The Galaxy Ring keeps you in Samsung’s orbit

Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is not, technically speaking, revolutionary. Smart rings of each sorts person been offering discreet wellness tracking since 2015. Your smartwatch tracks everything a astute ringing tin and, successful astir cases, more. Even so, there’s nary denying that the $399.99 Galaxy Ring is the astir breathtaking happening to hap to astute rings successful the past 5 years. Why?

Because it’s Samsung.

Until now, astute rings person beauteous overmuch been synonymous with the Oura Ring. That’s the 1 you might’ve seen connected Kim Kardashian, Jack Dorsey, Jennifer Aniston, and Prince Harry. It’s the 1 that got each the attraction astatine the tallness of the covid-19 pandemic acknowledgment to collaborations with the NBA and scientific researchers. People similar astute rings similar the Oura Ring because, successful immoderate ways, they are the much convenient 24/7 wellness and fittingness trackers. But contempt that success, Oura isn’t a household name. 

Samsung’s determination to marque a astute ringing gives legitimacy to a niche wearable — and if the request is there, that opens the doorway for Apple and Google to perchance leap connected the bandwagon. But aft spending immoderate clip with the Galaxy Ring, I wouldn’t accidental that Samsung’s wholly upended the astute ringing category. Rather, I’d accidental it’s proposing that it’s the perfect accessory for your different gadgets. 

Slim, comfy, and discreet

There’s 1 happening the Galaxy Ring shares with each different astute ringing I’ve tested: nary 1 volition announcement you’re wearing it. I accidental that with afloat assurance because, these days, I’m decked retired similar a mafia don wearing six astute rings and 5 regular rings. I’ve gone to household events, parties, the market store, and the office. Only 1 idiosyncratic has ever asked if any of my rings were astute rings. Even colleagues who cognize I’m actively investigating the Galaxy Ring were incapable to separate it from the rest. 

You tin instrumentality that arsenic a bully oregon atrocious thing. Good, due to the fact that it means the Galaxy Ring is discreet and versatile. The nondescript plan fits immoderate wardrobe and is due for immoderate occasion. Bad, because, for $400, you conscionable bought a portion of high-tech jewelry that doesn’t needfully consciousness rather truthful luxe.

While I’d emotion much ocular flair, comfortableness is simply a indispensable with wearables. And of each the astute rings I’ve worn, the Galaxy Ring is the thinnest and astir comfortable. Its dimensions are smaller than astir astute rings astatine 7mm wide and 2.6mm thick, but the concave signifier besides visually creates a slimming effect. The ring’s concavity besides means the sides don’t protrude into your neighboring fingers — a occupation I’ve had with different astute rings. It’s a subtle tweak, but I announcement it’s overmuch much comfy whenever I marque a fist oregon drawback a dumbbell. 

While the Galaxy Ring is noticeably bigger than my regular rings, the bigger size doesn’t construe to a heavier ring. The Galaxy Ring weighs betwixt 2.3 and 3g, depending connected the size. My size 9 ringing weighs 2.7g, which is astir connected par with my engagement ring.

Apart from the ringing itself, Samsung cleverly opted for a charging case, which I overmuch similar to the puck-shaped dock Oura and Ultrahuman use. For one, it keeps the ringing unafraid portion charging. I can’t archer you the fig of times my cats person knocked the Oura Ring charger disconnected my nightstand, sending maine connected a hunt nether the furniture for the ringing itself. Even if you don’t person demon cats, a lawsuit is overmuch easier to stash successful a bag, and you tin complaint connected the go. The lone happening I dislike is that the lawsuit lone holds 1.5 times the charge. Most different charging cases clasp astatine slightest 2 charges.

Judging by hardware alone, I’d accidental the Galaxy Ring is the champion astute ringing I’ve tested. Unfortunately for Samsung, hardware is lone fractional of the equation. 

Health tracking is simply a mixed bag

Like the Oura Ring, the Galaxy Ring is chiefly a wellness tracker. You tin way your sleep, humor oxygen, tegument temperature, bosom complaint metrics, and activities. Based connected that data, you tin get a regular slumber score, entree to slumber coaching, and a caller Energy Score that parses however good you’ve recovered overnight and whether you should propulsion yourself oregon instrumentality it easy. As acold arsenic much precocious wellness tracking goes, you’re constricted to precocious and debased bosom complaint notifications. FDA-cleared slumber apnea detection and irregular bosom bushed notifications are exclusive to the Galaxy Watches.

As a slumber tracker, the Galaxy Ring is decent. The information I got astir my slumber stages was astir akin to the Oura Ring, which studies person shown is about 79 percent arsenic accurate arsenic the golden modular polysomnography laboratory test. However, arsenic successful the past, Samsung’s humor oxygen information is wonky. My nightly averages ranged from the debased 80s to the precocious 90s. Anything successful the debased 80s is simply a crushed to spell to the ER, truthful I chalk this up to maine being a broadside sleeper — a known obstacle for close humor oxygen readings connected wearables.

The caller Energy Score is besides broadly accurate, though the AI-powered insights for it are deed oregon miss. After a punishing agelong tally successful 90-degree heat, my Energy Score dipped 18 points the adjacent day. I was told I needed to rest. That night, I went to furniture astatine 8:30PM for a blessed 9 hours of sleep, and voila — my people jumped 16 points. Except I was besides told my slumber was compromised and to halt drinking intoxicant oregon late-night eating to guarantee prime sleep. I don’t portion and my past repast was astatine 6:45PM. 

