Samsung Smart Glow to be more than just about notifications

A few weeks ago, Samsung was revealed to have a rather curious new feature intended for the most unlikely of models: the Smart Glow "ring" for the Galaxy J2 2016. Although neither the smartphone nor the feature have made their actual debut yet, there is already some information floating around that the Smart Glow won't be limited to simple notifications in the future and could very well be as extensible, or at least customizable, as Samsung's Edge panels on the company's curved edge smartphones.

The Smart Glow feature was initially described to have three core features. Priority alerts are like the counterparts of Edge lighting, allowing users to assign specific colors for certain priority contacts. Usage alerts would notify users of thins like low batteries or charging status. Finally, Selfie Assist helps users take selfies with the rear camera, signaling when the subject's face is within the frame.

Apparently, those will just be the initial feature set and Samsung plans to expand the functionality eventually. The Selfie Assist, for example, will light up one side of the LED ring to direct users whether to go left, right, up, or down to perfectly frame the subject's face. Usage Alerts, on the other hand, can also signify low free disk space, high memory use, and other resource usage notifications.

But there are also other novel uses for the Smart Glow. Shaking the phone, for example, will make the ring light up to indicate the weather forecast for the day. The ring might also be used in conjunction with a new Health feature, where Samsung will supposedly use the main camera itself, together with the flash, for heart rate monitoring, doing away with the independent sensor. Smart Glow will probably provide some color coded feedback on the person's heart rate.

While admittedly interesting and novel, the Smart Glow does raise some usability questions. For one, it is really only useful if the ring is visible, that, is when the smartphone is face down or at least turned away from the user. In some cases, like in meetings, that is probably useful. In most cases, however, the screen does offer more information at a glance. But the biggest concern will probably be having to remember which color corresponds to which information, increasing the mental load for the user.

Of course, the Smart Glow isn't even yet a thing, so we await judgment until we see it in action on the Galaxy J2 (2016), if it does arrive there. The new hardware will also make its way to other future models, though probably not the upcoming Galaxy Note 7.

VIA: SamMobile