The Galaxy Ring is Samsung’s first-ever smart ring, and it brings a ton of value to users who need a low-profile fitness tracking option. That being said, it doesn’t beat out the competition in any way that truly matters.
Even though Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is the first of its kind from the brand, companies like Oura, RIngConn, Amazfit, and others were already producing successful products, to a point. What Samsung’s move does is bring much more attention to the form factor.
I’ve been using the Galaxy Ring for a couple of weeks, and I can’t say it brings an experience that’s worth buying over any other smart ring. Of course, it lends itself to Galaxy users – we’ll get into that – but the experience can be had by any Android user.
Hardware
Again… It’s a ring
Admittedly, there isn’t much you can do with a smart ring other than make it minimal and stylish and give it good water resistance. Samsung did an okay job with the hardware, adding a titanium outer portion to the ring to make it look good enough to wear to a wedding and giving it 10ATM water pressure resistance. I got the “Titanium Black” variant for review, and I have mixed feelings.
The ring has that undeniably nice cold feeling metal takes on when it hasn’t been worn in a while, but the black metal doesn’t actually do much to add visual value. The matte finish takes on more of a painted plastic look than titanium, so the ring ends up looking rather basic.
I would have loved to see more of a gunmetal colorway that doesn’t look as flat. The silver and gold versions couldn’t be more different and take on a shiny jewelry vibe, which will work well for a lot of wearers. The titanium outer does seem to add strength to the ring. It feels sturdy, even though it weighs next to nothing.
The internal portion of the Galaxy Ring is a clear plastic, which allows you to see the sensor array. Samsung says that the ring carries an optical bio-signal sensor for measuring heart rate, a skin temperature sensor, and an accelerometer. The temperature sensor outfits the ring for tracking menstrual cycles – a welcome addition to the Galaxy Ring.
As with other smart rings, there are small bulges above each of the optical sensors. Those allow the sensors to see skin clearly without dead air in between. They don’t do anything to add discomfort, and any strange feeling you have when using it for the first couple of days subsides quickly. An outer tactile line allows you to position those sensors nearest to your palm for the best readouts.
I will also note that I tend to wear smart rings like a wedding band. Samsung recommends wearing the Galaxy Ring on your index finger for the best experience, but it’s up to you. I haven’t experienced any issues wearing the band on a different finger. It’s more comfortable and feels natural.
The best charging case I’ve ever used
I am of the opinion that Samsung spent years developing a charging case for something they hadn’t yet developed, and at the last minute, when smart rings started gaining consumer traction, they decided to throw a ring in it.
This case is one of the coolest charging cases I’ve used in a while. It has an acrylic outer shell that encompasses an inner metal battery enclosure. When open, you can see a spot where the Galaxy Ring fits, equipped with an LED ring that displays the ring’s battery level. The inner portion is white with a small orange accent mark to help with ring alignment. When closed, the case still displays the Galaxy Ring while it’s charging for your next few days of use.
The best part about this case is that it’s built like an earbud charging case. It is completely portable. Yes, it does need its own charge, but it will power the Galaxy Ring through several charges. In all seriousness, the wireless earbud approach to charging might be the saving grace of the Galaxy Ring. It adds the benefit of being able to travel with the Galaxy Ring charging case, allowing you to leave one more USB-C cable behind.
Performance
Like a tiny Galaxy Watch on your finger
Maybe the above heading is a little misleading, but throughout my time using the Galaxy Ring, I’ve been comfortable with the idea that this small wearable can almost entirely replace the Galaxy Watch, so long as you don’t need notifications.
If you were to break down the major components of your health statistics through the Samsung Health app, it would come down to Sleep Score, heart health, and activity. The latter focuses mainly on your step count, while heart health is comprised of your heart rate, stress levels, and blood oxygen during sleep.
Overall, I’ve felt the health tracking abilities on the Galaxy Ring are mostly accurate but a little underwhelming. It’s all of the same stuff we’re used to from the Galaxy Watch, which is a little underwhelming on its own. I’ve become so used to what companies like Oura offer that the Galaxy Ring experience has seemed a little lackluster.
If you own a Galaxy device, you do get access to a couple of extra features. That would include Energy Scores and AI-driven health tips. Those two terms feel like marketing more than concrete features to better someone’s health. Those who pair the Galaxy Ring to any other Android device will be surprised to find out that all of the features that matter will be there ad available to use.
That doesn’t include gesture control, which can be useful for taking self-portraits from further away or turning off your alarm in the morning.
I could be sorely spoiled or have this idea that health tracking should be much more dynamic than stats on a page. That’s why some other companies charge a subscription – it’s a specialized platform. Samsung, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily specialize in any one area.
On accuracy, I don’t think there’s much to complain about in terms of daily health. Everything has seemed reasonably in tow with the Galaxy Watch series and other rings, as far as I could tell. Heavy activity tracking does seem to be a little more hit-or-miss.
I’m not enthralled by the sleep score function, though. For instance, it gave me a sleep score of 80 for last night’s rest. That’s the same night I woke up at 4:00 a.m. with a splitting migraine and had to work myself back to sleep slowly.
I do not feel like an “80” today.
Battery life short on promise
When the Galaxy Ring was announced at Samsung Unpacked almost a month ago, the company noted that the device would have “up to 7 days” of battery life. I guess I was fooled into thinking I’d actually see closer to 7 days. In reality, I’m looking at a charge every 4 or 5 days. This lines up with the Oura Ring. I genuinely thought the Galaxy Ring would be able to take a decisive victory in the battery department. Unfortunately, it does not.
That isn’t to say the battery life is poor. I genuinely think 4 or 5 days is great and streets ahead of anything many Wear OS watches can do at the moment. The fact remains that Samsung somewhat pushed expectations, and now I’m just sad.
Final thoughts
At its core, the Galaxy Ring is a great piece of hardware that offers genuinely good health-tracking stats outside of vigorous exercise. That means it’s suited for an everyday wearer who wants to keep an eye on their heart rate levels, blood oxygen at night, and other basic stats. It’s even good for period tracking, though I was not able to test that function myself.
That said, I don’t think it beats out any of the competition, but that’s mainly due to Samsung’s lackluster health suite to begin with. When you buy the Galaxy Ring, you’re buying into Samsung’s ecosystem, whatever that entails for you. The Galaxy Ring is a good health-tracking ring, but I think options like Oura offer a deeper and more intuitive experience, even if that means paying a small subscription fee every month.
The Galaxy Ring is $399, which is a good price, I think. Having recently replaced smartwatches with smart rings, I can confidently say I don’t miss notifications and other sometimes convoluted functions. The Galaxy Ring is a good tool for basic health tracking, but not much more. Even still, this is a pretty good first attempt from Samsung.
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