Can Samsung get back into the game with Watch8 series?

Samsung brings in antioxidant tracker, Google Gemini AI to its Watch8

Last updated: July 10, 2025 | 12:41

Manoj Nair, Business Editor

2 MIN READ

The Samsung Watch8 series onboards more health tracker features. And gets in AI into the mix too.

Bloomberg

Dubai: Samsung’s just had a flashy launch of its Flip7 and the Fold7 – and it also found time to bring out the Galaxy Watch8 series. UAE prices for the model starts Dh1,299 while the Ultra range will carry tags of Dh2,499 (inclusive of VAT).

Samsung will be hoping for a major reset in a market where Apple Watch dominates, and is also seeing pure-play fitness and health tracker Whoop, which recently upped the game with its latest releases.

Also Read: Samsung's Flip7, Fold7: More AI, more screen and less size is what users are getting

So, will the Watch8 get Samsung back into the game? “With the new launch they will be trying to improve (market share),” said Rajat Asthana, CEO of Eros Group, the tech retailer. “Huawei is also very strong on watches in the Android space.”

The South Korean company has definitely topped up the health-side trackers, introducing an ‘Antioxidant Index’ for the first time ever in a smartwatch. And with the promise of allowing the user to ‘measure carotenoid levels in just five seconds and make informed lifestyle choices for healthy aging’.

“Whether you’re a novice or experienced runner, the Galaxy Watch8 series delivers personalized fitness insights,” Samsung adds. There is the ‘Running Coach’ feature that calculates the wearer’s fitness level on a 1-10 scale and the comes up with a ‘tailored’ training plan.

Need more inspiration to get fit?

“With the updated ‘Together’ feature, which now supports running, you can gamify your fitness journey by challenging friends and family,” it adds.

Gemini and AI

The Watch8 series is an outcome brought through ‘close collaboration’ with Google. It thus becomes the first smartwatch to come with Google’s Gemini AI assistant. Need help finding a café? Ask Gemini and ‘text a friend to meet you’ at a café.

“Or, if you’re ready to start your workout and you have a goal in mind, say, ‘Start a 30-minute run’,” says a Samsung statement. “The watch initiates the workout in Samsung Health.”

“By combining purposeful design with advanced sensor technology and an intuitive AI-powered experience, the Galaxy Watch8 series serves as a starting point for a healthier, more connected life,” said T. M. Roh, President and acting Head of the Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics.

Manoj NairBusiness Editor

Manoj Nair, the Gulf News Business Editor, is an expert on property and gold in the UAE and wider region, and these days he is also keeping an eye on stocks as well. Manoj cares a lot for luxury brands and what make them tick, as well as keep close watch on whatever changes the retail industry goes through, whether on the grand scale or incremental. He’s been with Gulf News for 30 years, having started as a Business Reporter. When not into financial journalism, Manoj prefers to see as much of 1950s-1980s Bollywood movies. He reckons the combo is as exciting as it gets, though many will vehemently disagree.