Samsung Galaxy Ring Review: The Easiest Way to Track Wellness Without Thinking About It Too Much

I spent a fewer months waffling backmost and distant connected my feelings astir the $400 Samsung Galaxy Ring, truthful it’s taken maine a portion to constitute astir it. When I brought it connected abrogation successful precocious July, I hated it. It offered small inferior successful my travels beyond tracking metrics I wasn’t actively paying attraction to during leisure time. I enactment it distant successful its futuristic-seeming see-through charging lawsuit and switched to the OnePlus Watch 2R the remainder of the way.

When I returned from traversing each over, I felt exhausted by the value of the OnePlus Watch 2R. Never caput that it’s a bigger surface than I’m utilized to, but having to beryllium that contiguous for a gadget connected my idiosyncratic and my smartphone added to the load. It was everything and excessively overmuch astatine once, and I’m not conscionable talking astir the jetlag. I enactment the smartwatch down and switched backmost to the Galaxy Ring, which rapidly became a portion of my betterment arsenic I retrained my assemblage to spell to furniture and aftermath up earlier. I haven’t taken it disconnected since.

Samsung did a large occupation with its first-generation astute ring. I nary longer attraction astir wearing a smartwatch, particularly for regular attraction exercise. The Galaxy Ring tells maine everything I request to know: however galore steps I walked, erstwhile my bosom complaint spiked from stress, and however good I slept. It tracks my walks done the vicinity and hikes up the elevation adjacent my location erstwhile I privation thing much challenging. I inactive request a smartwatch for much blase situations, similar swimming laps astatine the assemblage excavation oregon tracking my bosom complaint during a Peloton-assisted footwear camp. But it feels similar I’m lone bringing retired the ticker occasionally, arsenic I’m surviving beingness conscionable good with simply the Samsung Galaxy Ring.

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Your caller favourite tiny achromatic ring 

I spent the past fewer months with the achromatic Galaxy Ring connected my near scale finger. I washed my hands and dishes with it on. I washed my look and my daughter’s look erstwhile she drew each implicit it. I took retired the trash, enactment connected gloves to assistance determination a plaything set, and past rode connected the plaything with the Galaxy Ring. Generally, I don’t instrumentality disconnected the ringing but erstwhile doing my twice-daily cleansing and showering. At that point, it’s simply par for the course, similar erstwhile I region the remainder of my jewelry, which is to say, the Galaxy Ring feels similar an accessory successful my stead. I adjacent recovered a bully labradorite ringing to deterioration connected my close scale digit to lucifer it.

The Galaxy Ring comes successful 3 titanium finishes: plain black, which I mentioned, gold, and silver. If you privation a smart ringing that blends with regular jewelry, spell for the 2 metallic finishes. The plain achromatic 1 sometimes feels excessively gadgety erstwhile I deterioration it alongside my favourite large chromatic rings. Also, since I’ve had it connected for 2 months, it’s already scratched up connected the bottommost side, wherever the tracking hardware exists. I ideate this is from each the laboring I’ve done with the ring. I expected immoderate wear, but not this soon. At slightest it’s connected the bottom, truthful it’s not arsenic noticeable astatine archetypal glance. 

Samsung fitted maine with a size 9 ring. Getting determination was an full ordeal, but it was the due size successful the end. It hasn’t felt arsenic choky arsenic it did that time I was primitively fitted for the Galaxy Ring successful New York successful July, and I’ve been wearing it passim this blistery summer. Whenever the Ring feels similar it’s strangling my finger, I popular it backmost into its wide charging lawsuit to get re-juiced portion I instrumentality a break. 

The charging lawsuit for the Galaxy Ring is surely distinct. Initially, I chalked the lawsuit up arsenic chintzy, but its tiny size is cleanable for tossing into my container connected the mode to the nail salon erstwhile I’d request to instrumentality that Ring retired and dock it. The container is see-through with achromatic LED accents, including astir the charging base, to bespeak however overmuch artillery is near connected the lawsuit and however overmuch artillery is near connected the Ring erstwhile it’s docked.  

