Jenith
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Samsung's wearable device lineup greatly expanded over the past year, and now, it seems like a screenless wrist wearable is the only element missing from the equation. Should Samsung release such a distractionless health and fitness device? Let's explore the pros and cons.
Needless to say, Samsung already tried the screenless tracker concept with the release of the Galaxy Ring. If you want biometric tracking with no screen, you already have one option. But attractive as it may be, the Galaxy Ring has some downsides, and a screenless wrist wearable could fill in the gaps.
First, let's see why a screenless Galaxy wrist wearable could be a better alternative to the Galaxy Ring for some prospective buyers. Here are three reasons.
Reason #1: The planning
The Galaxy Ring is a tricky device. It's not a one-size-fits-all solution — although patents show that Samsung has already entertained the idea of a clever self-adjustable Ring of the future.
Granted, Samsung tried to make the Ring buying process as convenient as possible, but it's still not as easy as buying a wrist wearable, which comes with an adjustable band.
If you are unsure of your ring size, buying the Galaxy Ring involves ordering a Sizing Kit first, then confirming your order and waiting for it to process. And if you're trying to buy the Galaxy Ring as a gift for someone else, finding out the right size might be even trickier.
Conversely, purchasing a wrist-based health and fitness tracker for yourself or someone else should be a more straightforward process that wouldn't require any special preparation.
Reason #2: The price of miniaturized tech
For how small the Galaxy Ring is, you're paying a fairly high amount of money. That's the cost of cramming all that high-tech into a small form factor.
In contrast, a screenless wristband could deliver all the tracking capabilities of the Galaxy Ring, and more, potentially at a lower price. It might also boast much greater battery life.
Reason #3: No customization options post-purchase
The Galaxy Ring is available in three colors, with no option to pick a different material. Once you buy it, you'll have to stick with it. There's no turning back.
Wrist-based trackers offer more customization options through interchangeable wristbands and color combinations even post-purchase.
Now that we have explored some of the Galaxy Ring's shortcomings that a wrist-based tracker could address, let's see the pros and cons of a screenless band when compared to a regular smartwatch with a screen.
The pros:
The con(s):
The only downside of a screenless wrist-based tracker is that it can't deliver the same experience as a full-fledged Galaxy Watch.
Even if the screenless tracker had the same BioActive sensor as the latest Galaxy Watch, some features we take for granted would be impossible or at least difficult or inconvenient to implement. Examples include:
Perhaps some of these features could be implemented with out-of-the-box thinking, but for most of them to work, they would require looking at a phone and interacting with the Samsung Health mobile app. That could defeat the purpose of a screenless tracker, at least to a degree.
Either way, you would have to trade the convenience enabled by the Galaxy Watch in some cases for a screenless experience.
For such a device to have any appeal, I believe it should deliver way better tracking than the Galaxy Fit 3 but be priced below the Galaxy Ring and any other Galaxy Watch. This might be trickier than it seems.
And if such a device would offer a more complete health and fitness tracking experience than the Galaxy Ring for a lower price — which it should if it had the smartwatch-grade BioActive sensor — I reckon that fewer people would be interested in the Ring.
It might be too difficult for Samsung to find a balance, but from the perspective of a consumer, I say Samsung should try it. The Galaxy Ring may already be too niche a device, and a screenless wristband might be a better solution for many people.
Will Samsung ever explore this concept? It's hard to tell. However, given the company's rate of expansion in the wearable segment, I wouldn't say a screenless Galaxy wristband is outside the realm of possibility.
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The post Screenless Galaxy Watch: The wearable Samsung doesn’t make but should? appeared first on imeisource.
Needless to say, Samsung already tried the screenless tracker concept with the release of the Galaxy Ring. If you want biometric tracking with no screen, you already have one option. But attractive as it may be, the Galaxy Ring has some downsides, and a screenless wrist wearable could fill in the gaps.
