Samsung's New BioActive Sensor and Sleep Apnea Detection in Galaxy Watch 7 and 7 Ultra

Seoul, South Korea Korea (Republic of)
FDA cleared Samsung Health Monitor app on Galaxy Watch 7 series for sleep apnea detection. Requires minimum watch model of Galaxy Watch 4 and OS of Wear OS 5 and One UI Watch 6.
New BioActive Sensor has enhanced performance for photodiodes and additional LED colors: Blue, Yellow, Violet, Ultraviolet.
Samsung's competitors experiencing delays in developing reliable high blood oxygen sensors.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 7 and 7 Ultra coming soon with advanced BioActive Sensor and sleep apnea detection.
Samsung's New BioActive Sensor and Sleep Apnea Detection in Galaxy Watch 7 and 7 Ultra

Samsung's Upcoming Galaxy Watch 7 and 7 Ultra: New BioActive Sensor and Sleep Apnea Detection

Samsung is set to launch its new Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra in the coming days. These smartwatches are expected to come with several new features, including a more advanced BioActive Sensor and sleep apnea detection.

According to reports, Samsung's new BioActive Sensor has been upgraded with enhanced performance for photodiodes and additional LED colors. This upgrade is said to result in more accurate readings of heart rate, sleep quality, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, and stress levels. The new LED colors include Blue, Yellow, Violet and Ultraviolet which will improve accuracy during workouts and unlock new health tracking features such as an advanced glycation end products (AGEs) index.

Additionally, the Samsung Health Monitor app on the Galaxy Watch 7 series has been cleared by the FDA in the US for sleep apnea detection. The minimum watch model to use this feature is Galaxy Watch 4, and it requires a minimum OS of Wear OS 5 and One UI Watch 6. The app needs two nights of data to detect signs of sleep apnea on the Galaxy Watch.

Samsung's competitors, such as Apple, have also been working on similar health monitoring features for their smartwatches. However, recent reports suggest that Apple Watch 10 may experience delays due to issues with developing a reliable high blood oxygen sensor. Samsung seems to be taking advantage of this situation by highlighting the accuracy and reliability of its new BioActive Sensor.

The Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra are expected to be unveiled at Samsung Unpacked 2024 on July 10. Stay tuned for more updates on these exciting new devices.



Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • Are the reported enhancements to the BioActive Sensor proven to result in more accurate readings?
  • Is the sleep apnea detection feature reliable enough for medical use?

Sources

96%

  • Unique Points
    • Sleep Apnea detection feature has been cleared by the FDA in the US for Samsung devices
    • Minimum watch model to use this feature is Galaxy Watch 4
    • Minimum OS required is Wear OS 5 and One UI Watch 6
    • The app needs two nights minimum to detect signs of sleep apnea on the Galaxy Watch
  • Accuracy
    • The feature is becoming available on some Galaxy Watch models before the launch of Galaxy Watch 7 and 7 Ultra
    • The minimum watch model to use this feature is Galaxy Watch 4
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (90%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by mentioning the FDA clearance for the sleep apnea detection feature. Additionally, there is a use of inflammatory rhetoric in phrases like 'destructive sleep apnea'. No direct quotes from individuals are analyzed in this case.
    • . . .it looks like the Galaxy Watch series is beginning to see that feature.
    • In February, Samsung announced that a new Sleep Apnea detection feature had been cleared by the FDA in the US.
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

  • Unique Points
    • Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra and regular Galaxy Watch 7 will be released with a new BioActive Sensor.
    • The sensor’s performance has been doubled, allowing for more accurate readings of heart rate, sleep, blood pressure, blood oxygen, and stress.
    • New LED colors (Blue, Yellow, Violet and Ultraviolet) will improve accuracy during workouts and unlock new health tracking features such as an advanced glycation end products (AGEs) index.
  • Accuracy
    • The BioActive Sensor's performance has been doubled, allowing for more accurate readings of heart rate, sleep, blood pressure, blood oxygen, and stress.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

84%

  • Unique Points
    • Samsung released a One UI 6 Watch beta upgrade for Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and some newer Galaxy Watch 5 models.
    • Users can combine a series of exercises together to create a custom workout routine.
  • Accuracy
    • The upgrade improves health tracking, including sleep insights.
    • Minimum watch model to use the sleep apnea feature is Galaxy Watch 4.
  • Deception (30%)
    The article is not entirely deceptive but it does omit some important information. It fails to disclose that the One UI 6 Watch beta upgrade is only available for Bluetooth models and excludes LTE versions, which includes the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 LTE variants. This omission can be considered a lie by omission.
    • The beta is already available for those with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

84%

  • Unique Points
    • Samsung is expected to debut the Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra at Samsung Unpacked 2024.
    • Apple Watch 10 may experience delays due to issues with developing a reliable high blood oxygen sensor.
    • Samsung's new BioActive Sensor claims to more accurately measure health metrics including heart rate, sleep quality, blood oxygen levels, and stress levels.
    • Heart rate monitoring on the Galaxy Watch 7 is claimed to be 30% more accurate than the Watch 6.
  • Accuracy
    • Samsung’s new BioActive Sensor claims to more accurately measure health metrics including heart rate, sleep quality, blood oxygen levels, and stress levels.
    • Galaxy Watch 7 may offer options for 40- and 44-mm watch faces.
  • Deception (30%)
    The author, Kyle Barr, uses emotional manipulation and sensationalism by focusing on Apple's alleged struggles with developing health monitoring tech for the Apple Watch 10 and Samsung's supposed success in this area. He also selectively reports information by only mentioning the potential issues with Apple and highlighting Samsung's claimed improvements without providing specific details or evidence.
    • Samsung teased its next Galaxy Watch’s health and wellness features by proclaiming its new ‘BioActive Sensor’ was more compact with combined photodiodes and still more effective by expanding the number of LEDs.
    • The biggest addition to last year’s Apple Watch 9 was the ‘double tap’ gesture, which, while useful, wasn’t exactly a feature to define a whole new generation of wearables.
    • There have been fewer rumors about a new, cheaper Samsung Watch FE.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (95%)
    The author, Kyle Barr, makes direct comparisons between Samsung's upcoming watch features and Apple's reported struggles with developing health monitoring tech for the Apple Watch 10. He mentions Apple's issues with Masimo Corp. regarding blood oxygen sensing technology and the potential delay of a sleep apnea feature due to this dispute.
    • Apple may push some of those Watch 10 features to 2025. It may even try to claim its 10th anniversary in 2025 rather than the slog that is 2024.
      • Samsung teased its next Galaxy Watch’s health and wellness features by proclaiming its new ‘BioActive Sensor’ was more compact with combined photodiodes and still more effective by expanding the number of LEDs. In a release, the Galaxy Watch maker claimed the sensor can ‘more accurately measure health metrics such as heart rate, sleep quality, blood oxygen levels, and stress levels.’
        • The mention of blood oxygen monitoring is a pretty deep dig at Apple, which is still reeling over the ongoing kerfuffle with health tech company Masimo Corp. Masimo claimed Apple stole the company’s own blood oxygen sensing tech.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication