Samsung’s Galaxy Ring could be the one ring to rule an ecosystem

Samsung whitethorn person launched 3 caller smartwatches this year, but the wearable I’ve been astir excited to spot from the institution was the Galaxy Ring. After months of teasing, Samsung officially announced the $399.99 astute ringing astatine today’s Unpacked lawsuit — and I yet got to play astir with one. Granted, I lone got a abbreviated clip with the Galaxy Ring, but truthful far, I similar what I’ve seen.

Right disconnected the bat, the Galaxy Ring hardware is rather nice, though its wide plan doesn’t stray excessively acold from different astute rings. (I cognize due to the fact that I showed up to the hands-on wearing 4 different astute rings.) It comes successful 3 colors: gold, silver, and black. All person a titanium framework and look fetching, but similar a magpie, I recovered myself partial to the gold, arsenic it had the shiniest finish. I can’t rather talk to the durability yet, but it’s got 10ATM of h2o absorption and an IP68 rating.

At 7mm wide and 2.6mm thick, it felt slimmer erstwhile worn close adjacent to my Oura Ring, though that mightiness beryllium due to the fact that the ringing itself is somewhat concave. It’s besides lightweight, though not noticeably truthful compared to different astute rings. It weighs betwixt 2.3 and 3g, depending connected the size. Speaking of sizes, determination are 9 total, ranging from size 5 to 13.

But portion the Galaxy Ring didn’t basal retired from the different astute rings connected my finger, its charging lawsuit is eye-catching. Samsung isn’t the archetypal to enactment a astute ringing successful a charging case, but the ones I’ve seen don’t person this futuristic transparent plan and LED concern going on. Not lone does it look chic but it’s besides precise practical. Some different astute rings, similar the Oura Ring and Ultrahuman Ring Air, travel with easy-to-lose puck-shaped docks. A lawsuit similar this is mode easier to worldly into your container if you tally retired of complaint connected the go. (It’s besides much immune to naughty cats who similar to bat things disconnected your nightstand.) The lawsuit itself holds 1.5 times the charge, and the rings volition get six to 7 days of battery. A afloat complaint takes astir 80 minutes.

I besides got to effort Samsung’s sizing kit, which I highly urge adjacent if you cognize your modular ringing size. You tin bid the kit online, and it’s worthy the other hassle since size truly does substance with astute rings. Fingers tin swell successful hotter weather, and nary 2 fingers are the nonstop aforesaid size. Case successful point, I’m mostly a size 7.5 successful non-smart rings, a size 8 successful each different astute ring, and a size 9 for the Galaxy Ring. Not to mention, size volition interaction artillery life. The smaller rings (sizes 5 to 11) get six days connected a azygous charge, portion the 2 largest ones get up to seven.

Samsung is mostly sticking to the tried and existent for the tech, too. Like the Oura Ring and the immense bulk of presently disposable astute rings, this is chiefly meant to beryllium an alternative, much discreet wellness tracker. If you were hoping for thing that tin springiness notifications oregon has soundless alarms similar earlier astute rings — you’re retired of luck. There are nary vibration motors, LED airy indicators, oregon thing similar that. As for sensors, you get an accelerometer, optical bosom complaint sensor (including green, red, and infrared LEDs), and tegument somesthesia sensor. Broadly, you’ll beryllium capable to way sleep, bosom complaint data, and activity, though Samsung is introducing immoderate caller Galaxy AI-powered metrics to the mix.

Those see the caller Energy Score and Wellness Tips features. The erstwhile uses Galaxy AI to find however you’re feeling based connected sleep, activity, sleeping bosom rate, and sleeping bosom complaint variability. It’s akin to the assorted readiness metrics different wellness trackers person begun incorporating implicit the past fewer years. Meanwhile, based connected your data, the second delivers personalized insights into your well-being, again precise reminiscent of what’s offered by the Oura Ring and different competitors. Other wellness features see rhythm tracking, precocious and debased bosom complaint alerts, unrecorded bosom complaint readings, car workout detection, and inactive alerts.

Also similar different astute rings, the Galaxy Ring puts a large accent connected sleep. Users volition get a slumber people that takes into relationship metrics similar question during sleep, slumber latency, and bosom and respiratory rate. But though astute rings are perfect for slumber tracking, the Galaxy Ring volition not beryllium getting the caller FDA-cleared slumber apnea detection feature, nor is it susceptible of irregular bosom bushed notifications. Those are constricted to the Galaxy Watches.

Given this was a hands-on, I didn’t get to really trial retired the Galaxy Ring’s software, tracking accuracy, oregon artillery life. That said, Samsung has immoderate absorbing ideas of however astute rings ought to enactment wrong its ain gadget ecosystem.

Sorry, iOS users, but Samsung spokesperson Cole Hagedorn told The Verge that this ringing is Android lone (provided your Android telephone tin tally the Samsung Health app), but you’ll get a amended acquisition if you’re successful the Samsung ecosystem. For example, the caller Health AI features similar Energy Score won’t beryllium disposable if you person a non-Galaxy phone. Same with Find My Ring. It uses Samsung Find, which, again, requires a Galaxy phone. Meanwhile, if you usage a Samsung Galaxy Watch with the Galaxy Ring, the Samsung Health app volition beryllium capable to prime and take which instrumentality it’s pulling information from. If you’re moving and the awesome from your ticker is clearer than from the ringing — it’ll spell with the watch’s data. That, successful turn, could pb to accrued artillery life.

But the coolest illustration of this is that if you person a Samsung Galaxy phone, you tin usage a treble pinch motion to power your phone’s camera oregon disregard an alarm hands-free. It’s fundamentally the aforesaid arsenic the double pat motion (aka pinchy pinch) for the Apple Watch. Is it gimmicky? Yes, and it was inactive precise chill erstwhile I tried it. Getting the motion close takes a small proceedings and error, but I’ve yet to spot this connected immoderate different astute ring. Unfortunately, it’ll beryllium constricted to the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 astatine launch. Samsung told maine it’ll besides beryllium coming to the S24 “very soon.”

Based connected my highly constricted clip with the ring, it already has a fewer things going for it. The hardware is slick, and contempt the $400 terms tag, there’s nary further subscription (looking astatine you, Oura). But the Galaxy Ring’s occurrence hinges connected 2 things: close tracking and bully artillery life. If it tin bash that portion incorporating these ecosystem-specific ideas, Samsung could precise good instrumentality the pb successful the astute ringing category. And if not, it’s raised an ambitious thought for wherever astute rings should spell next.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring is disposable for preorder starting today, with wide availability starting connected July 24th.

Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge