however there aren’t any particular rumors about health this far out. We might know that Samsung is engaged on non-invasive glucose monitoring, however that will not arrive for years. So, what do I would like from Samsung Health and its wearables this yr? I’ll begin with the large one: a Galaxy Coach “AI” to information exercises. The Galaxy Watch 6 added instruments like personalised coronary heart fee zones and VO2 Max information that different watches already supplied, however the Galaxy Watch 7 may go a lot additional. Fitbit makes use of its equal of the “My Vitality score” metric, alongside along with your VO2 Max, to suggest what number of Active Zone Minutes to work out that day. Why could not Samsung do the identical?(Image credit score: Michael Hicks / Android Central)Right now, the “Running Coach” on the Galaxy Watch 6 is not well worth the identify. It’s only a guided exercise device with a couple of paced runs to observe, most of them on the sluggish facet. It additionally has couch-to-5K or 10Ok operating packages that suggest three runs every week for 2 months that enhance in issue over time — however they can not regulate the tempo based mostly in your private progress or talents as Garmin Coach can.What if, as an alternative, the Galaxy AI may analyze your previous runs and generate a particular, custom-made tempo and size to match your present talents and Vitality Score? That could be the form of device to make Galaxy AI intriguing — and provide one thing that the rival Apple Watch cannot (but).The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro supported offline GPX route downloads, an unique characteristic that did not come to the Watch 6 sequence. Aside from this device coming again for the Watch 7 Pro, my hope is that Samsung can have extra “pro” health instruments for this mannequin in the summertime. I’m additionally hoping Samsung can enhance its algorithms for registering your well being information. For context, the Fitbit Charge 6 has a Google-backed algorithm for getting higher readings throughout “vigorous” exercises the place the sensors is probably not flush along with your wrist, and the outcomes had been fairly dependable in my testing. The Galaxy Watch 6 struggled with its information assortment, however that is one thing the Galaxy AI can rectify behind the scenes — if Samsung places within the effort.(Image credit score: Samsung)Of course, I’m specializing in operating instruments as a result of I’m a runner. My coworkers have instructed me how they use Galaxy Watches to log particular health club reps, and Samsung additionally has health packages for indoor exercises. They’re simply not as in-depth or correct as they may very well be, usually focusing on learners. Just as I requested Garmin to enhance its indoor exercises by recommending a listing of workout routines based mostly in your muscle map and previous exercise degree, my hope is that Samsung may use the Galaxy AI to supply one thing related. It must watch out with it for the reason that AI may suggest somebody carry greater than they’re able to and damage themselves, however in concept, it may very well be a helpful motivational device.Samsung at the moment has a “Mirror View” device the place that makes use of your smartphone digital camera to point out your present type in your Samsung TV throughout a exercise that will help you examine if you happen to’re doing it correctly. The subsequent logical step could be to make use of the Galaxy AI to research your type in real-time and rating you so you recognize if you’ll want to get higher at squats or Downward Dog. Samsung is placing way more effort into turning its TVs into cloud gaming hubs today. But if it will probably leverage its TVs and partnerships with health apps in coordination with its Galaxy AI to suggest exercises, that may make Samsung Health way more tempting than earlier than. My guess is that Samsung’s Galaxy AI efforts might be centered on the Galaxy S24 sequence for the foreseeable future. Even although the Galaxy Watch 7 and 7 Pro ought to be the perfect Android smartwatches available on the market, we have no proof but {that a} small wearable chipset is able to on-device AI tips. Still, I think that Samsung Health’s “My Vitality Plus” is simply the beginning of its fitness-focused AI tips. And for good motive!Samsung has watched Apple Fitness+ achieve 750 million subscribers as of 2022 (per CNET) and get on monitor to earn billions by 2025 (per Apple Insider). The sync between Apple TV containers, Apple Watch well being information, and Apple Music playlists on your exercises makes Fitness+ compelling. That’s what Samsung must do: create a health ecosystem that works in tandem that will help you get healthier. It will not matter if you happen to’re utilizing a Galaxy Ring or Fit or Watch, or perhaps a Samsung TV, as long as the Galaxy AI algorithm is behind all of them without delay, serving to you determine easy methods to grow to be extra energetic day-after-day. We know that Samsung is contemplating whether or not to cost folks for its Galaxy AI providers. If Samsung does go down that route, it wants to begin making the Galaxy AI value paying for. Most of the early Galaxy AI tips, like organizing your S Pen notes or live-translating a telephone name, are cool however area of interest. But exercises? Everybody works out, and most of the people are prepared to pay to get more healthy.You have an actual health alternative right here, Samsung. Don’t allow us to down!