Samsung held its first-ever online-only Unpacked event last week to introduce the second half of its 2020 hardware refresh. Perhaps the most notable announcement was the Galaxy Note 20 series followed by the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Meanwhile, consumers who were more interested in the wearable side of things welcomed the reveal of the Galaxy Buds Live as well as the Galaxy Watch 3. When it comes to smartwatches, Apple continues to be on top, but the latest update could potentially turn things around for its rival.

After it was unveiled, long time users of the Galaxy Watch lineup were reportedly glad that Samsung brought back an exclusive feature. The rotating bezel control was one of the most defining characteristics of the first-generation model.

However, the mechanism was removed on the Galaxy Watch Active in favour of a software version. It seems that complaints from consumers eventually reached the right people in the company as the control scheme makes its welcome return.

Over the years, the Apple Watch has been hailed as the benchmark when it comes to health-oriented functionalities on a smartwatch. In fact, there have been multiple reports wherein people lauded the device's fall-detection and electrocardiogram (ECG) for saving their lives.

On the other hand, it is missing other beneficial ones such as sleep monitoring and blood oxygen monitoring. The Galaxy Watch 3 already has these and also unlocked more with its latest firmware as reported by SamMobile. The 80 MB over-the-air (OTA) update is now available in several markets with a few exceptions.

The latter includes, Japan, Angola, Libya, South Africa, France, Canada, Algeria, and Iran. As for those who already received the OTA prompt and updated their device, it adds sleep ratings, VO2max, advanced running analytics, and blood oxygen monitoring. Samsung notes that there might be more in the future.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 receives first update
The 80 MB over-the-air (OTA) update for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is now available in several key markets. Photo: Samsung

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Watch 3 in two sizes and two models. The standard variant needs to be connected to the user's smartphone to make/receive calls and messages, while the LTE model can do so independently. Users with smaller wrists can opt for the 41 mm and the rest will find the 45 mm just the right fit.

Samsung