Smartwatch engineering question

Interesting project! 😊

As a smartwatch user who runs regularly, I think ambient temperature and humidity sensors could be very useful, especially for outdoor activities.

For example, knowing the actual temperature and humidity around us could help runners better understand heat exposure and how environmental conditions affect their performance.

Apart from body heat and processor interference, I think other challenges would include sweat, water resistance, sensor accuracy, airflow, battery consumption and calibration.

One important consideration is that the temperature around the wrist may not represent the actual ambient temperature.

If these challenges can be addressed, I believe this feature could add real value to future smartwatches.

Good luck with your engineering project! 👍

Try deal with samsung dev or hq ,as I request samsung respective disrespect block acess .

Most modern mainstream smartwatches do not offer built-in ambient temperature and relative humidity sensors that give direct, real-time measurements of the surrounding air. However, specialized outdoor, tactical, and digital sports watches do include thermometer sensors, while consumer smartwatches handle ambient environmental data through weather connectivity instead.

​Other smartwatches which have temperature & humidity sensors as below:

​Ambient Temperature: On dedicated outdoor or ABC (Altimeter, Barometer, Compass) timepieces such as the Garmin Fenix 8, Garmin Instinct series, COROS APEX, and Casio Pro Trek / G-Shock series.

Mainstream smartwatches (like the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch) track skin surface temperature for sleep, ovulation tracking, or fever alerts, rather than ambient room/air temperature.

​Ambient Humidity: No mainstream consumer smartwatch features a built-in relative humidity sensor. Humidity measurements on smartwatches (such as those on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra are pulled via Wi-Fi/Bluetooth from local weather service data APIs rather than measured directly on-device.

​Why are ambient sensors rare on smartwatches?

​1. Body Heat Interference: A watch worn tightly against your skin absorbs body heat (~36.5°C–37°C). An ambient thermometer on a wrist-worn device typically reads artificially high unless off the wrist for 10–20 minutes.

​2. Microclimate and Sweat Distortion: Micro-sweat under the watch casing creates a high-humidity microclimate next to the sensor, rendering real-time ambient relative humidity readings inaccurate.

​3. Port & Water Resistance Constraints: Measuring air humidity requires direct exposure to open airflow. Protecting delicate humidity membranes while maintaining 5 ATM to 10 ATM dive and swim ratings is technically challenging.

​4. Data Availability: Accurate ambient temperature and relative humidity are already widely broadcast via cellular/GPS weather services based on your exact location.

​Ambient Temperature & Humidity Data ​when paired with external pod accessories (such as the Garmin Tempe sensor) or pulled via localized weather APIs, ambient environmental readings offer key benefits:

- ​Acclimatization & Heat Strain Tracking: Helps athletes monitor heat stress and adjust pacing or hydration when working out in humid environments.

- ​Sweat Loss & Hydration Estimation: Advanced fitness platforms combine ambient temperature, humidity, and exertion metrics to estimate fluid loss during long outdoor activities.

- ​Weather & Storm Alerts: Sudden drops in barometric pressure combined with spikes in ambient humidity often precede rain or mountain storms.

- ​Alpine & Extreme Sports Gear Planning: In high-altitude or sub-zero environments, knowing ambient temperatures helps determine gear layers and battery life limits.

But it'll be very interesting to have those sensors for dedicated tasks for environmental purposes. 👍🏻

Normally if you need ambient temperature readings that is open to the air, you may need a device that hangs from your neck away from body temperature and that syncs to your watch and/or your phone. Try to experience a Garmin watch and test out its ambient temperature functions with a thermometer before you go ahead with this idea, it could brightened your thoughts.