New Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 rumors have given us an imminent release date, but with a side of bad news about one of its coolest features.
A report from Korean news site Money Today citing industry sources claims Samsung won't be including a blood glucose monitor in the Galaxy Watch 4, despite previous rumors claiming so. However, both the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch Active 4 will be launching in two or three months.
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A blood glucose tracker is an exciting feature that is useful for checking health, especially for diabetics who need to perform regular checks of their glucose levels. In theory, the Galaxy Watch would give these users the results they need without them needing to take an external blood sample, saving time and discomfort.
This feature has also been tipped for the Apple Watch 7, but we’ve also heard that it could skip this generation as well. If Apple is able to pull off blood sugar monitoring, however, it would give the Apple Watch 7 a sizable advantage over its rival.
The report repeats the claim that Samsung will run the Galaxy Watch 4 with Google's WearOS, not its own Tizen OS. Current Wear OS is more basic than Tizen, which suggests that Samsung will be using a heavily modified version of it if it wants to keep the advanced features it's already established.
The good news is that making the switch to Wear OS will make the Galaxy Watch series easier to develop for, since Wear OS is a well-supported Google product that is used by multiple smartwatch makers. That in turn could mean more apps that will work with the Galaxy Watch over time.
Money Today's report also details that the new Galaxy Watch will come in two different versions, each with two size options. The Galaxy Watch 4 will come with either a 42mm or a 46mm face, while the sports-focused Galaxy Watch Active 4 will come in 40mm and 42mm versions instead.
Both watches are predicted to have a July or August launch, the same time as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. This matches the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 last year, although the last Active version, the Galaxy Watch Active 2, was launched in September 2019.
