I’ve by no means been an individual who enjoys carrying a watch. Even although I’ve used dozens of smartwatches over the years, I seldom put on one all day lengthy. That’s the place the concept of a wise ring comes in for me. As somebody who already wears a marriage band daily and finds it snug, I had hoped a wise ring would really feel like the very best kind issue when in comparison with cumbersome health straps or cumbersome watches.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is the newest sensible ring to attempt to woo prospects with its idea, which began in 2015 with the launch of the first-generation Oura Ring. But in the event you have been hoping to switch your smartwatch with the Galaxy Ring, you are going to must mood your expectations.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is designed for twenty-four/7 well being monitoring and little else. It’ll robotically monitor strolling, operating, and even sleeping, however whereas Samsung’s Health software program provides you numerous knowledge, I’m undecided I belief most of it. It lacks AFib detection, one thing the Ultrahuman Ring Air not too long ago added, making it largely useless for twenty-four/7 coronary heart fee monitoring. Even the “discover my ring” characteristic solely actually works on Samsung Galaxy telephones, a massively missed alternative for Samsung to one-up the competitors.
Samsung has loads of enhancements to make however, fortunately, all of them are software-related and may be addressed in the future by updates. Samsung does not cost a month-to-month subscription like Oura, however with none form of significant coronary heart monitoring knowledge and no actual assist for understanding with the ring, I’m undecided what the level of carrying one is.
About this assessment
I’ve been utilizing the Galaxy Ring for 5 weeks as of the publishing of the remaining assessment on August 30, 2024. My gold dimension 10 Galaxy Ring has been paired with a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra operating One UI 6.1, in addition to quite a few non-Samsung units like the OnePlus 12 and CMF Phone 1.
Price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is accessible for $399 and comes in three traditional ring colours: silver, gold, and black. Initial orders have been again ordered attributable to reputation however Samsung ramped up manufacturing considerably to satisfy demand. The Galaxy Ring presently takes a number of weeks to ship out as soon as ordered.
To buy a Galaxy Ring, you may first must spend $10 on a sizing package. That comes with a $10 credit score in direction of the buy of a Galaxy Ring, so the sizing package is successfully free as soon as you purchase a Ring. You may also discover a sizing package out there at some Best Buy areas totally free, so chances are you’ll need to name round first earlier than ordering a package. Samsung makes Galaxy Rings in customary ring sizes 5–13.
Unlike its greatest competitor, the Oura Ring Gen 3, the Galaxy Ring does not require a month-to-month subscription to entry your knowledge. All that’s dealt with by the Samsung Health app, which works with any Android cellphone. Samsung Galaxy telephones with Galaxy AI built-in, like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, will get further insights for his or her knowledge powered by Galaxy AI when paired with the Galaxy Ring. Additionally, you may solely get full ring monitoring performance and ring gestures when paired with a Samsung cellphone.
Hardware and design
If I may get true characteristic parity, I’d swap out a smartwatch for a wise ring practically any day of the week. Except for some sorts of exercises, a wise ring is a considerably extra snug machine to put on 24/7 than a smartwatch.
Samsung’s {hardware} design is basically wonderful, stuffing a battery and tons of tech right into a svelte ~2.6mm thick ring. This is notably thicker than some customary rings — like my gold wedding ceremony band — however it’s not so thick as to really feel extra noticeable on my finger than a normal ring.
On launch, Samsung was the thinnest sensible ring till the RingConn Gen 2 got here out simply two weeks later. Unlike that ring, although, the Galaxy Ring is an ideal circle, whereas RingConn opted for a extra distinctive squircle design.
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After 5 weeks of use, the ring seems to be prefer it’s seen 20 years of wear and tear and tear.
The Galaxy Ring encompasses a concave design that helps make the ring look thinner than it really is, and the titanium building is impressively gentle however I’m not totally satisfied of its sturdiness. The concave design helps hold the middle from getting scratched however it does not accomplish that a lot for the edges.
After 5 weeks of use, the ring seems to be prefer it’s seen 20 years of wear and tear and tear. My 16-year-old gold wedding ceremony band seems to be in much better form, for reference.
I ran a Spartan Race with the ring in early August as a result of I needed to see the way it held up throughout an occasion that largely consisted of operating and strolling with obstacles thrown in each few hundred meters. The outcome was lower than wonderful on all counts—which I’ll element additional in the well being monitoring part under.
The greatest challenge right here is not the questionable sturdiness. It’s the proven fact that sensible rings aren’t repairable.
