Samsung launched a new feature “Antioxidant Index” specifically for the Galaxy Watch 8. Samsung has built this Galaxy Watch 8 antioxidant feature after many years of R&D to provide a consumer health feature. The Watch 8 antioxidant tracking capability addresses a gap in the wearable health space making it a first for the wearables industry.
The Samsung Watch 8 antioxidant tracking measures the skin’s carotenoid levels, which can become a marker for consumption of fruit and vegetable. According to Samsung, the new feature is the first measurable nutrition index for wearable industry that aims to show how diet can help to managing factors linked to ageing and long-term health.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 antioxidant
In 2018, Samsung started working on this with a premise that lifespan extension trends make quality-of-life monitoring more critical than raw step or calorie counts. Samsung’s engineers developed multiple iterations before ultimately miniaturizing the entire technology stack into the back case of a smartwatch. The company collaborated with experts from Seoul National University and Samsung Medical Center, to help with the nutritional and clinical framing, citing oxidation load as a shared upstream driver for cancers, cardiovascular disease and metabolic illness. For Samsung this feature is a shift toward proactive, population-scale health measurement rather than niche diagnostics. Samsung has full intent to extend it toward newer preventive use-cases as algorithmic baselines and longitudinal cohorts grow.
Galaxy Watch 8 nutrition feature
As per Samsung, it focused on carotenoids as they are key antioxidants that reflect fruit and vegetable intake and clearly linked to long-term health. The Galaxy Watch 8 tracking collects data from a five-second thumb scan and transforms it to an Antioxidant Index score where:
Very Low: Less than 50% of the World Health Organization’s daily recommendation of 400g of fruits and vegetables.
Low: Between 50-100% of the recommended fruits and vegetable intake.
Optimal: 100% or more of the daily intake.
Samsung stated that lifestyle factors such as sleep, stress, and physical activity also play a role in the readings. The Samsung Galaxy 8 Antioxidant Index offers a broader look at how everyday habits influence overall well-being.
How Galaxy Watch’s Antioxidant Index feature works
Samsung said that it managed to shrink the technology into a compact, coin-sized sensor that uses multiple LED lights and a custom photodetector to measure carotenoid levels accurately. Instead of using lasers, it checks how the skin absorbs different light wavelengths, while built-in algorithms adjust the readings in real-time for better accuracy.
To ensure accuracy across different skin tones, Samsung said that it designed the Antioxidant Index sensor to take readings from the fingertip instead of the wrist, since fingertips have less melanin and provide more consistent results. The company also found that applying light pressure during scans helps reduce blood flow and interference from haemoglobin, resulting in more precise measurements.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 specifications
Display: Sapphire Crystal, 1.47-inch (480×480)/ 1.34-inch (438×438) Super AMOLED
OS: WearOS 6 / One UI 8 Watch
Processor: Exynos W1000
Size: 44mm/40mm
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 32GB
Battery: 435mAh (44mm) / 325mAh (40mm)
Durability: 5ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810H
All the new health features are Antioxidant Index, Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load, Running Coach, Energy Score, and High Stress Alerts with mindfulness tracking.
With the Galaxy Watch 8’s Antioxidant Index, Samsung is becoming a leader in the wearable health tracking as it is exploring beyond fitness metrics. By translating complex carotenoid measurements into an accessible wellness score, Samsung bridges the gap between diet, lifestyle, and long-term health.
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