You may have heard that Samsung is releasing a shiny new Galaxy Ring next week, and I'm super tempted to buy one. But is this smart ring worth your money? That's the same question I've been pondering, and I'm not sure if I can justify the $399.99 / £399 price tag.
I was invited to Samsung HQ in London a few weeks ago to get a close-up look at the new Galaxy Ring (where I also got hands-on with the Galaxy Z Fold/Flip 6 too), and I immediately fell in love with it. The design of the Galaxy Ring is gorgeous and it feels very natural and comfortable to wear. But with that said, as a proud Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 owner, I feel like my smartwatch already covers a lot of the health and fitness features (but not all) that the new Galaxy Ring is promising.
Let's dive into what the Galaxy Ring can do in the features section below, and weigh up whether these benefits can justify the cost. Wondering what is a smart ring? Take a look at our handy explainer. More of an Apple fan? Don't worry. If rumour can be believed, there's some speculation we could maybe see an iRing soon.
Should I buy it?
Despite getting to see the new Galaxy Ring in person, I still can't decide if I should get one. I really like the design, it's lightweight, classy, and the inner emo in me loves that it comes in black. I discovered that my ring size is a 10, and Samsung advised that the ring should be worn on the index finger for full functionality and using pinch gestures. I prefer wearing rings on my left hand, and I already wear an engagement ring on my ring finger so this works out nicely.
However, I feel like there are minimal differences between what my Galaxy Watch can already do, and what the benefit of wearing a smart ring would add. For example, my Galaxy Watch can track my fitness data, monitor my health and sleep habits, and detect an irregular heart rate. My watch tells me my sleep score and snoring data, measures blood oxygen and blood pressure, plus it can also show my notifications (which the Galaxy Ring can't).
Samsung assures that there are benefits to wearing both a smartwatch and smart ring combined, such as improved data collection and extended battery life for both devices, but I'm not convinced this factor alone is worth spending nearly £400 on.
Galaxy Ring features
Up until now, it’s all been speculation surrounding everything we know about Samsung's Galaxy smart ring, but Samsung has now officially unveiled the Galaxy Ring and what it can do. A lot of these features are health and wellbeing-related, so if this isn't something that appeals to you then the Galaxy Ring might be best avoided.
The desirability of a smart ring over a smartwatch is that they're designed to be unintrusive, comfortable enough to wear while you sleep, and IP68 water-resistant to withstand daily tasks. It also has a concave design to avoid getting any surface scratches.
The Galaxy Ring has three sensors – one of which is an infrared temperature sensor to detect skin temperature changes while you sleep. As cool as this is, what can we actually do with this information? The Galaxy Ring works by gathering data throughout the day/night to offer the wearer health insights enhanced by Galaxy AI. The results are displayed on your smartphone through the Samsung Health app along with personalized suggestions and wellness tips.
The other two sensors in the Galaxy Ring include a BioActive sensor for monitoring heart health, and an accelerometer for tracking movement like walking and running. The placement on your finger is said to offer more precise heart rate readings than on a wrist. With all of this info, you can supposedly learn how "ready" you are to take on the day based on your Energy Score which has been calculated by Galaxy AI. How did we ever manage before without things like this?
Other features of the Galaxy Ring include the ability to Find My Ring if it ever gets misplaced, and the pinch gesture I mentioned earlier which allows you to carry out functions on your Galaxy smartphone such as taking a photo or snoozing an alarm just by double pinching your fingers. I would never be on time for work ever again if I was given this kind of power.
The one feature I think I would mostly benefit from if I were to get a Galaxy Ring is the cycle tracking for those who menstruate. This would be very handy to keep track of, and I like that the Galaxy Ring has a 7-day battery life too meaning it wouldn't need regular charges like my Galaxy Watch does. The ring box it comes with offers wireless charging too, so you can keep this in your bag which is handy for charging on the go. I kinda wish the ring box wasn't transparent and had a better aesthetic, like the Samsung Pokémon collection.
Price & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Ring will be available in three colours. There's the matte-finish Titanium Black, matte Titanium Silver, or shiny Titanium Gold. All of these variants really do look great, and if you're thinking of ordering one then Samsung will provide a free sizing kit for you to try at home before you officially place your order. The Galaxy Ring will be launching on July 24 but is available for preorder right now.
As for whether or not I'll be ordering a Galaxy Ring myself, I'm still undecided. Smart rings are on track to be the latest techwear trend of 2024, and I really want to get on board with it. I just don't think I can justify the price, at least not right now. Perhaps if we're lucky enough there might be a Black Friday discount in a few months.
That isn't to knock Samsung's choice of pricing, as we know from competitors like the Oura ring ($299) and Ultrahuman Ring AIR models ($349) that the typical price for a smart ring is between $300-$400. So I don't think Samsung has necessarily overpriced the Galaxy Ring, but for those who already own a smartwatch, it can be a lot to pay for minimal differences in features (at least in my opinion).
Interested in smart rings? We've found some deals on other Galaxy Ring alternatives below.
