Samsung confirms Galaxy Watch 6 coming later this year with AFib notifications

Ben Schoon | Jun 14 2023 - 6:32 am PT

In a new announcement this week, Samsung has officially confirmed that it has a new smartwatch coming later this year (which we know as the Galaxy Watch 6), and it will be the first to pack support for AFib notifications.

Samsung announced today that it will roll out support for Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications in 13 markets across the globe starting later this year with the launch of One UI Watch 5. The updated software, now in beta, will eventually be rolled out to Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 4 and their variants.

Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications on Galaxy Watch will track your vitals for signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common heart condition that can lead to bigger problems over time. This feature is also offered by Fitbit products, as well as by other brands, but Samsung is also now ready to offer the passive notifications on Galaxy Watch devices. This new functionality uses much of the same hardware that’s used in on-demand ECG tests on the watch, which also aims to detect the same condition.

Samsung has been granted clearance for the feature in the US, South Korea, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Panama, and the UAE for a total of 13 markets across the globe.

Before rolling out existing Galaxy Watch models, though, this new feature will debut on brand new hardware.

Samsung confirmed in this announcement that “upcoming Galaxy Watch devices” will be the first with support for this new feature when they release “later this year.” This points to the Galaxy Watch 6 series, which has been leaked several times in recent months.

The Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification feature will first be available on the upcoming Galaxy Watch devices later this year, as part of the new One UI 5 Watch and later expanded to previous editions.

The Galaxy Watch 6 series is expected to offer a new chipset, updated designs, and the return of a “Classic” model with a rotating bezel.