The Samsung Galaxy Ring is now official, after its surprising (and brief) teaser appearance at the end of Unpacked 2024.
The long-rumored rival to the Oura Ring was the encore at the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S24, where we first saw the smart ring and… not much else. The announcement effectively confirmed the existence of the Galaxy Ring, with no details on price, release date, or specifications.
That said, we can make some educated guesses about the Samsung Galaxy Ring's potential health and sleep tracking capabilities, based on announcements the tech giant made about a big Samsung Health update coming “later this year.”
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Given the growing number of contenders for the title of best smart ring, and some rumors last year from The Elec that Samsung had “started developing” some prototypes of the Galaxy Ring, the wearable device was expected to land sometime in 2024.
But now it's official, what do we know about its design and what features can we expect from it? We've rounded up all the latest details on the Samsung Galaxy Ring here so you can decide if it'll be your next wearable or fitness tracker.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: get to the point
- What is it? Samsung's first smart ring
- When does it come out? Unknown, but probably sometime in 2024
- How much will it cost? No details yet, but probably more than the Galaxy Watch
Samsung Galaxy Ring: Price
The Samsung Galaxy Ring may have been officially teased at Unpacked 2024, but we haven't heard anything about pricing. That means we can only speculate based on its existing rivals.
Our reference is the Oura ring. In our Oura (Generation 3) review, we noted that the device was impressive but relatively expensive compared to a traditional smartwatch that costs $299 (around £230 / AU$440).
On top of that, you have to pay $5.99 (around £4.50 / AU$8) per month for an Oura membership to keep access to premium features (although you get six months free with your ring purchase intelligent).
Another point of reference should be the best Samsung smartwatch. In our review of the Galaxy Watch 6 we found that the device offered comprehensive support for apps and fitness features and, at launch, prices started at $299.99 / £289 / AU$549.
Based on these devices, we wouldn't be surprised if the Galaxy Ring costs around $300/£300/$550. Will it be worth that price?
For one thing, the Galaxy Ring is expected to offer a host of fitness features thanks to a major update to the Samsung Health app coming “later this year.” The Ring could also offer more accurate readings than a smartwatch in some areas.
But on the other hand, Ring probably doesn't offer much support for the non-fitness-related apps found on a Galaxy Watch. Still, if you're health conscious and prefer minimalist accessories, then the Ring is an interesting prospect, even if those looking more for a smartphone companion will be happier with a smartwatch.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: release date
While the Samsung Galaxy Ring is now official, we still have no details on the release date. That said, Samsung said a major update to its Health app will be released “later this year,” so the Ring will likely launch to coincide with that.
Previous rumors had correctly predicted that the Galaxy Ring would be announced in January 2024, after noting the arrival of ring icons in the Galaxy Wearable app. But that hasn't translated into a full launch and we'll have to wait to find out when the wearable will hit shelves.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: News and features
Right now, all we know for sure is that the Samsung Galaxy Ring exists and will presumably arrive later this year to take on the Oura Ring and others.
Still, we can speculate on some of the Galaxy Ring's potential features based on previous rumors, as well as features that Samsung has said will be coming to its Health app “later this year.”
Before its official presentation, we had seen reports about a trademark application and some patents from Samsung, which showed a smart ring with sensors including electrocardiogram (ECG), to measure resting heart rate and heart rate variability.
It seems likely, then, that the Galaxy Ring is equipped with ECG and PPG (Photoplethysmography) sensors, so it can detect if your heartbeats have irregular rhythms. It could also track your steps and house an SpO2 monitoring sensor to detect your blood oxygen saturation, although this is just speculation until we get some official specifications.
All of this would work nicely with an incoming update to the Samsung Health app that the tech giant announced at Unpacked 2024. Samsung said that “later this year” Health will get several new features, including “a new smart sleep analysis.” This will help recognize if you have sleep apnea by monitoring blood oxygen levels while you sleep, while also detecting any interruptions in your breathing. It's unclear if this will come to the Galaxy Ring, but it's certainly possible.
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Another feature that Samsung has revealed will be coming to its Health app later this year is 'My Vitality Score' (below).
This is a lot like Fitbit's 'Daily Readiness Score' and similar features like 'Workout Readiness' on Garmin watches, as it collects data from your sleep, activity, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability. to give you an overall health score. suggestions and advice.
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Again, it's not yet clear which of these new Samsung Health features the Samsung Galaxy Ring will be compatible with. But since the wearable was announced right after Samsung boasted updates to its Health app at Unpacked 2024, our previews (like the one above) give a good idea of the kind of features you can expect from the Galaxy Ring when finally, I arrived. for health monitoring tasks.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: first thoughts
Smart rings are typically more discreet versions of smartwatches, like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, that focus more on being a fitness tracker than a second screen for your smartphone.
Smart rings are typically less noticeable, lighter, and because they fit better than a watch, they are sometimes more accurate in measuring data. If you find yourself distracted by your smartwatch while swimming, running, or sleeping, a smart ring could be the solution.
We don't know anything officially about the Galaxy Ring's specs and features yet, but based on Samsung's patents and the wearable's design, it could boast many of the same health features found on the latest Galaxy Watch. For example, a step counter, a heart rate monitor, and even ECG capabilities to help you detect if your heartbeat has irregular rhythms.
If everything turns out to be the case, and the Galaxy Ring works well with the big Samsung Health update coming “later this year,” then it could be one of the best sleep and fitness trackers out there. We will update this page with more official information as soon as we get it.
