Samsung surprised attendees at January’s Unpacked event by unveiling the Galaxy Ring, marking its entry into the smart ring market. While the smart ring concept isn’t new, Samsung’s move is seen as a significant validation for this emerging wearable category, traditionally dominated by Oura.
At Unpacked 2024, Samsung revealed more about the Galaxy Ring, positioning it as a pioneering health and fitness device in the market. This launch places Samsung ahead of competitors like Apple and Google in offering a comprehensive health-focused wearable. Preorders for the Galaxy Ring begin Wednesday at a price of $399.
Samsung has explored various form factors in the past, such as the IconX earbuds with built-in heart monitoring. Despite these ventures, the Galaxy Watch has remained a central focus. The introduction of the Galaxy Ring into Samsung’s wearable portfolio holds promise for several reasons. Firstly, the success of products like Oura rings demonstrates significant customer interest in health monitoring wearables. Secondly, the Galaxy Ring complements rather than replaces existing devices like the Galaxy Watch.
The design of the Galaxy Ring is constrained by its smaller footprint and lack of a display. Consequently, these devices take a more passive approach to tracking. Samsung promotes it as offering “24/7 health monitoring,” supported by a robust battery life of up to seven days — mirroring the capabilities of the Oura ring.
The Galaxy Ring focuses initially on passive health tracking, starting with sleep monitoring. It provides a sleep “score” derived from metrics like movement, heart rate, and respiratory rate, along with cycle tracking based on skin temperature during sleep. Its compact size makes it less intrusive compared to larger smartwatches, particularly as a sleep companion.
In addition to sleep monitoring, the Galaxy Ring integrates Galaxy AI to combine metrics from sleep, activity, sleeping heart rate, and heart rate variability. Samsung promises “holistic insights and motivational encouragement” based on these data points. Notably, all these features are available without a paid subscription, distinguishing it from Oura’s $6 monthly fee, though Samsung’s future subscription plans remain uncertain.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring ships July 24.