First, let's see why a screenless Galaxy wrist wearable could be a better alternative to the Galaxy Ring for some prospective buyers. Here are three reasons.
Reason #1: The planning
The Galaxy Ring is a tricky device. It's not a one-size-fits-all solution — although patents show that Samsung has already entertained the idea of a clever self-adjustable Ring of the future.
Granted, Samsung tried to make the Ring buying process as convenient as possible, but it's still not as easy as buying a wrist wearable, which comes with an adjustable band.
If you are unsure of your ring size, buying the Galaxy Ring involves ordering a Sizing Kit first, then confirming your order and waiting for it to process. And if you're trying to buy the Galaxy Ring as a gift for someone else, finding out the right size might be even trickier.
Conversely, purchasing a wrist-based health and fitness tracker for yourself or someone else should be a more straightforward process that wouldn't require any special preparation.
Reason #2: The price of miniaturized tech
For how small the Galaxy Ring is, you're paying a fairly high amount of money. That's the cost of cramming all that high-tech into a small form factor.
In contrast, a screenless wristband could deliver all the tracking capabilities of the Galaxy Ring, and more, potentially at a lower price. It might also boast much greater battery life.
Reason #3: No customization options post-purchase
The Galaxy Ring is available in three colors, with no option to pick a different material. Once you buy it, you'll have to stick with it. There's no turning back.
Wrist-based trackers offer more customization options through interchangeable wristbands and color combinations even post-purchase.
The pros and cons of a screenless Galaxy wrist-based health tracker
Now that we have explored some of the Galaxy Ring's shortcomings that a wrist-based tracker could address, let's see the pros and cons of a screenless band when compared to a regular smartwatch with a screen.
The pros:
- Not another screen. Distraction-free health and fitness tracking.
- Potentially the same smartwatch-grade BioActive sensor for a lower price.
- A great tracking solution for classic watch enthusiasts who don't want a smartwatch on their wrist.
- Longer battery life.
The con(s):
The only downside of a screenless wrist-based tracker is that it can't deliver the same experience as a full-fledged Galaxy Watch.
Even if the screenless tracker had the same BioActive sensor as the latest Galaxy Watch, some features we take for granted would be impossible or at least difficult or inconvenient to implement. Examples include:
- No easy access to breathing exercises.
- No way to tell the weather, check UV radiation levels, or gain insight into other environmental data.
- No detailed message or incoming call information.
- Missing access to apps like a web browser or Maps.
- Relying solely on automatic fitness exercise detection, without a way to manually select activities, could be problematic.
- No way to input calorie intake from your wrist.
- No on-the-wrist stress or mood monitoring.
Perhaps some of these features could be implemented with out-of-the-box thinking, but for most of them to work, they would require looking at a phone and interacting with the Samsung Health mobile app. That could defeat the purpose of a screenless tracker, at least to a degree.
Either way, you would have to trade the convenience enabled by the Galaxy Watch in some cases for a screenless experience.
Conclusion: Should Samsung release a Galaxy screenless wristband?
For such a device to have any appeal, I believe it should deliver way better tracking than the Galaxy Fit 3 but be priced below the Galaxy Ring and any other Galaxy Watch. This might be trickier than it seems.
And if such a device would offer a more complete health and fitness tracking experience than the Galaxy Ring for a lower price — which it should if it had the smartwatch-grade BioActive sensor — I reckon that fewer people would be interested in the Ring.
It might be too difficult for Samsung to find a balance, but from the perspective of a consumer, I say Samsung should try it. The Galaxy Ring may already be too niche a device, and a screenless wristband might be a better solution for many people.
Will Samsung ever explore this concept? It's hard to tell. However, given the company's rate of expansion in the wearable segment, I wouldn't say a screenless Galaxy wristband is outside the realm of possibility.
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The post Screenless Galaxy Watch: The wearable Samsung doesn’t make but should? appeared first on imeisource.