Samsung Galaxy Ring [Complete Review]

At Samsung Unpacked 2024 on July 10, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Ring, marking its debut in the smart ring market. 

This innovative device will track crucial health metrics such as sleep patterns, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, skin temperature, and exercise routines, all integrated with AI-powered insights through the Samsung Health app.

The Galaxy Ring is poised to challenge the Oura Ring, which currently leads the market as one of the top fitness trackers.

However, unlike the Oura Ring, which is compatible with Android and iPhone, the Galaxy Ring requires a Samsung smartphone for full functionality.

We tried the Galaxy Ring at Unpacked and were impressed by its design, comfort, and overall feel. The ring is offered in black, silver, and gold and is currently available for pre-order at $399.

Samsung Galaxy Ring Quick Guide

• Release Date: Available for pre-order starting July 10, with a release expected in late July

• Price: Estimated at $399

• Health Features: Monitors heart health, tracks sleep, provides a “Vitality” score, measures skin temperature, and predicts menstrual cycles.

• Smart Features: Compatible with Galaxy devices, supports gesture controls

• Design Options: Comes in black, gold, and silver, with sizes ranging from 5 to 12

• Battery Sizes: Available in 17 mAh, 18.5 mAh, and 22 mAh

Samsung Galaxy Ring: Release Schedule

The Galaxy Ring was officially unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked Summer 2024 event on July 10, with pre-orders starting the same day and an anticipated shipping date by the end of July.

Though the Galaxy Ring briefly appeared at Unpacked 2024 alongside the Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra, detailed information about its launch date and features was initially kept secret.

The ring was later showcased at the Mobile World Congress in February without further details.

Samsung had trademarked the Galaxy Ring name in February 2023 and several other potential product names. The company's proactive legal action against Oura hinted at a significant upcoming release.

Samsung anticipates that the creators of the Oura Ring might argue that the Galaxy Ring infringes on their trademarks. 

The company seeks a court ruling to affirm that any contested technology pertains to “features common to nearly all smart rings.”

According to the lawsuit, Samsung suggests that the Galaxy Ring is expected to be released around August.

Samsung Galaxy Ring: What Is The Price?

The Samsung Galaxy Ring is priced at $399, nearly $100 more than the Oura Ring Gen-3.

However, unlike the Oura Ring, which requires a $6 monthly subscription for full functionality, the Galaxy Ring has no subscription fees.

The Galaxy Ring could be more cost-effective in the long run, but it requires a Samsung phone for full compatibility.

On the other hand, the Oura Ring is compatible with any phone, including Samsung, Android, or iPhone.

Before the Unpacked event, no concrete details about the Galaxy Ring's pricing existed. We based our expectations on the costs of other smart rings available today. 

For comparison, the Oura Ring is priced at $299 at Best Buy, the Circular Pro 1 costs $410, and the Ultrahuman Ring AIR is listed at $349 on Amazon.

Given these comparisons, the $399 price tag for the Galaxy Ring was surprising, especially since leaker Yogesh Brar had estimated it would be between $300 and $350.

Fortunately, Brar's prediction of a $10 monthly subscription for accessing all features did not materialize.

Samsung Galaxy Ring: Design Overview

The Samsung Galaxy Ring is, as anticipated, a ring-shaped wearable. It was first revealed to the public earlier in the year, with a showcase at MWC 2024 in February confirming its ring-like design.

This finger-mounted device comes in eight sizes, ranging from size 5 to size 12, and weighs approximately three grams, making it notably lighter than the latest Oura Ring model.

The Galaxy Ring was shown in black, gold, and silver during its presentation at MWC 2024 and again at Unpacked. Both the gold and silver variants stood out as particularly impressive in person.

Samsung Galaxy Ring: Battery Life

Battery life is a crucial aspect of a smart ring, often influencing the choice between a ring and a smartwatch that needs frequent recharging.

Currently, the Oura Ring offers around five days of battery life on a single charge, setting a benchmark that Samsung aims to meet or exceed.

The Galaxy Ring has three battery capacities, tailored to the different ring sizes: 17 mAh, 18.5 mAh, and 22 mAh.

The largest size, with the 22 mAh battery, is expected to provide up to seven days of usage under normal conditions.

Although Samsung initially promised up to nine days of battery life, surpassing the Oura Ring, this estimate will depend on actual usage and feature settings.

We must conduct further testing to confirm the Galaxy Ring’s true performance.

Samsung Galaxy Ring: Health Features

Though smaller than traditional fitness trackers, the Galaxy Ring has various health monitoring features.

It includes an optical heart rate sensor, a blood oxygen monitor, a skin temperature sensor, and an accelerometer. 

These sensors track various health metrics and activity levels throughout the day, syncing data to the Samsung Health app via Bluetooth.

The Galaxy Ring provides comprehensive health insights by monitoring your heart rate, evaluating sleep quality using the accelerometer, tracking workouts automatically, and measuring skin temperature.

This data is used to support the Ring’s period tracking feature.

Sleep data collected overnight is analyzed in the Samsung Health app, which offers AI-powered insights and recommendations to enhance sleep quality.

This data also contributes to your Energy Score, aggregating information from your sleep, recent workouts, recovery, and daily activity.

Thanks to integration with the fertility app Natural Cycles, the skin temperature sensor helps track menstrual cycles and predict upcoming periods.

However, Samsung's version focuses solely on period tracking, excluding fertility and pregnancy aspects covered by Natural Cycles. 

For those seeking comprehensive fertility tracking, you can link an Oura account with Natural Cycles, though this requires a combined subscription to both services at $20 per month.

By contrast, Samsung’s period tracking feature comes at no additional cost.

Samsung Galaxy Ring: What We Had Hoped For

With few intelligent rings on the market, we had some expectations for the Samsung Galaxy Ring leading up to its debut at Unpacked. Here's what we hoped to see:

• Activity Tracking: This feature is present, with automatic workout detection and seamless data integration into the Samsung Health app.

• Advanced Sleep Tracking: While we need more time to fully assess how it compares to the Oura Ring—known for its superior sleep tracking—the initial details suggest promising capabilities.

• Temperature Tracking: We anticipated that the Galaxy Ring could monitor body temperature and assist with cycle and pregnancy tracking. The Ring meets part of this expectation by tracking temperature and menstrual cycles but does not extend to pregnancy or fertility monitoring.

• Media Control: There were hopes that the Galaxy Ring would offer broader device control capabilities. While it does support gestures to operate your phone's camera and dismiss alarms, it falls short of more extensive media control features.

• Tap to Pay: We had hoped for NFC support for contactless payments, a feature not available on the Oura Ring either. Unfortunately, this remains a feature we might see in future iterations.

Samsung Galaxy Ring: Future Prospects

Samsung’s foray into the smart ring market is undoubtedly intriguing.

The company gains a potential first-mover advantage by entering this niche segment over significant competitors like Apple and Google.

However, it remains to be seen how the Galaxy Ring will measure up against the established Oura Ring.

This device could attract users seeking a health-centric wearable that is more discreet than a traditional smartwatch.

In this sense, the Galaxy Ring might establish its niche apart from smartwatches, competing with devices like the Apple Watch and Garmin.

Additionally, the Galaxy Ring could serve as a stepping stone for Samsung to broaden its health and fitness ecosystem, offering both free and premium services, similar to the approaches taken by Apple and Fitbit/Google.