Apple and Samsung both working on thermometers for next watches, but one is struggling
The Apple Watch Series 8 might not get breakthrough upgrades like blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring, but it could still gain an important feature: body temperature measurement.
Esteemed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple had intended to ship the feature with last year's Watch Series 7, but that didn't happen because the algorithm was apparently not good enough. The company has since made progress and if the algorithm passes the quality test, it may introduce the feature with the Watch 8.
This isn't the first time we are hearing about the feature. Both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal have also reported that the Watch Series 8 could include a body-temperature sensor. They have also said that it might not be used to detect fever initially but might instead help with fertility planning only.
Kuo expands on this by explaining that skin temperature varies depending on external conditions and since a smartwatch cannot measure core temperature because of hardware limitations, the watch must use an algorithm to determine a user's precise body temperature.
Samsung is also facing the same challenge and although a report had said that the Galaxy Watch 5 could offer a built-in thermometer, Kuo says the South Korean giant hasn't nailed its algorithm yet, and thus it's likely that its next watch, which is expected in the second half of the year, will not include the feature.
Other changes coming to Apple's next best (potential) smartwatch apparently include improvements to irregular-heartbeat monitoring, the capability to send short messages over satellite networks, a new low power mode to extend battery life, and new watch faces.
Although Apple's market share of 30 percent gave it a wide lead over its next-closest rival Samsung last year, its share decreased 3 percent year over year, while the latter witnessed growth of 200 percent. Amazfit and Garmin also performed better than the market average. The competition will likely intensify this year as Google is highly likely to introduce its first smartwatch this month.
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