- Long battery
- Lighter and thinner than competing smart rings
- Clever charging case
- Can get in the way during certain activities
- Sketchy fitness tracking
- Expensive
Samsung's Galaxy Ring is its mobile division's first new product category since it introduced foldable phones back in 2019. The new wearable doesn't quite have the same wow factor as a phone that folds in half, but it's a surprisingly polished product for a first attempt.
But in the same way that foldables are still very much a niche proposition, the exact same thing can be said for the Galaxy Ring. Both are more expensive and less capable than the traditional alternatives: a non-folding phone or a smartwatch.
The compromises made by these leading-edge devices mean you really need to want the form factor. You're paying more for a device that does less because you care more about form than function.
To help decide whether a Galaxy Ring is right for you, it's best to start with what it's not.
What the Galaxy Ring isn't
Firstly, the Galaxy Ring isn't a fitness tracker. Samsung itself acknowledges this, with a local spokesperson calling it more of a "wellness device".
The Galaxy Ring tracks steps and it can automatically log walks and runs, but these metrics are sketchy at best. While you can make the argument that all fitness trackers are making things up to a certain extent, the Galaxy Ring consistently underreported running and walking distance. The treadmills I use at my gym and a smartwatch were showing data roughly on par with each other, while the Galaxy Ring was way out of line.
You can track other workouts with the Galaxy Ring, but there's no way to start the process from the Ring itself. You need to open the Galaxy Health app on your phone and start the workout that way. While that used to be common practice in early fitness tracker days, it feels dated - if unavoidable - with the Galaxy Ring.
The Galaxy Ring still logs exercise minutes if you're doing an elliptical session or HIIT, for example, but it won't record it as a discreet workout in the app unless you manually record the session.
What makes matters trickier is there are plenty of workouts where you shouldn't or won't want to wear the Galaxy Ring. Wearing rings while doing weights is a straight-up bad idea, and I found the Galaxy Ring felt uncomfortable while pulling the handlebars on an elliptical.
This leads me to my second point. The Galaxy Ring isn't as invisible as you might hope. While a ring might seem less intrusive than a smartwatch, I found it got in the way more than I expected.
The Galaxy Ring itself is very light, but it's surprisingly thick. There was a bit of an adjustment period of a few hours when I first started wearing the Galaxy Ring when I was painfully aware I was wearing it. Even after a week, I still noticed that I had the Galaxy Ring on more than a smartwatch while just doing day-to-day tasks.
I also had to take off the Galaxy Ring a lot more than I expected. I couldn't play drums or guitar with the Galaxy Ring, for example. My drumsticks made the Ring dig into my finger, and the Ring would bump strings I didn't want to strum on my guitar.
Then there are more incidental things. I've taken the Galaxy Ring off during meal prep. It is water-resistant, but it is resistant to olive oil and chicken slime? I don't remove the ring I normally wear when marinating meat, but it felt like the right thing to do with the Galaxy Ring. Same thing with washing hair.
These kinds of experiences mean I've put a surprising amount of thought into wearing what's meant to be a pretty passive gadget. If you can actually call the Galaxy Ring that. It's the least gadgety gadget I've tested in a while.
Sure the Galaxy Ring is tech, but you almost only ever interact with it through your phone. It doesn't do notifications, it doesn't vibrate or have haptics. The only way you know it's on is that occasionally you see the sensors light up in green. In a way, it's almost like one of the first wave fitness trackers that didn't have a screen.
The one smart feature the Galaxy Ring has is a double pinch gesture. If you tap the Ring twice with your phone, it can activate certain commands such as dismissing an alarm or taking a photo. This functionality is exclusive to Samsung phones running One UI 6.1.1 or above. Pretty much every other Galaxy Ring feature will work if you pair it with any Android phone, however. iPhone compatibility is unsurprisingly a no-go.
Samsung fans with a Galaxy Watch can use a Galaxy Ring in tandem with it to ensure better metric capture. The Galaxy Ring can get sleep data if you don't want to wear your Galaxy Watch while sleeping, for example. The $699 asking price of the Galaxy Ring does mean you're paying a lot to double up on tracking, however.