On the underside, you may discover an orientation indicator letting you know the way to put on the ring. This line ought to at all times line up with the center of the underside of your finger because it ensures the Ring’s sensors are in the most optimum place. I might commonly verify to ensure this indicator was in the proper place and located it often wanted a number of rotational fixes all through the day.
The Ring match properly on the center finger of my proper hand the place I discovered that individual finger form to be higher for carrying a hoop than my index finger. It’s extra snug, general, however it additionally does not get in the manner like it could once I tried to put on it on my index finger.
Samsung recommends carrying it both on the index or center fingers if you wish to use the gesture characteristic, so that is proper in line with expectations. Gestures are one thing distinctive to the Galaxy Ring and a bonus Samsung has over opponents, however they solely work when paired with a supported Samsung Galaxy cellphone.
| Category | Galaxy Ring |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 7.0mm (width) x 2.6mm (depth) |
| Weight | 2.3-3g |
| Materials | Titanium grade body |
| Water resistance | 10ATM, IP68 |
| Colors | Titanium Black, Titanium Gold, Titanium Silver |
| Sizes | 5–13 |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth LE 5.4 |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, PPG, pores and skin temperature |
| Battery | 18mAh-23.5mAh, 40% in half-hour |
| Charging cradle | 361mAh |
Aside from being unique to newer Galaxy telephones, it is also price noting that there are solely two fundamental gestures proper now: take a photograph, and cease an alarm in your cellphone. To carry out both of those actions, you may double-tap your ring-wearing finger and thumb collectively in the air as in the event you’re pinching one thing twice.
While these are cool to make use of in very particular circumstances, they don’t seem to be product-selling options by any means.
The Galaxy Ring’s two most distinctive options are gesture assist and the capacity to remotely discover a misplaced ring, however each solely work with sure Samsung Galaxy telephones.
Samsung additionally helps a “discover my ring” characteristic that works identically to different Samsung Galaxy units. Open the Galaxy Wearables app, then faucet discover on the fundamental menu. The app provides you with a tough location of the place the Ring is—or the place it was final detected if it is not in your basic neighborhood—together with a helpful GPS map utilizing Bluetooth for native location, however this performance solely works on Samsung Galaxy telephones.
The Galaxy Ring does not vibrate or make noise, which signifies that it does not assist notifications. That additionally signifies that it is slightly tough to seek out, particularly if it fell between the sofa cushions or rolled below one thing like a fridge or range.
The app allows you to quickly blink the lights on the Galaxy Ring’s sensors however that is solely helpful at evening or in a darkish room. The lights merely aren’t vivid sufficient to be seen throughout the day or in any kind of vivid lighting.
Find my Ring is generally useless except you will have a Samsung Galaxy cellphone to pair the Ring with.
As I beforehand famous, this performance solely works on Samsung Galaxy telephones. The Samsung Find app is unique to the Galaxy Store. Sideloading the APK does not work both because it requires hooks discovered in Samsung’s One UI to work.
Samsung may have made it work with Google’s newest Find My Device improve — many different Samsung units do — however it wakened and selected violence. The finest you’ll do with a non-Samsung cellphone is blink the Ring’s lights which, as I identified, is generally useless.
Still, different sensible rings do not have a “discover my” characteristic in any respect, so any strategy to discover your misplaced Ring is a bonus for Samsung, even with its limitations.
Battery and charging
One of the fundamental causes to decide on a wise ring over a smartwatch is battery life. Most of the finest smartwatches must be charged every day, whereas some fitness-focused choices like the Garmin Forerunner 965 can final 1-3 weeks relying on how typically you utilize GPS monitoring.
My Galaxy Ring lasted 6-7 full days on any given cost. In the preliminary assessment, I famous that the Ring had 10% left at the finish of the sixth day, which is a lot to nonetheless carry out sleep monitoring that evening.
The remaining battery proportion could be tracked each on the Galaxy Wearables app and with the Ring itself. Just take off the ring and have a look at the indicator LEDs inside for a number of seconds. They’ll flash inexperienced indicating the battery proportion left in 25% increments. Four flashes imply between 75%-100% battery is left, three flashes for 50%-75%, and so forth.
When you put on a Galaxy Ring and a Galaxy Watch at the identical time, the Ring’s well being sensors fall asleep to avoid wasting battery life. To me, this is mindless in any respect. It ought to be the different manner round.
Samsung highlights {that a} Galaxy Ring and a Galaxy Watch can be utilized in conjunction for the most correct well being monitoring and higher general battery life. But it appears like Samsung received issues backwards with the battery portion of this equation.
When you put on a Galaxy Ring and a Galaxy Watch at the identical time, the Ring’s well being sensors fall asleep to avoid wasting battery life. To me, this is mindless in any respect. It ought to be the different manner round because you usually must cost a smartwatch daily, whereas the Galaxy Ring has week-long battery life with regular use.
Samsung significantly must rethink how this works, as it could make much more sense to avoid wasting battery life on the watch by utilizing the Ring’s well being monitoring sensors, as an alternative.
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The Galaxy Ring has true week-long battery life, and the included charging case works like a wi-fi earbuds case for straightforward journey.
Like the finest earbuds, you may cost your Galaxy Ring utilizing the included charging case. This case has its personal battery with sufficient capability for a number of full Ring costs. It additionally costs by way of USB-C, so it is handy to shortly cost and tackle the go together with you in the event you want it.
The case itself is a bit tech stylish, with a clear, flashy design together with a hoop of LEDs that illuminate when opening the hinge. This ring is used to show the case’s remaining battery life, and tapping the button may also provoke pairing.
Like many Samsung units nowadays, although, charging the Galaxy Ring is abysmally sluggish. A 30-minute cost resulted in a measly 50% Ring cost, whereas it took a full hour to top-up the tiny ~20mAh battery. No doubt, Samsung makes the charging so painfully sluggish in an effort to lengthen battery longevity however at the least you solely must cost it as soon as per week.
I bumped into a number of conditions the place the case would not cost the Ring in any respect, solely to seek out out I had it the wrong way up on the dock, which appears an odd design for a hoop.
Not solely that, however I bumped into a number of conditions the place the ring would not cost in any respect, even once I thought I had correctly mounted it in the case. Part of the confusion comes in the case design. When you open it, the LED ring inside lights as much as offer you a view of the battery proportion of the case itself. But I typically mistook this for the Ring’s battery proportion since the LED stays illuminated after I dock the ring.
So as an alternative of charging the Ring, I’d come again after an hour or two to seek out that nothing in any respect occurred. In all occasions of this taking place, flipping the ring over fastened the charging challenge. I’m undecided why charging the ring appears to work on one facet however you may must pay further shut consideration to the app to make sure your ring is definitely charging in the case, denoted by a standard charging lightning bolt icon in the Galaxy Wearables app.
Sleep monitoring
I hate carrying a watch to sleep. It’s not one thing I do outdoors of the occasional smartwatch assessment, so the Galaxy Ring appeared like an excellent strategy to monitor sleep. It’s extremely snug to put on to mattress.
If you’ve got worn a Galaxy Watch to sleep earlier than, count on the identical form of metrics from a Galaxy Ring. That, in and of itself, is a triumph. A smaller, extra snug machine that may get the identical sorts of readings for sleep knowledge as a Galaxy Watch Ultra is really a incredible proposition.
The drawback is that Samsung’s sleep knowledge is not thought of the finest in the trade by any means, and bands like the Whoop 4.0 or smaller smartwatches like the Pixel Watch 2 ship way more correct knowledge.
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Of course, a lot of that is going to return all the way down to alignment and match. Smartwatches must be worn pretty tightly in order to get an correct studying. Move round an excessive amount of at evening with a free wristband and also you may as effectively simply delete the monitoring knowledge. Likewise, a Ring that spins or wobbles rather a lot in your finger will not do you a lot good.
For this purpose, I attempted to put on the Ring on a number of totally different finders however it did not appear to have an effect on general accuracy a lot. It additionally does not assist sleep apnea monitoring like the RingConn Gen 2, which implies any knowledge it delivers is basically pedestrian in nature. In different phrases, whereas this can be a good sleep-tracking machine, I would not take its outcomes as Gospel.
Sleep monitoring was largely inaccurate in comparison with the finest smartwatches, and the Galaxy Ring does not assist superior measurements like sleep apnea detection.
The Samsung Health app is chock filled with nice little particulars and well-presented data, from the outstanding sleep rating to the particular person metrics and easy-to-read graph that break your sleep down into awake, gentle, REM, and deep sleep patterns.
Below the sleep rating is the breakdown of what metrics fueled the rating, together with sleep time, bodily restoration, restfulness, psychological restoration, and sleep cycles. I’m a really gentle sleeper by nature, and the Ring picked that up handily.
