{"id":113322,"date":"2026-08-09T03:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T03:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/113322\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T03:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T03:00:25","slug":"samsung-galaxy-watch9-review-health-trackers-most-exciting-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/113322\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung Galaxy Watch9 review: health tracker’s most exciting features"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\tNew York Post may be compensated and\/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.<\/p>\n

Hi, I\u2019m the New York Post\u2019s Wellness Editor \u2014 and until a couple weeks ago, I was a smartwatch virgin.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t a wearables virgin (seriously, what do you take me for?). At this point I feel naked if I leave the house without my Oura ring<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But I know the top smart watches have more capabilities, so when I got the opportunity to test out the new Samsung Galaxy Watch9<\/a>, which is on sale today, I jumped at the chance.<\/p>\n

Well, I got the watch first, and then I jumped \u2014 I\u2019ll be damned if I\u2019m not getting credit for those calories burned.<\/p>\n

\"AThe new Samsung Galaxy Watch9 is on sale August 7. Samsung<\/p>\n

First, basics: The 40mm Bluetooth version costs $379.99 (the 44mm is $409.99). It needs to connect to a nearby phone for features like calling, texting and apps with data. There\u2019s also an internet-connected LTE option for $50 more.<\/p>\n

Either way, you need to use it with an Android phone \u2014 and if you want all the advanced health features, it has to be a Galaxy. (That\u2019s similar to the Apple Watch<\/a>, which can only be used with an iPhone.)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything you need to know about the most interesting health features, whether you\u2019re thinking of upgrading your old Samsung watch or switching over from another device entirely.<\/p>\n

\"TheI got the 40mm Bluetooth version ($379.99) with a white band. The screen display is customizable \u2014 I switch back and forth between this purely pretty design and a slightly more functional one.<\/p>\n

Fitness tracker in action<\/p>\n

To celebrate the launch of the new watch<\/a> and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra<\/a>, the brand invited me to a workout to see the fitness tracker features in action.<\/p>\n

Once I started recording the session, it was gratifying to watch my screen measure my raised heart rate in real time \u2014 and see which particular moves were pushing my body the hardest.<\/p>\n

During less intense exercise, like a walk in Central Park, I haven\u2019t even had to press \u201crecord\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s given me a vibrating nudge to let me know it\u2019s tracking my steps and calories burned, and buzzes again when I\u2019ve come to a stop, delivering a summary directly to my wrist.<\/p>\n

\"WomenI put the fitness tracking capabilities to the test at a workout hosted by Samsung \u2014 and also plenty of exercise of my own. Samsung<\/p>\n

I will note that this watch is very perceptive of heartbeat \u2014 and maybe put too much faith in the idea that I\u2019m super active versus highly emotional. Last week, it registered a stressful conversation I was having as a 13-minute workout, which I realized when it vibrated and told me my exercise session was well underway. (My heart rate was in zone 3 \u2014 yikes.)<\/p>\n

It also vibrates if you\u2019re being too sedentary. A few times a day while sitting at my desk at work, I feel a buzz on my wrist as the screen tells me it\u2019s \u201ctime to get moving.\u201d This is pretty useful, since studies have linked prolonged sitting to\u00a0heart disease<\/a>,\u00a0diabetes<\/a>,\u00a0weight gain<\/a>,\u00a0depression<\/a>\u00a0and even\u00a0some cancers<\/a>. Oh \u2014 and early death<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fitness trackers are often framed as a must for really active people, but they can be a useful tool for those who have a tougher time getting motivated. Seeing evidence of what you accomplished immediately \u2014 and being encouraged by in-app goal trackers \u2014 can definitely be a helpful kick in the butt to make you add more movement into your day.<\/p>\n

\"ScreenshotIt tracks daily activity via steps, active time and active calories burned \u2014 and you get a victorious vibration when you hit a goal (completing the heart). New York Post<\/p>\n

\"AIt starts logging a lot of workouts (including this walk I took through Central Park) automatically and breaks down what you did with lots of data. New York Post<\/p>\n

Tracking your progress<\/p>\n

A brand new feature on this watch is the Fitness Index, which compares your fitness level to that of your peers \u2014 and offers guidance to improve.<\/p>\n

Using data it picks up from various places (e.g. workouts, body composition scans), it scores you on five indicators:<\/p>\n

Cardiorespiratory fitness<\/p>\n

Muscular endurance<\/p>\n

Muscular strength<\/p>\n

Body composition <\/p>\n

Flexibility<\/p>\n

Once you set a goal \u2014 I went with \u201cimprove overall fitness\u201d \u2014 it gives you weekly missions to complete.<\/p>\n

My week one goal was to do two hours and 30 minutes of exercise spread across four categories: one minute of strength workouts, 39 minutes of cardio, 41 minutes of flexibility, and nine minutes of endurance.<\/p>\n

With an additional $15\/month iFit subscription, those workouts are right there under the suggestions, broken down by category.<\/p>\n

\"AI work at a desk all day, so I get plenty of nudges like these to get off my butt. Sometimes, I\u2019m like, \u201cSeriously, Galaxy, I\u2019ve got emails to answer!\u201d Other times I do a quick a lap around the floor. New York Post<\/p>\n

Grading your sleep \u2014 and coaching for healthier habits<\/p>\n

A joke-not-really-a-joke that any health tracker wearer will understand: If you can\u2019t check your sleep score in the morning, how do you know how tired you\u2019re supposed to be that day?<\/p>\n

