The Galaxy Ring, Samsung’s first foray into this segment of smart wearables, will soon go on sale. Launched at its Unpacked event in Paris, the Galaxy Ring costs $399 and will hit the shelves on July 24.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is a late entrant into the race for finger real estate. The South Korean giant has its work cut out as it tries to wriggle its way into the ultra compact form factor, currently dominated by the Oura Ring.
The Galaxy Ring is equipped with sensors that’ll monitor several health parameters all through the day (and night). It is part of Samsung’s efforts to get its products to talk to each other to offer an integrated solution to the user.
Five reasons to consider the Galaxy Ring
For some time now, smart rings have been threatening to topple smart watches as the most popular wearable. That hasn’t happened because smart rings offer limited customization options. Also, unlike the easily adaptable smartwatches, finding a smart ring that snugly fits a user’s finger is a challenge.
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That said, the smart ring is a very promising form factor and Samsung’s jump into this space underlines that fact. Here are five things you should keep in mind when buying the Galaxy smart ring.
1. Lightweight
The Galaxy Ring weighs between 2.3 grams and 3 grams, depending on the size you buy. This makes it a lot more comfortable to wear to bed than a smartwatch.
Moreover, experts suggest the underside of your finger is also a better place than your wrist to take vital parameters such as heart rate and blood oxygen readings.
2. Water resistant
Samsung claims you can wear the Galaxy Ring in the shower, or even while swimming. While there are several smart watches that can stand a splash or two, none of them are as water resistant as the Galaxy Ring.
On its website Samsung says its smart ring can function in 100m of water for up to 10 minutes. Similarly, it can last in six feet of water for up to 30 minutes.
3. Health tracker
Samsung says the Galaxy Ring can monitor your movement during sleep, sleep latency, heart and respiratory rate. It uses this data to analyze your quality of sleep. The ring can also inform users when their heart rate is unusually high or low. Users can also check their heart rate in real time. You can also use the ring to track your workout or activity.
As an insomniac, Renat Abyasov, CEO, Wonderslide, is looking forward to the ring’s sleep tracking function.
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“I tried various sleep tracking apps before, but always hated having to keep my phone right next to me while sleeping,” says Abyasov. “The ring finally gives me a way to track my sleep seamlessly. Being able to snooze the alarm with it is also a nice touch.”
4. Samsung ecosystem
The smart ring is an important part of Samsung’s ecosystem of smart devices. You can, for instance, use the ring to trigger the camera on a Samsung phone.
According to Samsung, when you pair its ring, smartwatch and phone you get a more detailed picture of their health. Interestingly, the battery life of the ring extends when you use it along with a paired smartwatch from Samsung’s stable.
5. 24-hour monitoring
The Galaxy Ring is available in several sizes with the larger variants offering slightly larger batteries. For instance, Samsung says for sizes 12 and upwards, the ring can hold a charge for seven days. The ring ships with a portable charging case. If that’s fully charged, you can use the ring for two weeks.
“The biggest feature for me has to be that battery life,” says Marty Meany, Founding Editor, Goosed.ie. “This opens up wearables to people who don’t like watches or regular charging.”
Meany believes smart rings, like the Samsung Ring, offer a new wearable experience. “I think they could have been a bit more ambitious and worked in payments here too,” says Meany.
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