But whereas I initially felt good about the general sleep rating, diving into the knowledge made me really feel much less assured in it. I typically seen blips in the graph the place no knowledge was collected in any respect. I assume a few of that is down to suit however, like I stated beforehand, I attempted carrying it on a number of totally different fingers—lots of which have been a good tighter match than my center finger—and nonetheless discovered these bizarre lapses in knowledge.
Other knowledge factors like blood oxygen and pores and skin temperature whereas sleeping must also be taken with a grain of salt. Skin temperature readings from a finger can be totally different from a wrist or perhaps a torso band due to their location — some folks like heavy, heat-trapping blankets, whereas others might put their fingers below a pillow, each of which may produce inaccurate readings.
Samsung offers numerous sleep monitoring knowledge however I’m undecided I belief its accuracy.
Daily power rating is calculated by combining all the out there metrics, however my quantity was by no means fairly correct as a result of the Ring by no means efficiently detected any of my exercises at the fitness center, which you may examine under. If I have been going to plan my day round that power rating quantity—which is the total function of such a rating—it is doubtless I’d have a much less lively day than I ought to.
The Energy Score metric is not unique to Samsung telephones, fortunately, however you may solely get the Galaxy AI-powered abstract at the high if you pair it with particular Samsung telephones.
One YouTuber confirmed how the Galaxy Ring traces up with different bands and watches, placing it in line with the remainder of the Galaxy Watch line and proper in the center of most different sleep and fitness-tracking wearables. In brief, it is not unhealthy, however it’s not nice, both.
Fitness monitoring
My greatest disappointment with the Galaxy Ring revolves round health monitoring. I by no means anticipated this to switch a smartwatch due to the lack of a display screen—I primarily put on a smartwatch whereas understanding to observe my coronary heart fee—however Samsung’s software program is significantly missing some vital health monitoring necessities and it makes it practically useless at a fitness center.
If your exercises contain extra than simply strolling or operating, do not even trouble utilizing the Galaxy Ring.
While happening a neighborhood stroll or a hike, coronary heart fee monitoring appeared to be correct in comparison with my Pixel Watch 2. I used to be pleasantly stunned at how easy and clear monitoring was. I additionally discovered that the Galaxy Ring was dead-on correct when utilizing it to trace steps, which is not one thing I can say about the Pixel Watch 2.
First off, in the event you’re not a runner or do not plan to make use of the Ring to trace a stroll or a hike, do not trouble getting one. Automatic exercises are solely supported for strolling or operating, and even then, I discovered that computerized monitoring solely appeared to work once I walked or ran outdoors. Even then, shorter 400m runs at the fitness center—together with outside runs—have been not often robotically detected.
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During a Spartan Race, the time, distance, and tracked coronary heart fee have been all improper on the Galaxy Ring.
Let’s have a look at the outcomes from my Spartan Race above. Since there is not any strategy to manually monitor with a Galaxy Ring, I solely have no matter it robotically tracked. During the race, I wore the Samsung Galaxy Ring and Google Pixel Watch 2 on my proper hand, whereas the OnePlus Watch 2 was on my left hand.
The first drawback with the Galaxy Ring is the exercise time tracked. My precise race time was one hour 22 minutes. Both watches tracked for an hour and a half as a result of I manually began them earlier than the race began whereas I used to be ready at the beginning line, however the Galaxy Ring’s computerized monitoring comes 13 minutes in need of my precise motion time.
The second drawback is the distance logged. This Spartan Race was the 5k model which equates to three.1 miles. The Galaxy Ring thought I ran 4.15 miles.
Third is the high quality of the knowledge itself. Since the Ring did not correctly monitor the total race, the graph technically will get lower off roughly 4/5ths of the manner by, however we are able to at the least examine the remainder of it. At first, there seems to be no correlation in any respect between the Galaxy Ring and the two watches, nonetheless, a better inspection exhibits come similarities.
But even with comparable peaks and lows, the numbers from the Galaxy Ring aren’t even near the two watches I wore.
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Part of the drawback is the polling fee. Heart fee knowledge is simply recorded each ten minutes — to avoid wasting battery — and this does not appear to be typically sufficient to detect a exercise efficiently. Samsung makes use of different sensors inside to assist with detection however they did not appear to do a lot good for me.
I’m going to the fitness center a mean of 4 instances per week—every go to is an hour-long exercise at a CrossFit-style fitness center—however all I noticed from the Ring was a blip or two on the coronary heart fee graph displaying an elevated quantity. That was throughout the better of instances. At the worst of instances, the Ring did not seize any coronary heart fee knowledge throughout my exercises in any respect.
