Samsung’s mid-year Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris was a showcase of heaps of cool features and phones, but the star of the show was absolutely the completely new Galaxy Ring — an entirely new smart product device from Samsung that fits into the health tech space with its smart watches.
But you might be left with some questions about the smart ring — how long does it last, what does it do, and how do I know if it’ll fit my fingers or not? I’ve got all the answers to your questions below.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring: When is it coming to Australia?
In some markets around the world, the Samsung Galaxy Ring will be launching in late July, however, Australia will not be among the first run of countries to get the cool gadget.
Samsung confirmed to Pedestrian.TV that the Galaxy Ring is coming to Australia in mid-October, and will be available exclusively at Samsung.com and Samsung Experience Stores.
What does the Samsung Galaxy Ring actually do?
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is almost entirely a health tech device.
Made of a grade five titanium frame (the highest grade, also used in the new iPhone 15 Pros) the Galaxy Ring is fitted with three sensors that track user health metrics. One sensor tracks your heart rate and keeps an eye on potential fluctuations, One keeps an eye on your skin temperature (particularly useful when sleeping), and one tracks your walking and running, adding to your Health app’s steps.
All of this feeds into Samsung’s health app tracking, which like any well fleshed-out health app, provides a wholistic view of your fitness and what exercise you’ve been putting in lately. Samsung’s updated the Health app this time around with features from its ‘Galaxy AI’ banner, including new health summaries that collate your data and provide advice on what you should do — such as if you should take a rest day, or if you’re not getting enough sleep. The app provides the user with an ‘Energy Score’ to see them through the day.
How long does the battery of the Samsung Galaxy Ring last for?
The Samsung Galaxy Ring has a battery life of about seven days, according to the company. The device also comes with a charging ‘cradle’, which looks slightly like a ring box and a headphones case combined, with can then provide an additional seven days without needing to be plugged in itself.
The charging cradle is sort of a home base for the Galaxy Ring, and you’ll likely want to put it beside your bed if you were to buy it. A button in the middle, when pressed, can put the device into pairing mode for your phone and can be used to check battery life of the ring.
What about colours and sizes?
Glad you asked! Prior to your order of the Galaxy Ring, Samsung will offer to send you a sizing kit, to make sure it’ll properly fit on your finger comfortably. There’s quite a lot of tech in the ring, so jewellery resize won’t cut it (also, don’t try that, there’s a lithium battery inside).
Samsung offers the ring in nine sizes, as pictured below in the sizing kit.
To help ensure a perfect fit, customers will be offered the Galaxy Ring sizing kit as part of the checkout process. Here’s how they recommend finding the perfect fit.
- Pick a size, try it on. Check the position of the three sensors on the bottom and the indicator on the outer surface. Wear the sample ring so that the sensors are facing up. Make sure the indicator is also on the palm side.
- When you find one that feels right, move your fingers around. Finger sizes can change from day to night, so it’s recommended to keep the ring on for at least 24 hours. Go about your day and sleep through the night.
- If your finger feels comfortable after 24 hours, that’s your Galaxy Ring size.
Galaxy Ring is available in titanium black, titanium silver and titanium gold. Each finish looks really premium, but my favourite has to be the gold.
Is this the one ring to rule them all? Well, it’s complicated…
Samsung isn’t the only company to put out a smart ring — in particular, a company called Oura beat them to the punch a few years ago with a similar device.
Where the Galaxy Ring is different is that Samsung is offering the device without the need to have a dedicated subscription service to make it work (unlike Oura). Pricing is parallel to the Oura, however, there is one small catch.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring only works with Samsung phones. It’s not even compatible with other Android devices, only Samsung. So, if you’re already a Samsung user, that’s great! If you’re an iPhone or Google Pixel user, you may want to gravitate to an alternative.
OK, but would I actually use a Galaxy Ring?
To be honest, it feels quite nice on the finger, even if a bit thick compared to a traditional ring, but that’s beside the point. The Galaxy Ring’s entire purpose is to provide health features already found in its Watch range in a different form factor that might be more appealing to some users.
Take me for example; I simply can’t wear a watch in bed. I’d be worried about rolling over and breaking it somehow, and I just find it super uncomfortable on my wrist under the sheets. A ring would allow me to get sleep tracking data that I would actually find super useful.
Outside of health tech, the ring also has pinch gestures, that allow you to control some phone features just by pinching your fingers in the air. Samsung’s new watches also have this.
Don’t be too worried of water when wearing it, too (though be careful not to lose it). It’s being sold with an IP68 rating and a 10ATM water resistance rating.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Ring cost in Australia?
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is being sold at $US399, which puts the device at roughly $600 in Australia based on a quick rounding conversion. It may come down under for a price as high as $650, if I were to hazard a guess.
Keep your eyes peeled for a local release, it’s a very interesting piece of kit.
[Image: Zachariah Kelly/PEDESTRIAN.TV]
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