Samsung has added a bunch of new features to its original Galaxy Watch, which was launched back in 2018.
The update, which is also destined for the Galaxy Watch Active (2019), is rolling out across the US and South Korea now.
The update (R810XXU1FUB6) add health and fitness, as well as additional smart connectivity functionality.
Samsung has been busy recently, releasing a heap of updates to its Galaxy Watch 3 and older Active 2 smartwatches, as it shows no sign of putting its older devices out to pasture yet.
First it brought ECG and blood pressure to its older Active 2 smartwatch, before treating the same device to a heap of performance improvements, hand washing and SmartThings Find ahead of its flagship Galaxy Watch 3, which got the update earlier this year.
And while the first Galaxy Watch isn’t getting top end health features, it is significantly improved.
Users will now be able to see images in notifications, which will be far more useful to users of Samsung’s smartwatch.
And it will also now support AR emoji and Bitmoji too, so there won’t be any lost context to notifications on the wrist.
And sports tracking has also been given a boost. Automatically tracked exercise will now get audio feedback of pace and heart rate, making the workout experience a lot more complete.
Finally, users can now take scrolling capture screenshots on their Samsung Galaxy Watch – something we readily admit will have niche appeal.
It’s a neat set of additions, and while they won’t have us suddenly recommending people to do and pick up a three-year-old smartwatch, they should keep Galaxy Watch users interested.
We’re already eye-ing a possible update to the Galaxy Watch range for 2021, with the Active 2 sport focused smartwatch overdue a refresh.
That update could be in the form of the Active 3, which would neatly slot in alongside the Galaxy Watch 3.
However, new rumors are that Samsung is preparing to ditch its Tizen OS in favor of Wear OS. While this has come as a surprise, and seems somewhat unlikely, it could bolster the selection of third-party apps and unify Samsung Galaxy smartwatches as the best choice for Android users.
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James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.