While the market for smart watches and bracelets continues to grow, consumer electronics brands like Samsung are looking to expand their reach to new health device users. Following the trend started by brands like Oura, the Korean brand offers its smart ring, the Galaxy Ring, as an alternative to watches for health monitoring. I’ve tried one for a week and am sharing my experience.
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To put it simply, rings like the Galaxy Ring are like connected bracelets, but without a screen to check the time and receive notifications. Samsung’s is discreet and elegant, available in black, silver and gold. Made of grade 5 titanium, it weighs between 2.3 and 3.2 grams, depending on the size, so you can wear it comfortably all day, even while you sleep. Now, despite being light, it is noticeably thicker than a conventional ring, and this is noticed by those of us who never wear a ring. In fact, in over 40 years of marriage I’ve never worn a wedding ring, so the other day I had to explain to my wife that I was trying on the Galaxy Ring.
To get the size right, Samsung offers (for 11 euros) a set of plastic rings to choose the right size before buying the ultimate Galaxy Ring. I had to use size 13, the biggest.
Sensors and functions
The Galaxy Ring incorporates a set of advanced sensors to monitor various health parameters: heart rate sensor, accelerometer and a skin temperature sensor. With a water resistance of 10 ATM and IP68 certification, the ring can be submerged up to 100 meters and resists dust and sweat, making it suitable for most daily activities, such as washing wash your hands, shower and swim. The battery provides up to 7 days of battery life, well above most connected watches, although I’m not impressed because I wear a Withings ScanWatch, which lasts for weeks. A luxurious looking case is included with the Galaxy Ring to quickly charge the ring. The case – which is a different size for each ring size, complicating logistics for Samsung – contains its own battery, in the style of cases for wireless earbuds. An LED illumination indicates the charging status.
Interaction with mobile
Samsung recommends wearing the ring on your index finger to be able to control a couple of phone functions, as long as it’s from the Korean brand: shooting photos and turning off the alarm by pinching with your thumb. In this sense, it would be an exaggeration to apply the “one ring to rule them all” cliché so popular among Tolkien fans.
Naturally, pairing the Galaxy Ring with your phone goes much further, because it’s essential for viewing the data collected by the ring’s sensors. This information can be found in the Samsung Health application, available in Catalan. In the field of sleep, the ring measures night phases, heart rate while we sleep, skin temperature, blood oxygen saturation and, if we leave the phone on the bedside table, it can detect snoring . Based on this data, the app provides a sleep quality score. Personally, I have found inconsistencies in the detection of sleep phases and that the blood oxygen saturation reading is not always reliable.
In terms of physical activity, the Galaxy Ring is more health-oriented than sports. It records steps and heart rate during exercise, and estimates calories burned and distance traveled. It automatically detects walks and runs, but other types of activity must be manually initiated from your phone. The step count can be inconsistent, usually higher than my usual watch. On the other hand, since it doesn’t have built-in GPS, it can’t record outdoor routes on its own.
In the realm of wellness, the Galaxy Ring and its app use heart rate variability to estimate stress levels. The app offers guided breathing exercises to help manage stress. The ring’s skin temperature sensor is used to predict the menstrual cycle. The application allows you to record symptoms and monitor temperature changes for more precise control of the cycle.
One of the specific features of the application – exclusive to Samsung mobiles – is the “energy score”, a daily score out of 100 that assesses the user’s general well-being. This score is based on sleep quality, physical activity, heart rate and heart rate variability during rest. The app also offers personalized tips to improve the user’s health and well-being. This energy score can be useful to have an overview of our general state, although we should believe that it has a scientific basis.
The Galaxy Ring can also be paired with Android phones from other brands, but some features such as the “power score” will not be available. As expected, the ring isn’t compatible with iPhones: Samsung prioritizes its own ecosystem of devices, and that allows users to locate their Galaxy Ring through the SmartThings app.
An expensive ring
With a price of 449 euros, the Galaxy Ring is at the highest end of the connected ring market. Even well-known brands like Oura offer cheaper models with similar functions, and others like Amazfit have simpler models for less than 200 euros. Of course, the analysis features and tailored recommendations of the Samsung Health app are free, while other brands only include them in the paid subscription, and this can already make up for the price difference.
For whom?
The Galaxy Ring, like other smart rings, is for users who want to monitor their health status discreetly. In particular, it can attract those who do not want to wear a smart and connected watch, especially those who prefer conventional watches without sensors – whether fashionable or luxury. But also the many people who don’t want to sleep with a watch on their wrist but are interested in monitoring their state of health during sleep. And finally, users of most connected watches who have gotten used to charging them every day or two.
