Wearables have recently adopted a new format, with several companies already having released a smart ring. However, Samsung is by far the largest company to enter this space and, therefore, its entry has the greatest potential of all. The company first showed off the Galaxy Ring at MWC 2024 in February, but it took nearly four more months for the product to go official.
The Galaxy Ring went official on July 10, launching in a number of different markets and available in US ring sizes 5 through 13. The different sizes also come with one of three different battery capacities — with the larger rings taking advantage of their extra space to offer greater endurance. We tested a size 11 in black and used it long enough for the Galaxy AI to kick in, and here's what we found.
Unlocking and operation
Every Galaxy Ring purchase comes with a free sizing kit. Samsung sends you a kit with the plastic models in the different sizes and suggests you wear them for at least 24 hours to make sure they're comfortable before deciding on a size.
Our test model was a size 11 and weighed just under 3 grams with its 18mAh battery. It's extremely light, so you almost immediately stop feeling its presence, but it's not a small ring, so you'll be aware of it when using this hand.
Being so lightweight, it doesn't quite offer the same feel as a regular ring, but its discretion is definitely a plus when you consider that this is a health tracker targeting a much wider audience.
Samsung Galaxy Ring in all three colors
The concave design is eye-catching, and Samsung has added a small mark indicating which side should face down. It houses three essential sensors: an optical biosignal sensor for heart rate monitoring, a skin temperature sensor for sleep tracking, and an accelerometer for motion tracking.
The Galaxy Ring doesn't vibrate, move, or light up, except for its heart rate sensor. The sensors do glow during measurements, but with their placement between the ring and your finger, you're unlikely to notice them.
Samsung has hinted that you need a Galaxy smartphone to fully exploit the Galaxy Ring's potential, but in reality it pairs perfectly with any Android phone that has Samsung's Wearable and Health apps. We tested it with an Honor phone and the only thing we missed was the gesture control to silence the alarm or act as a remote shutter. Our main test, however, was conducted using a Galaxy phone within the Samsung ecosystem.
Health monitoring
The Wearable app handles setup, updates, and battery management, while the Health app handles daily feedback. Galaxy AI is supposed to show off its capabilities here, using biometric data to provide you with valuable insights.
Perhaps the most interesting feature is the Energy Score, which is supposed to reflect your current physical and mental state. Factors like sleep quality, heart rate, and activity level are all factored into this score.
It took a week of continuous wear for the AI to start recognizing patterns, highlighting days of above-average activity and suggesting possible reasons for restless nights. It even recognized things like alcohol consumption or external disturbances with impressive accuracy.
Samsung Health
The other key feature, made possible by the Galaxy Ring's barely noticeable presence, is sleep tracking. Unlike bulkier watches, the Galaxy Ring is much less awkward to wear at night, meaning a lot more people would be inclined to wear it at night.
Samsung Health provided sleep tracking which we found to be very accurate and then uses this to provide sleep insights. We found it to be very effective in identifying areas for improvement.
Sleep Analysis on Samsung Health
The game was also designed to be fun: each score range corresponds to an animal, which encourages you to reach the next category. The ring even detects snoring (using the phone's microphone) and informs you about it.
Sleep Analysis on Samsung Health
The final arrow in the Galaxy Ring’s quiver is controlling your phone with a pinch gesture. It currently only does two things: you can use it as a remote shutter or simply silence an alarm without having to touch your phone. For now, it only works on phones running OneUI 6.1.1, and Samsung recommends wearing the ring on your index finger for more accurate gesture detection.
The Galaxy Ring isn't afraid of getting wet with 10ATM water resistance and an IP68 rating. Being on your finger, it's constantly getting wet when you wash your hands, but we're happy to report that this doesn't affect its performance in any way.
The titanium it's made of is also quite durable, although it did get a little scratched when we did some dumbbell exercises. The smart move is, of course, not to wear rings to the gym, but we used this as a test of durability instead. We think the ring will hold up well after a year or two of wear, and it will take a while for it to start showing its age, depending on how often your hand hits materials harder than titanium.
When it comes to fitness tracking, Samsung is pushing the automatic activity detection. In practice, the ring recognizes movements quickly and accurately, but the overall running companion experience is mediocre. Without GPS, it relies solely on the accelerometer, which provides less accurate data on speed and distance.
We compared it to a Huawei watch and the Strava app on the Galaxy phone, and the ring consistently provided the least reliable stats. It struggled to differentiate between running and walking, and it's not ideal for those who take running seriously, let alone other sports.
Finally, let's talk battery life. Samsung claims up to six days of battery life for the Galaxy Ring size 11, but in our testing, it lasted about five days. The Ring fully charges in less than 60 minutes, and the case, which supports wireless charging, can fill the Ring's battery twice before needing a recharge.
Samsung claims you'll get 30% more endurance if you wear the Ring with a Galaxy Watch, as it likely passes some of the metrics to the Watch thanks to its larger battery. However, we don't really see the point in having both unless you really need the sleep tracking data but can't stand sleeping with a watch on.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Ring aims to be a revolutionary health tracker, creating an entirely new product category. While there are other smart rings on the market, Samsung's distribution network and marketing budget mean it will have no trouble overtaking those that have come before it. But the company's ambitions certainly don't stop there.
The Galaxy Ring should convince a lot of people that they need another tech accessory in their lives. Does it have what it takes?
It looks to be up to par and we definitely feel like it's a lot more comfortable to sleep in, making it a better sleep tracker. The AI suggestions are helpful and the app's user-friendly interface means tech enthusiasts will at least have it on their shortlist.
There's also the issue of battery life, an area where the Galaxy Ring has an advantage over the Galaxy Watch series. However, it doesn't last as long as proprietary OS watches from other manufacturers, so it's not an absolute selling point.
The main obstacle to widespread adoption remains price. The Galaxy Ring costs $399/£399/€449, which, while not a huge sum in itself, makes it more expensive than the Galaxy Watch 7, which is an arguably more versatile device.
Even with the promise that the excellent Health app will never require a paid subscription (like some competing rings do), a miniaturized smartband without a display is pretty hard to justify at the higher price point than a full-fledged WearOS watch.
But maybe we're looking at it the wrong way: Jewelry isn't supposed to be the most rational purchase, and the Galaxy Ring does a great job of sprucing up your finger. Activity tracking is just a nice little perk, then.