Samsung Electronics Co. SSNLF has announced its foray into noninvasive glucose and continuous blood pressure monitoring technology, setting up a direct competition with Apple Inc. AAPL and other tech giants in the rapidly growing healthcare tech sector.
What Happened: Samsung aims to incorporate health features into a variety of devices, including the previously announced Galaxy Ring. The initiative, led by company executive Hon Pak, is part of the company’s strategic plan to offer consumers a comprehensive view of their health through different body and home sensors, reported Bloomberg.
Health tracking has become a crucial feature of smartphones and watches, with companies like Samsung, Apple and Alphabet Inc. GOOGGOOGL leveraging these features to retain and attract consumers.
While the timeline for these features is yet to be confirmed, Pak is optimistic about noninvasive glucose monitoring being market-ready within five years. Samsung earlier announced the development of a ring with health sensors, the Galaxy Ring, to launch by the end of 2024.
The South Korean-based tech giant and Apple are in a heated race to upgrade health tech features. While Cupertino plans to add hypertension detection to its smartwatch this year, Samsung has been working to improve its blood pressure features, targeting longer durations without calibration, the report noted.
Moreover, Samsung’s future earbuds versions are expected to include an array of new sensors, and the company has been exploring innovative ways to measure body temperature and heart rates. Meanwhile, while Apple has been gearing up to launch the Vision Pro headset on Feb. 2, the mixed-reality headsets are also on Samsung’s health tech radar.
See Also: Here’s Everything Samsung Galaxy S24 Borrowed From Apple’s iPhone And Google’s Pixel
Why It Matters: Samsung’s announcement comes at a time when Apple has had to remove the blood oxygen feature from its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models for sale in the U.S. due to an intellectual property dispute with Masimo Corporation MASI.
This development, coupled with Apple’s recent success in global smartphone shipments, beating Samsung after a 13-year reign, has set the stage for fierce competition in the health tech arena.
Image: Shutterstock/ Arcansel
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
