Fitness trackers and smartwatches are incredibly useful for keeping tabs on our daily exercise and health data, but they do often cost an awful lot, no matter the brand. Apple, Samsung, Google, Garmin and the rest charge hundreds for their latest wrist-based gadgets.
One of the advantages of investing in a Samsung Galaxy Watch over many of its rivals is that once you’ve paid for the watch, all the features and services are completely free – but that could be set to change.
Samsung is considering a “premium subscription model” for the Galaxy Watch, according to CNET. The publication spoke with Dr. Hon Pak, Samsung’s senior vice president and head of digital health in a wide-ranging interview about new Galaxy Watch software updates and future wearable plans.
The suggestion of a subscription for Galaxy Watch features was attributed to Samsung in general rather than Pak, and was compared to Fitbit Premium and Garmin Connect in that it could take the form of a monthly fee to unlock more advanced features.
“Ideally, the features would be included free with the new watch, while older models could access them behind a paywall,” CNET said.
This would represent a major strategic shift for Samsung. At the time of writing, all Samsung Health and Galaxy Watch features are free, so long as your model of watch supports it.
Google-owned Fitbit offers Fitbit Premium, a £7.99 per month subscription that unlocks deeper data, a few extra tools and coaching videos for Fitbit users.
Garmin users have been up in arms online about the new paywall for Garmin Connect, which costs from £6.99 and lets buyers “Access premium features and get even more personalised insights”, according to Garmin. The firm had, until recently, been held up as a shining example of a completely free fitness platform, minus the cost of the device. But it looks as though the opportunity to open another revenue stream was too tempting.
Samsung is one of the hold outs when it comes to charging for its wearable software, but the fact the firm is now considering it shows where all of the industry is headed.
Just like how people are upgrading their smartphones less frequently, they might go several years without buying a new smartwatch. Locking features behind a paywall is a way to get those customers paying monthly rather than just one lump sum.