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The Galaxy Ring’s charging lawsuit is earnestly cool. And yes, it does punctual me, a woman, of a constitution compact.

A broadside quality for wellness tracking

Yes, this is the easiest mode to way your wellness regular without reasoning astir it excessively much. But if you’re doing much than that, similar grooming for a marathon oregon trying to get amended astatine upland biking, the Galaxy Ring is nary replacement for a smartwatch.

For those who are a small much cozy with our movements, the Galaxy Ring tin assistance beforehand wellness without the carnal footprint of a smartwatch. During the day, it tracks steps you’ve walked, stairs you’ve climbed, and adjacent factors successful elevation if you unrecorded successful a hilly area. At night, portion you’re sleeping, it tracks humor oxygen levels and adaptable somesthesia passim the night. It lets you cognize if you snored and however often you got up to usage the bathroom. It volition besides scold you astir however small slumber you’re getting and whether it’s restful capable to conquer the time ahead. 

Granted, it’s not the Galaxy Ring doing each of this. The Samsung Health app takes successful the information the astute ringing procures and past spits retired its champion conjecture of however you’re surviving your life. I’m OK with the casual knowing of however I’m doing, and truthful far, I’m getting much retired of Samsung Health present than I was earlier wearing the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 6. Because it’s a ring, I’m wearing it astir the clock. I recognize I locomotion much than I deliberation during a sedentary time successful the office. I besides don’t slumber arsenic good arsenic I thought, and that post-morning did-I-sleep-enough hangover seems to straight correspond with whether I’m exercising consistently.

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

The Galaxy Ring is not a cleanable end-all, be-all tracker. For instance, determination were changeless disparities betwixt the region I walked from Samsung Health’s assessments versus what Strava said astatine the end. Often, the ticker would accidental I walked little than I did, and I deliberation it’s due to the fact that it relies connected determination information from the phone. But Strava has entree to the aforesaid data, and it inactive seems to glean a much close region speechmaking from the ring. The constituent is that this is each precise confusing, which is wherefore I’d suggest a accepted smartwatch way if you request superior numbers. The Galaxy Ring besides isn’t bully astatine tracking niche workouts and activities. If you’re walking, hiking, oregon biking, those are each fine. But I took the Galaxy Ring swimming, which gave maine thing astir my bosom complaint during laps nor however acold I swam. I usually get that benignant of accusation from a smartwatch.

The different discrepancy is related to the Galaxy Ring tracking humor oxygen levels during sleep. If you thrash successful your sleep, you could pin down your digit and frankincense get the much alarming readings. Samsung Health claimed I hover astir 85-89% successful humor oxygen levels astir nights, which I’m rapidly reminded is the benignant of speechmaking that would nonstop you to the hospital. I wouldn’t trust connected this information unless you’re explaining to the idiosyncratic surveying it that there’s a spot of a flaw with however the Ring tracks humor oxygen done the night. A smartwatch has much aboveground connected the wrist to propulsion data, and you’re not instantly cutting circulation by sleeping connected it. 

The astir annoying portion astir wearing a astute ringing implicit a smartwatch is that you indispensable bring your telephone anyplace if you are doing much than simply existing. I bring my telephone with maine anyhow to watercourse euphony to my headphones connected a jog, but theoretically, I wouldn’t request to bash that if I person a smartwatch on—it usually has onboard retention to bring euphony connected the spell without the bulk. You’ll besides trust heavy connected the telephone for insights into your regular stats. Every morning, alternatively than checking the show connected my wrist, I drawback my telephone and sync it to the ringing to spot however I slept. It’s not a regular I’m arrogant of, but I’m reaching for that instrumentality anyhow to snooze the alarm. 

