Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 tipped to take your temperature with built-in thermometer

Samsung's next Galaxy Watch smartwatch is apparently set to come packing a thermometer to give wearers the ability to track body temperature.

That's according to publication ET News who claims that the Korean tech giant will introduce a thermometer function to its next generation smartwatch that could help detect symptoms of Covid-19.

Essential reading: ECG smartwatches explained

The publication also states that Samsung has found a way to measure body temperature accurately and the technology will be packed into the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, which will apparently launch in August 2022.

In addition to packing thermometer tech into a smartwatch, it also suggests a set of Samsung Galaxy Buds could launch as well with similar temperature tracking support and believes Samsung has already completed a prototype of the smart buds.

If temperature tracking does land on the next Samsung Galaxy Watch, it wouldn't be the first smartwatch to offer this type of feature.

Fitbit's Sense smartwatch includes a skin temperature sensor, as does a series of Amazfit smartwatches and Mobvoi's TicWatch GTH and upcoming GTH Pro watches also promise temperature tracking support too.

Outside of watches, the Whoop 4.0 can track skin temperature, while the Oura Ring 3 smart ring does already offer the ability to monitor body temperature.

That ability to monitor body temperature as opposed to skin temperature means theoretically Samsung could use that information to help detect if you're becoming ill or have an infection.

Samsung's already added an ECG sensor to more accurately track heart health and blood pressure monitoring to its Galaxy Watch.

So the addition of body temperature tracking would continue to turn its smartwatch into a more powerful health tracking device. It would also put it ahead of Apple in the monitoring stakes as its Watch currently only offers ECG support on its Series 6 and Series 7 smartwatches.

This is of course very much speculation with no source provided that Samsung will add this potentially big new feature to its next smartwatch.

Compared to some of the other big health monitoring features that have been rumored for the Galaxy Watch in the past, this is one that does feel like it could possibly happen.

There's already examples of wearables that can deliver body temperature tracking. The key is whether Samsung is able to get that monitoring to a level of accuracy that actually makes it useful to have.

We're sure this won't be the last we hear about it ahead of Samsung officially unveiling the Galaxy Watch 5.