Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch Active 2, will be the first smartwatch from the company to feature an electrocardiogram (ECG) heart rate tracker, claims a report by Wareable. But according to the report, the feature won’t be available when the watch is first released, and will be enabled through a software update next year. At launch, the watch is expected to feature more basic heart rate tracking, with alerts if your heat rate jumps too high or drops too low.
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The report also claims that there will be three models of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 (codenamed “Renaissance”) announced on stage in August, including an LTE model, a Bluetooth-only model and an Under Armor-branded model, which will apparently come with added sports-focused features. All three are said to be coming in 40mm and 44mm size options, which is the same as the Apple Watch Series 4.
The Wareable report also claims the Under Armor model will come with an exclusive strap and MapMyRun integration, along with 6 months of the service. The LTE model is said to come in a stainless-steel case, leather strap and will have four colors to choose from, while the Bluetooth models will have an aluminum case.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has included heart rate tracking in its smartwatches. The previous versions like the Galaxy Watch Active and Galaxy Watch featured less accurate light-based optical trackers.
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ECG measures electrical signal and therefore it’s more accurate. But for ECG to be featured in a device, it needs approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that may be the reason for Samsung’s delayed release of the feature.
According to Wareable, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 will be unveiled alongside the Galaxy Note 10 at an event in New York next month. Samsung has already scheduled an event for August 7th.
