I am currently using the Galaxy Watch 9 for my review, so when I visited Samsung Research Institute India Noida (SRI Noida), I had more than just a journalist’s interest in understanding how its new health features work. I wanted to know what happens behind the scenes after the watch collects all those numbers from my wrist.
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At a roundtable with Kyungyun Roo, Managing Director of SRI Noida, and Dr Amitabh Thapliyal, Vice President and Head of Service Development, the discussion went beyond specifications. Samsung explained how its India R&D team works on health tracking, how the company handles readings and how some of its services have been built specifically around the Indian healthcare ecosystem.
What Samsung is doing with Galaxy Watch health data
Dr Amitabh Thapliyal explained that SRI Noida’s Digital Health team works on health platforms and tracking applications used with Samsung Health. The team works on features such as Vital Tracker, Daily Cardio Load, Hearing Health and Trail Running for the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2.
Vital Tracker is particularly interesting because it looks at several measurements during sleep, including heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature, respiratory rate and blood oxygen levels. Instead of simply showing numbers, the system can identify when something is outside the expected range and provide an explanation and recommendations.
Daily Cardio Load takes a broader approach by combining exercise, vital signs and recovery data, including sleep. It then places the user in an optimal, under or over range and provides personalised guidance.
Since I am wearing the Galaxy Watch 9 for my review, this made me look at some of those Samsung Health readings differently. There is a lot more happening between the sensor collecting a measurement and the information eventually appearing on the watch or phone.
Building health features for Indian users
One of the more interesting parts of the discussion was how much of this work has to account for conditions specific to India. The question was straightforward: “Is there any feature that you specifically created for Indians? And did you find any challenge during making that feature?”
{{/usCountry}}One of the more interesting parts of the discussion was how much of this work has to account for conditions specific to India. The question was straightforward: “Is there any feature that you specifically created for Indians? And did you find any challenge during making that feature?”
{{/usCountry}}Dr Amitabh Thapliyal pointed to Samsung’s ABDM-compliant health record system, which follows India’s Digital Health Framework. He also highlighted Find Care, developed with Tata 1mg and PharmEasy, which lets users order medicines, book doctor appointments and schedule lab tests. The Medication Tracker with Tata 1mg and Health Record with EkaCare are also part of this India-specific healthcare ecosystem.
The bigger idea, Dr Amitabh Thapliyal explained, is to connect these services into a single healthcare journey, where information from a doctor consultation can feed into medication reminders and the user’s health record. That makes the India-specific work less about one feature and more about adapting Samsung Health to the way healthcare is accessed and managed here.
What happens when the watch gets something wrong?
Accuracy was another important part of the conversation, particularly because health wearables operate in the real world rather than controlled laboratories.
Dr Amitabh Thapliyal said SRI Noida carries out extensive validation and investigates the root cause when an algorithm produces an incorrect result. One example involved automatic exercise detection incorrectly identifying auto rickshaw rides on bumpy roads as cycling.
Indian field testing helped the team understand the problem and fine tune the algorithm. The resulting improvements were eventually applied globally.
That example stood out to me because it shows why local testing matters. The same feature can behave very differently when it encounters the roads, movement patterns and everyday situations that users actually experience.
Can a Galaxy Watch replace a doctor?
Samsung was also clear about the limits of its health features. Dr Amitabh Thapliyal described the watches as preventive and wellness devices rather than diagnostic tools or replacements for doctors.
The company’s approach is to use longitudinal health data to understand an individual better and provide more personalised recommendations over time. Features such as ECG and blood pressure also require additional applications and regulatory approvals.
Samsung is increasingly positioning this as a shift from simply tracking health to helping users act on it. Kyungyun Roo and Dr Amitabh Thapliyal described a broader ambition around becoming a more proactive health company, with AI and continuous monitoring playing a larger role.