Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung could add a BIA sensor to the Galaxy Watch 4.
- The sensor gauges the wearer’s body composition, including the proportion of body fat to muscle.
- This data could give users a broader overview of their general health.
Smartwatches have bolted on several new health sensors in recent years. Some wearables can now measure stress, skin temperature, and heart health, while SpO2 sensors have become commonplace. Now, Samsung could add yet another new sensor to the Galaxy Watch 4.
According to Max Weinbach, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 will include a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) sensor, a feature commonly found on smart scales.
How does BIA work, and what does it do?
BIA is a method to measure the composition — or the percentage of fat to muscle and other tissue — of the human body. The sensor reads the impedance, or disruption, of a low voltage current sent through the body. BIA uses this data to estimate whether a wearer is too lean or obese as bone, muscle, fat, and other tissue have different electrical resistance qualities.
Per Doylestown Health, current BIA sensors usually employ two electrodes positioned on a patient’s opposite hand and foot. Samsung may get around this by asking the wearer to touch a part of the watch with their other hand, completing the circuit. A patent filed in 2019 (h/t Patently Apple) suggests that Samsung will likely employ this solution.
BIA readings on a wearable could be a valuable addition to those wanting to build muscle, monitor their general health, or burn fat. It would also sync effectively with other performance metrics, like VO2 Max. While the Galaxy Watch 3 wasn’t the most effective fitness tracking wearable, it seems that Samsung intends to improve this facet of its wearables.
Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Active on June 28. So we’ll get a confirmation of the device’s fitness smarts in a few days.
