Masimo turned a patent lawsuit into a smartwatch opportunity

Image: Masimo

A patent infringement lawsuit from Masimo forced Apple to remove blood oxygen monitoring on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. And the medical tech company took the opportunity to launch its own smartwatch. The Masimo Freedom is designed to measure blood oxygen and other vital signs with high accuracy.

The Masimo Freedom isn't its first consumer-grade device. Unlike the more health-centric Masimo W1, the Freedom aims to appeal to a wider audience, including a smart design and features like notifications. But it still focuses on health tracking, using Masimo’s advanced sensor and digital signal processing technology.

It has a round display, a touchbar on the right side for navigation, and a small button for selection. It does not have a Digital Crown or a rotating bezel, like Apple’s watches.

According to Masimo’s president of consumer health, Eugene Goldberg, the main purpose of the Freedom is to showcase the accuracy of Masimo’s health-monitoring tech. He claimed that Masimo’s blood oxygen measurement is superior to other competitors, because it can account for various factors, such as motion, low blood flow, skin color, or poor circulation.

The Freedom can also track other health data, such as hydration index, respiration rate, pulse rate variability, pulse rate, steps, and fall detection. It also has the standard activity and sleep tracking features that most smartwatches offer.

It can also monitor your vitals continuously, every second, instead of every few minutes. This could make it a good option for older adults, who can benefit from more precise and timely health data. However, the Freedom is still a prototype, and it will not be on sale until later this year. And Masimo has not yet received FDA approval for the health features.

The Masimo Freedom is priced at US$999 (around CA$1,342), which makes it a niche product. But if you value accuracy and reliability in your health tracking, you might be willing to pay that price. You can reserve the Masimo Freedom on the Masimo website with a US$100 (~CA$134) deposit now.

As for the future of Masimo and Apple’s rivalry, that remains uncertain. Masimo managed to get U.S. customs to ban the import of Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2 models, forcing Apple to remove the blood oxygen feature. But Apple is appealing the decision, and the legal battle is not over yet.

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