There’s additionally no strategy to manually begin a exercise, which was unbelievable to me.
The Galaxy Ring will not be a superb exercise monitoring machine, however it certain counts steps extremely precisely.
When I requested Samsung about this, I used to be instructed that beginning a handbook exercise from the Samsung Health app ought to remedy my issues. Unfortunately, this did not work. Any handbook exercise began from the Samsung Health app by no means recorded any Ring knowledge. All I received was a generic calorie burn worth relative to the exercise I selected and the size of the exercise.
In different phrases, I’d as effectively haven’t even bothered bringing the Galaxy Ring to the fitness center.
Other sensible rings like the Oura Ring Gen 3 do computerized exercise detection much better and can commonly detect a exercise, then mean you can choose its kind after the exercise was accomplished. No sensible ring is a correct smartwatch substitute for gym-style exercises however Samsung may have achieved rather a lot higher with the Galaxy Ring’s exercise monitoring performance.
All in all, I’m not inclined to suggest this Ring as a critical fitness-tracking instrument.
Competition
The Ultrahuman Ring Air is a greater general purchase than the Galaxy Ring. It’s $50 lower than the Galaxy Ring and, in contrast to Oura, has no subscription value. Our Wearables reviewer Michael Hicks discovered the sleep monitoring knowledge to be fairly correct — in contrast to my expertise with the Galaxy Ring. It even has AFib detection, one thing that is vitally essential in a 24/7 wearable. The draw back is that lively health monitoring is not any higher than the Galaxy Ring.
Another wonderful different is the RingConn Smart Ring Gen 2, which weighs in at $299 and encompasses a distinctive squircle design. Battery life is 3-4 days longer than the Galaxy Ring, it provides sleep apnea detection, and RingConn provides covers for its rings which might forestall harm whereas utilizing it throughout exercises or different instances chances are you’ll be anxious about it getting scuffed up. It does not offer you a “readiness rating” like another rings however I discovered these sorts of scores to be largely useless, anyway.
Of course, no sensible ring assessment could be full with out mentioning the Oura Ring Gen 3, a hoop that appears like a greater general purchase for folk who’re extra critical about health monitoring with a wise ring. Oura’s software program does a greater job of robotically detecting exercises and provides you way more choices for categorization and monitoring than Samsung. The large draw back is that you’re going to want a $6/month subscription to entry that knowledge.
Should you purchase it?
You should purchase it if…
- You desire a nice-looking ring that does greater than look fairly.
- You desire a sensible ring with out the costly subscription.
- Casual 24/7 well being monitoring is extra essential to you than targeted health or sleep monitoring.
You should not purchase it if…
- You desire a critical fitness-tracking machine.
- Your exercises contain extra than simply strolling or operating.
- You’re making an attempt to switch a smartwatch with a wise ring.
On the floor, the Samsung Galaxy Ring seems to be like a incredible first-generation effort. It offers numerous knowledge and options with out a month-to-month subscription requirement. The {hardware} is modern, and it is snug to put on all day, which is particularly essential for sleep monitoring and computerized train detection.
But the well being monitoring options really feel newbie by practically each measure. Automatic exercise monitoring is proscribed in scope to only strolling or operating and, even then, solely works effectively when doing these actions for lengthy intervals and open air. Sleep monitoring is snug however not practically as correct as a superb smartwatch. Some knowledge is even restricted to customers who pair the ring with a Galaxy cellphone that has Galaxy AI built-in.
While the {hardware} is stellar, the health monitoring expertise merely is not prepared for primetime. The quantity of knowledge you get is excellent, however the high quality of that knowledge is questionable. Technology lovers will doubtless be thrilled with the tech packed in the ring, however anybody critical about high quality health or sleep monitoring ought to look elsewhere.
Smart rings are the very best kind issue, however Samsung’s general execution leaves rather a lot to be desired. Even as a 24/7 well being tracker, different rings do it higher as a result of the Galaxy Ring is lacking options like AFib or sleep apnea detection. If I had spent $400 of my very own cash on this ring, I might have returned it already.
Samsung’s newest wearable
Samsung knocked it out of the park with a stunning {hardware} design that options tons of sensors, a week-long battery life, and a superb charging case. Samsung Health is a strong app however it’s solely finest when paired with a Galaxy cellphone and, even then, solely nice for folk who want informal health monitoring.