Samsung announced the release of the Galaxy Ring on July 10th, 2024. It’s the first smart ring from this tech giant and will capture health metrics such as heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep, skin temperature, and workouts and sync them in the Samsung Health app for AI insights.
As expected, the Galaxy Ring is set to be a major competitor to the Oura Ring, the current market leader and one of the best fitness trackers right now.
However, one question that brings everything into perspective is:
What does Galaxy Ring do?
To answer that, let’s start with the basics.
- Announced Date: July 10th, 2024
- Wellness Features: Optical heart rate monitor, skin temperature monitor, menstrual period prediction, “Vitality” score, and sleep tracking
- Smart Features: Compatibility with Galaxy devices, gestures
- Price: $399
- Design: Available in gold, black, and silver, eight sizes (5-12)
- Battery size: Three options — 17 mAh, 18.5 mAh, and 22 mAh
With the basics out of the question, here is a list of what a Galaxy Ring can do.
1. Track Health and Fitness
Samsung Galaxy Ring packs a line of health sensors to track health, including a blood oxygen monitor, heart rate sensor, accelerometer, and skin temperature sensor.
These trackers allow the ring to track your activity and metrics throughout the day and sync the information to the Samsung Health app using Bluetooth. If you’re on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, you’ll have access to AI-powered insights and recommendations for health improvement.
However, with its sensors, the Galaxy Ring can:
Monitor Heart Rate
The Galaxy Ring has an optical heart rate monitor that tracks your heart rate throughout the day and provides on-demand checks whenever necessary. You can know when your heart rate dips too low or too high.
Measure “Vitality” Score
My Vitality Score is a unique feature of the Galaxy Ring that measures your energy and provides an overall readiness assessment based on your sleep pattern, recent workouts and recovery, heart rate, and daily activity. The energy score can help you optimize your day based on your physical and mental preparedness.
Track Fertility in Women
Because the ring can monitor your skin temperature, the Samsung Health app uses this data to track when ladies are on their period and predict their next one. The analysis is possible because of the capability of a fertility app called Natural Cycles.
Natural Cycles is FDA-approved as a form of contraception, but Samsung’s implementation only utilizes its period-tracking element and not the fertility or pregnancy elements.
The Galaxy Ring has sensors to detect workouts. You can go out for a run or walk and have it automatically track your activity. Automated tracking is helpful as the ring has no screen, and pulling out your phone to manually start an activity can be tedious.
The only caveat?
The auto workout detection only works for runs and walks. It doesn’t automatically detect other workout types.
That said, after a few minutes of walking or running, the Ring picks up the information you’re working out and syncs it with the Samsung Health app. While you can take the ring for walks and runs without your phone, and the Galaxy Ring tracks them, you won’t get GPS data.
Besides walking or running, you can also track a wide range of workouts from Samsung Health, such as:
- Cycling: The ring can collect cycling data like heart rate, cadence, and time spent cycling
- Swimming: Thanks to its 10ATM water resistance, you can track your swimming workout
- Yoga and pilate: The ring can track these activities by monitoring your heart rate and movement pattern to provide insights into workout intensity
While you can track many workouts and activities, the live heart rate from the ring shows up for a few types, such as cycling.
Besides, Samsung’s help page advises against wearing the ring when lifting weights, making it ineffective for tracking activity levels and heart rate during strength and weightlifting exercises.
You can use the Galaxy Watch for sleep tracking. While you sleep, the Galaxy Ring can track:
- Sleep stages
- Heart rate
- Skin temperature
- Sleep latency
- Total time spent in bed
- Movement during sleep
- Respiratory rate
- Blood oxygen levels
The ring will collect all this information and score your sleep rate on a scale 100 in the Samsung Health app. You can drill into each overnight data in the sleep score to find out more about what each means. You also get access to multiple sleep coaching tools to help you get a better night’s rest.
Together with your phone, you can use it to track your snoring level. It’ll use your smartphone’s microphone to pick up your sound when snoring. However, you won’t be able to use Samsung’s FDA-approved sleep apnea function, which is exclusive to the Galaxy Watch.
