Hands-on with Samsung Galaxy Ring, the company’s next smart wearable

Samsung will soon add a smart ring to its ecosystem of smart wearable devices.

The company disclosed this to a group of journalists at an intimate setting ahead of the official announcement at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and we even got to try the ring out. Hint: It’s exactly what you’d expect.

The ring hasn’t been officially announced and is not quite ready for prime time yet, which is why Samsung was unable to share any of its specifications. But the early versions of it, available in gold, platinum, and black, were there for us to try on, in 13 different sizes.

On the outside, it’s unassuming and could pass for a regular, if a bit thick, piece of finger jewelry. Inside, the only thing that betrayed its purpose was a set of sensors, which will probably be a bit less visible in the final version. We weren’t allowed to take fingers-on pics, but I can say I easily found a size that fit me, and it was something that I felt I could comfortably wear for longer periods of time.

So what does it do? Samsung’s VP and head of the Digital Health Team, Dr. Hon Pak, told us he believes the ring is catering to users who want something comfortable and convenient, while still taking advantage of Samsung’s sensors and health ecosystem. This doesn’t mean the ring should be worn instead of a smartwatch; instead, the two will complement each other, though we don’t yet know in which ways.

In practical terms, we do know a couple of features the Galaxy Ring will have: One is tracking and analysing your sleep, and the other is heart health monitoring. By combining this data, the Ring (or rather, the smartphone connected to it) will tell you your “vitality score,” which should provide some idea of how productive you can be on any given day. The watch will also enable women to track fertility.

Samsung hopes the Ring will be embraced by all Android users, not just Samsung phone owners.
Credit: Samsung

It’s still early days, so there’s no word on how long the battery lasts (Pak told me that Samsung’s customers expect more than a couple of days of battery life, but couldn’t get into details). We also don’t know when the Galaxy Ring will launch, or what its price will be.

The elephant in the room that remained unmentioned is the recent rumors that Apple, too, is working on a smart ring. Nothing is official on that front yet, but it appears that 2024 could be the year in which the tech giants fight for your (sorry) finger real estate.