Now with two trackers, I\u2019ve got two sleep scores. The good news is, they aren\u2019t wildly different \u2014 85 versus 92 on Sunday, 79 versus 84 on Monday, 85 versus 86 (a match!) on Tuesday. As for how long I\u2019ve slept\u2026 the metrics differ, sometimes by as much as 45 minutes.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pretty good at prioritizing bedtime \u2014 sleep is important for weight<\/a>, heart health<\/a>, longevity<\/a>\u2026 and looking my best \u2014 but for those who need some help, Samsung debuted new sleep coaching to build better habits.<\/p>\n

During week one, it encouraged me to get up out of bed quickly, eat breakfast, avoid naps, skip caffeine after 5 pm, avoid alcohol, meditate and practice deep breathing. For the goal-oriented, there are checkboxes.<\/p>\n

\"ANot to brag, but I\u2019m a very good sleeper. Even my watch says so. Samsung<\/p>\n

\"ScreenshotIt also gives coaching to improve sleep with tasks you can check off. Samsung<\/p>\n

Are you eating enough vegetables?<\/p>\n

One of the features I was most intrigued by is the \u201cAntioxidant Index,\u201d which debuted with the Samsung Galaxy Watch8 but has gotten an upgrade.<\/p>\n

The feature estimates how much of the antioxidant beta-carotene (found in foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, kale and cantaloupe) you have in your skin. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is important for vision and immune function.<\/p>\n

So while it\u2019s not actually telling you whether you\u2019ve eaten enough veggies \u2014 cauliflower and cucumbers, for example, barely have any beta-carotene \u2014 it does give an indication if you\u2019re eating a good amount of some kinds. And more importantly, it may give you clues as to how well your body is handling oxidative stress.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, my own Antioxidant Index numbers keep coming back as\u2026 not great. But I do eat lots of veggies! And my most recent bloodwork showed no obvious nutritional red flags, so it\u2019s a reminder that this watch function is a very specific measurement \u2014 not a full picture of your health.<\/p>\n

Check your vitals<\/p>\n

Medically speaking, there are four official vital signs: body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure.<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s \u201cVitals\u201d are a tad different: They measure skin temperature, sleep heart rate, HRV, respiratory rate and blood oxygen, and let you know if something is off from your baseline.<\/p>\n

\"AThe Vitals tell you if your skin temperature, sleep heart rate, HRV, respiratory rate and blood oxygen are off from your baseline. I guess I had a weird breathing night here (and some of the data hadn\u2019t picked up yet). New York Post<\/p>\n

Body composition<\/p>\n

BMI is increasingly seen as a problematic way of categorizing<\/a> someone as overweight \u2014 just look at all the pro athletes who are \u201cobese.\u201d<\/p>\n

Body composition is often considered more accurate, since it breaks down how much body fat you have. But you can\u2019t exactly do regular DEXA scans, and certainly not at home.<\/p>\n

The Galaxy smartwatches are among the only wearables that offer body composition \u2014 and a University of Michigan<\/a> found the readings to be pretty accurate, with a 95% correlation to DEXAs.<\/p>\n

This could be great news for people who aren\u2019t happy with the number on the scale \u2014 but whose workout habits have given them some pretty impressive muscles.<\/p>\n

\"AA particularly cool feature is the body composition scan, which has a 95% correlation to DEXA scans (the gold standard). This can tell you about how much fat you have in your body. Samsung<\/p>\n

Heart health<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s Heart Health Score looks at your sleep, stress, activity and body composition to tell you about your cardiovascular wellness.<\/p>\n

The Health Monitor app also has an ECG (electrocardiogram) feature, which can detect whether you ahve AFib (irregular heart rhythm).<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also blood pressure monitoring, which was rolled out in the US earlier this year. It requires an initial reading from a traditional blood pressure cuff to calibrate it. This is for wellness tracking, though \u2014 not to diagnose hypertension.<\/p>\n

How bad are you AGEs-ing?<\/p>\n

AGEs (advanced glycation end-products) are harmful compounds that build up when sugar sticks to proteins and fats in your body.<\/p>\n

High levels can trigger oxidative stress and inflammation, which are linked to conditions including Alzheimer\u2019s disease, diabetes and heart disease.<\/p>\n

Samsung says its AGEs index \u201ccan give you a sense of your metabolic health, which reflects your overall biological aging process and is strongly influenced by your diet and lifestyle.\u201d High score? You may be eating too much sugar, not exercising enough, and getting poor sleep.<\/p>\n

Now that the review is written, I\u2019m officially at the end of the testing phase \u2014 but I as of publishing this, I\u2019m still wearing the watch. <\/p>\n

While all the health data available these days may stress some people out<\/a>, I still find it fun to collect clues about what\u2019s going on in my body \u2014 and get a bit competitive with myself to improve. But at the end of the day, I\u2019m listening to my body first \u2014 and since I\u2019m still sore for that workout Samsung hosted, I\u2019m taking it easy today, no matter how much my watch nudges me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York Post may be compensated and\/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":113323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[17445,58284,15901,2878,58285,58286,127,223,202,35143,915,6638,54778,2872],"class_list":["post-113322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-samsung","tag-exclusive","tag-exercise","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-health-and-wellness-products","tag-hearts","tag-samsung","tag-samsung-group","tag-shopping","tag-sleep","tag-tech","tag-wearable-technology","tag-weight-loss","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}