Forget Harry Potter houses, the only classification I care about now is my sleep animal. Revealed as a new feature for the Galaxy Watch 6 at Samsung Unpacked, this might be the smartwatch feature I've been waiting for.
While I do go to the gym, I'm not serious enough about it to wear a smartwatch to track my progress, one thing that I take seriously, however, is sleep. I've spent years practising. Wearing the Galaxy watch overnight provides you with a "Sleepscore" based on a hypnogram, which provides you with a number to improve as well as a painfully cute animal avatar on your watch face. When it comes to the gamification of sleep, I'm ready to be the world's best.
This animal inspiration isn't an entirely new feature, Fitbit introduced something similar in 2022 but coupled with the beauty of the Galaxy Watch 6 or Watch 6 Classic, it's very hard to resist this implementation. Hearing Dr Pak (Samsung's Head of Digital Health) on stage at unpacked explain that he sleeps "like a penguin" is the sense of fun I need in my self-care routine.
Some of the animals we saw included the aforementioned penguin, a crocodile and a lion but I can't wait to be classified as a sloth, someone who sleeps 23 hours a day. Of course, a healthy sleep pattern is very important to living a more productive and healthier life so I'm sure this will be a great motivational tool for many to get involved.
That's not all the Watch 6 has up its sleeve however. Heart health is another big focus with a 3in 1 bioactive sensor that monitors ECG blood pressure, body composition and heart rate. Irregular heart rhythm detection and notifications for abnormally high or low BPM when resting are joined by the ability to even run to a specific heart rate zone, with the watch helping you slow down or speed up if you drop too far below. The Watch 6 classic looks like a particularly stylish home for your new sleep animal with the return of the rotating bezel, the thinnest ever, as well as the largest watch screen Samsung has ever had.