The cardinal is Samsung Health

Because determination is nary show connected the Ring itself to interact with, everything you do, from programming the instrumentality to checking your stats, involves dealing with the Samsung Healthy. Now, this app has gotten overmuch much blase since its aboriginal days. I’ve been utilizing it to way my wellness information since 2019 I archetypal adopted the Galaxy Fit smartwatch. Samsung Health besides integrates easy with Google Fit and Android’s Health Connect, truthful you tin stock that information with 3rd parties similar Strava without worrying astir double-ups.

One happening I’m not yet convinced that Samsung Health tin bash is manager maine connected processing amended habits. I mean, it benignant of worked with the app’s Energy Score, which is reminiscent of FitBit’s Daily Readiness score, and I mostly looked to it for a marker of wherever my “health” was headed. But the proposal it gives maine without factoring successful each different portion of wherefore my issues are what they are is unfairly taunting. Rather than inquire maine however I’m doing and whether I’m dealing with an illness—the app doesn’t adjacent cognize I person one, it ne'er bothered to ask—it accused maine of compromising my sleep, instantly assuming I had had intoxicant oregon a snack earlier bed. The mode it’s worded is accusatory successful tone, and I’m shocked this dialog was a portion of the rotation.

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Samsung Health accused maine of drinking and eating excessively late. How rude!

I got the compromised slumber announcement a fewer times during the reappraisal period. The 2nd clip that Samsung Health alerted maine astir it, it again accused maine of drinking intoxicant and late-night eating. Again, I person different worldly going connected with maine mentally and physically that are existent factors of wherefore I conflict to sleep. But determination was obscurity to manually participate that information and origin it successful with everything else.

Samsung Health is bully astir guiding you erstwhile things are going well. I had astir 3 weeks of accordant walking and regular exercise, and the messages were affirmative and encouraging astir continuing that streak. I was besides periodically reminded that this benignant of manner helps stave disconnected slump and anxiety. It so does! But I privation I could input much astir my intelligence wellness and everything that I americium diagnosed with successful there, too, and person that factored successful with the numbers connected my bosom complaint and humor unit and wherefore I whitethorn not beryllium sleeping astatine night.

Samsung Health volition hopefully go much robust down the line. At the precise least, it doesn’t outgo thing for the stats it gives now. Competing devices similar the Oura Ring, which arguably brought the merchandise class into motion, necessitate a subscription for tracking, portion Samsung offers it to you outright. But who knows what volition beryllium the lawsuit down the line? By then, we’ll hopefully person a astute ringing that isn’t wildly concerning erstwhile displaying humor oxygen levels. I curse I’m fine!

If you are grooming for something, oregon you’ve picked up your workout regular and privation much stats, you’ll person to instrumentality wrong the Samsung ecosystem. The Galaxy Ring works champion with astatine slightest a Samsung smartwatch successful tow, and determination are a fewer gestures disposable lone connected Samsung smartphones. We’re inactive waiting connected our Galaxy Watch 7 reappraisal unit, but I already cognize that wearing the Galaxy Ring and, say, the Pixel Watch simultaneously gets messy. You’ll person to take which wellness suite to prioritize syncing with Google Fit, and the information won’t correlate. At slightest if you person a Galaxy Watch connected you, Samsung Health knows erstwhile to power disconnected tracking duties for much elaborate workout data.

Great for passive wellness tracking

The Galaxy Ring is 1 of the much costly astute rings connected the market. It’s a small much than you’d wage for a cheaper marque similar RingConn, but astatine slightest you tin afloat integrate the information with different services without excessively overmuch trouble. If passive wellness tracking is your modus operandi and you privation to beforehand much wellness for yourself, you’ll person an casual clip justifying the $400 terms tag, particularly if you’re already knee-deep successful the ecosystem. The lone bummer is that those humor oxygen levels it reads retired are earnestly alarming. I ideate that’s thing Samsung volition effort to hole with an algorithmic alteration or, astatine the precise least, a disclaimer.