Activity tracking is besides a mixed bag. My regular wide measurement number was fine, if a spot inflated by a mates 100 steps compared to my Apple Watch Ultra 2. That’s to beryllium expected with astute rings, however. Heart complaint information besides astir correlated for slumber and walks. Running is wherever the Ring fumbled. The different day, I went connected a two-mile run. The Galaxy Ring, which autorecorded the workout, reported a 30-minute duration, 2.37-mile distance, a 15-minute, 16-second pace, and an mean bosom complaint of 125 beats per minute. The Galaxy Watch Ultra recorded a much close duration of 24 minutes, a 2.05-mile distance, an 11-minute, 54-second pace, and an mean bosom complaint of 162bpm. 

That was the astir egregious example, but each of my Galaxy Ring-recorded runs were wildly disconnected for gait and mean bosom rate. This is apt due to the fact that I relied connected autorecording for runs and walks alternatively of manually starting a workout connected my phone. However, the full constituent of a astute ringing for wellness tracking is to beryllium arsenic unobtrusive arsenic possible. If I wanted to manually commencement each exercise, a smartwatch is simply a overmuch amended option. For instance, I instrumentality play Pilates classes wherever phones are banned wrong the studio. If each I had was the Galaxy Ring, I’d person to manually commencement the workout connected my telephone earlier entering the studio. With a smartwatch, I tin commencement signaling wrong the workplace erstwhile people really begins.

All of this tin beryllium overlooked if each you privation is simply a big-picture thought of your enactment and sleep. But if you privation much granular workout data, you’re going to request a smartwatch, too.

Better successful Samsung’s galaxy

There’s nary constituent successful beating astir the bush. The Galaxy Ring is made with Samsung users successful mind. You can usage it with a non-Samsung Android phone, provided it supports the Samsung Health app. You conscionable won’t get everything the ringing is susceptible of.

For example, if you person a Galaxy phone, you tin usage Samsung Find to marque the ring’s LED lights flash portion you excavation betwixt sofa cushions. Tough noogies if you person immoderate different phone. Likewise, insights for the caller Energy Score diagnostic aren’t disposable connected non-Galaxy phones. The chill treble pinch gesture, wherever you tin usage the Galaxy Ring to power your phone’s camera oregon disregard alarms? That’s a Z Flip 6 oregon Z Fold 6 exclusive close now. (I was told astatine a hands-on lawsuit that it’ll beryllium coming soon to the S24, but it’s not disposable arsenic of this writing.)

You tin truly spot this ecosystem bias successful enactment with artillery life. When you usage the ringing connected its own, you get betwixt six and 7 days of artillery life. (Six days for ringing sizes 5–11 and 7 for sizes 12–13.) When you usage it with a Galaxy Watch, you tin agelong that retired by an other 30 percent. 

This is due to the fact that the Samsung Health app tin prioritize which device’s sensors to propulsion information from. If your Galaxy Watch artillery is debased and you plop it connected the charger, it’ll propulsion information from the Galaxy Ring. Conversely, if your Galaxy Watch is amended suited toward capturing workout data, the Galaxy Ring’s sensors instrumentality a backmost seat. That helps optimize artillery life. 

That other 30 percent makes a large difference. Most of the different astute rings I’ve tested request to beryllium charged each 2 to 4 days. In the 12 days I’ve been investigating the Galaxy Ring, I’ve had to complaint it erstwhile astatine the 7.5-day people — astir 36-ish hours longer than my ring’s six-day estimate. For example, I near the Galaxy Watch disconnected 1 nighttime and the 24-hour drain amounted to 22 percent. With the Galaxy Watch on, I mean astir 15 percent per day. I’ll person to bash further investigating to spot however the artillery degrades implicit time. But truthful far, colour maine impressed.

A pricey accessory for your Galaxy Watch

All of this perfectly captures wherefore the Galaxy Ring isn’t truly a instrumentality made to beryllium utilized connected its own. Its afloat imaginable requires other Samsung products. You’ll person an easier, much close wellness tracking acquisition erstwhile you usage it with a Galaxy Watch. You’ll get amended artillery beingness if you usage it with a Galaxy Watch. You’ll get much features if you usage it with a Galaxy phone. 

In different words, it’s little of a Galaxy Watch alternate — it’s an accessory for it. 

If the Galaxy Ring outgo $250, I’d accidental Samsung was a diabolical genius company. But astatine $400, it’s asking a batch for what amounts to a secondary instrumentality for your smartwatch. It’d beryllium astute if Samsung offered Galaxy Watch and Ring bundles to bring the wide outgo down, but truthful far, that’s not the case. At slightest there’s nary further monthly subscription, arsenic with the Oura Ring. But close now, there’s nary existent crushed to prime the Galaxy Ring implicit the cheaper Ultrahuman Ring Air unless you’re already ensconced successful the Galaxy ecosystem. 

Ultimately, I don’t deliberation Samsung ever intended connected making a astute ringing that’s bully for everyone. Rather, I deliberation the Galaxy Ring is simply a trial to spot whether there’s an appetite for this benignant of multiwearable ecosystem — and whether its astir loyal customers volition bargain in. That remains to beryllium seen, but if successful? I deliberation we’re successful for a full caller wearable era.

Photography by Victoria Song / The Verge