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Samsung Galaxy Watch customers may quickly must open their wallets wider to entry the well being options they’ve grown accustomed to. Samsung senior vp Dr. Hon Pak mentioned the corporate is “exploring” a premium subscription mannequin, in response to an interview with Lifehacker sister web site CNET. Whereas nothing has been formally launched but, the writing is on the wall for present Galaxy Watch homeowners who’ve loved complete well being monitoring with out extra charges. Here is what we all know to date.
What this information means for Galaxy Watch wearers
Samsung says it is exploring a premium subscription mannequin much like Fitbit Premium or Garmin’s Join+. In different phrases, the corporate is brazenly contemplating a month-to-month subscription to unlock superior well being options—suppose “AI teaching” or “customized insights.”
In line with the CNET interview, it seems like new Galaxy Watch purchasers would obtain all superior teaching instruments already unlocked with their machine. Nonetheless, present customers—those that purchased their watches underneath the idea that well being options had been included—may face the prospect of paying further to keep up entry to instruments they beforehand used without cost.
What subscription fashions Samsung may observe
To make an informed guess at Samsung’s subscription technique, let’s check out how different main gamers deal with well being options and premium companies.
Apple Watch provides a Health+ subscription for $9.99 per thirty days. Apple Health+ principally focuses on exercise courses and guided health content material, fairly than paywalling essentially the most coveted well being information assortment. Apple Watch wearers nonetheless get the fundamentals like step rely, coronary heart charge, and all of your core well being information without cost.
What do you suppose to date?
Fitbit (owned by Google) has extra of a combined mannequin. Primary exercise monitoring, sleep monitoring, and train logging are free, however superior insights, customized steering, and detailed well being metrics require Fitbit Premium ($9.99 per thirty days). Nonetheless, Fitbit has been clear about this tiered strategy for the reason that service launched.
Garmin is an attention-grabbing case, for the reason that firm really adjusted its mannequin within the face of intense consumer backlash after they introduced Join+ and its $6.99 per thirty days price ticket. Garmin clarified that “all present options and information in Garmin Join will stay free,” however nonetheless—it felt just like the finish of an period for the corporate. Now, it is uncommon to search out any type of wearable the place you do not have to pay for options along with the {hardware} itself.
For present Galaxy Watch homeowners, this can be a reminder that what looks like a one-time buy more and more entails ongoing prices and altering phrases of service. It looks like the brand new norm is just to consider potential future subscription necessities down the road. What begins as a “premium characteristic or two” ultimately expands right into a broader sample the place beforehand free performance turns into subscription-gated. The underside line is Galaxy Watch homeowners ought to put together for his or her well being monitoring to quickly include a further price ticket.