On the other hand, the energy score is separate from your sleep score, even though sleep is one factor that determines the energy score. Since Energy Score is one of the Galaxy AI-powered features, you won’t be able to use it if you don’t have a Galaxy phone.
If you don’t have a Galaxy phone, the Energy Score feels similar to Oura’s readiness score, which, as far as I’m aware, doesn’t use AI to calculate or provide recommendations. The good thing is that Samsung’s health data isn’t behind a subscription or a paywall. Oura requires you to subscribe to a $6 monthly plan to get most of the data beyond the basic three scores for sleep, readiness, and activity.
The Energy Score is an excellent way to quickly check how your body is balancing sleep and activity. The score can help determine whether you’re ready for a workout or if you should take a rest day.
I appreciate how the Galaxy ring opens up a world of possibilities for interacting with a range of connected devices with a simple double-pinch action. Right now, you can use the double-pinch action to take a photo remotely from your phone or stop the alarm.
For the gesture to work, you’ll need a smartphone that runs on OneUI 6.1.1, which is currently only available on Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6.
In other words, this feature won’t work even if you have S24.
Besides, the double pinch gesture can only take photos remotely withthe Galaxy Ring. This is unlike several capabilities the double pinch gesture unlocks with a Galaxy Watch.
The double pinch gesture on the Samsung Smartwatch lets you:
- Dismiss alerts
- Play and pause music
- Answer and hang up phone calls
You can also utilize the Find My Ring feature. If you misplaced your ring, you can head to your phone, open the Samsung Find app, and search for it. The LEDs will blink. This feature lets you see your Galaxy Ring’s last location on a map or get a location on the phone if you leave it behind.
Battery life is a major factor in most people’s decision to buy a smart ring. In fact, it’s a big reason some people choose smart rings over smartwatches.
While most smartwatches require recharging every couple of nights, the Samsung Galaxy ring lasts up to a week on a single charge.
Suppose you have a budget for Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch; the two work together. If you wear them both simultaneously, the Samsung Health app will recognize and only use one device that gives clear signals for more accurate data.
The app might also automatically turn off some sensors on the Watch or the Ring to save battery life.
What Can A Galaxy Ring Do: A Wrap-Up
If you’ve been wondering what a Galaxy Ring can do, it’s more than a stylish accessory. It’s a powerful device that helps you stay connected to your health and lifestyle.
You can use the Galaxy to track sleep, body temperature, heart rate, workout, respiratory rate, stress, and female fertility.
How much does the Galaxy Ring cost?
The Galaxy Ring costs $399.99. While that might seem a steep starting price compared to the Oura Ring Gen 3, which starts at $300, you won’t need a subscription to access all its features. Oura Ring comes with a $6-a-month subscription to access all the data it collects, which adds to its price.
Is the Galaxy Ring Android-only?
Yes,the Galaxy Ring works only with Android. You’ll need a Galaxy phone to get the additional health insights from Galaxy AI. If you’re an iOS user, the Galaxy Ring won’t be compatible with your device. You’re better off with other rings, like the Amazfit Helio Ring and Oura, which work with both Android and iOS.
Do you need a Galaxy Watch for a Galaxy Ring to work?
No. If you already have an Android device, you can use the Galaxy Ring.
Can I use the Galaxy Ring without a Samsung phone?
Yes, the Galaxy Ring can be used with non-Samsung Android devices. However, a Samsung phone will offer the best compatibility, especially if you want to use features like gesture control and AI-powered insights and recommendations. These two are only available when you pair the ring with a Samsung Galaxy device.
How accurate is the health tracking on the Galaxy Ring?
The Galaxy Ring uses advanced sensors and algorithms similar to those in Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series. It offers reliable sleep, heart rate, and fertility tracking metrics, making it a trustworthy tool for monitoring health.
How do I know what size ring to order?
When purchasing the Galaxy Ring, Samsung sends you a sizing kit for $10, which is applied toward the final purchase. The kit helps you determine the right fit, ensuring maximum comfort and accuracy.
