Apple was considering shipping the Apple Watch Series 7 with body temperature measurement features, but it couldn’t optimize the algorithm. Now it appears that the Apple Watch Series 8 could feature this sensor.
According to esteemed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple dropped the body temperature measurement feature for the Apple Watch 7 last year because the algorithm failed to qualify before starting the EVT stage. Kuo believes that the Apple Watch 8 will be able to take body temperature in 2H22 if the algorithm meets Apple’s stringent requirements before mass production.
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The challenge in implementing precise body temperature measurement is that skin temperature quickly varies depending on outside environments. A smartwatch can't support core temperature measurement in terms of hardware, so it needs an excellent algorithm to work together.— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 1, 2022
Kuo’s report is not the first to reveal this, both the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg also reported that Apple’s upcoming watch may incorporate a body-temperature sensor.
Kuo further explained that the problem with adopting exact body temperature measurement is that skin temperature varies rapidly based on external stimuli. In terms of hardware, a wristwatch cannot enable core temperature monitoring, thus it must rely on a good algorithm to get precise temperature.
Samsung is also facing the same dilemma as Apple. Some previous reports claimed that the Galaxy watch 5 could be launched with a thermometer, but Kuo believes otherwise. He says that the South Korean tech giant is still far behind with its algorithm, and thus it’s unlikely that its next watch, which is expected to be launched in the second half of the year, will include this feature.
Apart from body temperature measurement, the Apple Watch Series 8 could come with a new S8 SoC and better sleep tracking features, including the ability to detect advanced sleep patterns and sleep apnea. The new Apple Watch is expected to have the same screen size as its predecessor.
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