What the Galaxy Ring is
That's enough talking about what the Galaxy Ring isn't. Let's delve into what it is.
To start, it's a surprisingly polished first-generation product. There's a lot of tech stuffed into a pretty small form factor, and while I found it a bit too chunky for my liking, it is thinner and lighter than alternatives. The Galaxy Ring weighs 2.7g, is 2.6mm thick, and 7mm wide. For comparison, the Oura Ring 4 weighs at least 3.3g, is 2.88m thick, and 7.9mm wide.
The included charging case is also pretty clever. Rather than just acting as a charger for the Galaxy Ring, it also has an internal battery of its own - like with wireless earbud cases. This means you don't need to have it plugged in to recharge your Galaxy Ring, which adds a bit of extra flexibility.
Samsung says you'll get up to seven days of battery with the Galaxy Ring, depending on your size. I tested a size 10 and got about six-and-a-half before the Ring went flat. The battery case has enough juice to provide another seven days of usage.
I'm also a fan of the battery case's design. When you open the case, there's a circle lights up around the Galaxy Ring to tell you how much battery you've got left. It's a nice subtle UX element that conveys information quickly.
The Galaxy Ring makes for a great sleep tracker. It's the main reason you'd buy it. While it's hard to gauge the accuracy of the data it collects, it lined up with what I saw on other wearable devices. The data also "felt" right. There are also comprehensive explanations of the data that's being collected, as well as a sleep coaching program if you're trying to form better habits.
In addition to tracking your hours slept (and related metrics), the Galaxy Ring also gives you an energy score designed to tell you your physical and mental readiness based on your sleep and exercise. Broadly speaking, the energy score seemed to line up with how I was feeling. The day after a big 90-minute workout session followed by a late night at a friend's place, my energy score had dipped significantly, for example, which is pretty much what I'd expect to happen.
The Galaxy Ring isn't great if you want to track granular fitness information, but it can offer a decent high-level overview. Notably, no subscription fees are needed, which isn't always the case with rival smart rings.
Lastly, the Galaxy Ring has a buying process like no other gadget, and I mean that in a complimentary way.
To help get the right fit, you can and should get a sizing kit from Samsung. After you part ways with your $699, Samsung will send you a sizing kit with nine different ring sizes. You'll then have 21 days to work out which ring size is right for you. Note that Galaxy Ring sizes do not line up with standard ring sizes.
Samsung recommends you wear the sizing ring for at least 24 hours to ensure a consistent fit. I'd recommend longer. I had a sizing kit in early October when the Sydney weather was a little cooler. Now that I'm actually testing the Galaxy Ring in early November, I've found it tighter than I'd like on days when the temperature has gone above 30.
It's a fundamental challenge with smart rings - your body can change, but smart rings don't. You need a tight fit so the sensors work, but you don't want it too tight. At least if you wear the sizing ring for a longer period of time, you can hopefully find something that works well for you.
If you don't make an order within 21 days of receiving your sizing kit, Samsung will refund you your $699.
Samsung Australia also has a unique 30-day "extended change of mind" policy that's in place until the of the year. If you aren't happy with the Galaxy Ring within your first 30 days, you can return it, no questions asked.
Given the newness of the form factor and the potential quirks associated with it, this is a great move from Samsung. It's fantastic that you can try a Galaxy Ring without being locked into something that may not work for you.
Samsung Galaxy Ring - Final Thoughts
The Galaxy Ring does a decent job of offering a big-picture look at your health metrics in a unique form factor. I can certainly see the appeal if you don't like sleeping with a watch on, but based on my experiences, I'm not sure if the Galaxy Ring will consistently be less obstructive in day-to-day use.
At the same time, $699 is a pretty high asking price for a gadget that by and large just tracks steps and sleep. An entry-level Galaxy Watch 7 starts at $549 and does a lot more. Once again, you really need to want a smart ring to justify the asking price.
This is where Samsung's 30-day test period is a real boon. If you're interested, you can try a Galaxy Ring risk-free. It doesn't matter if you decide it isn't for you, as you can always return it. Conversely, you might find out the Galaxy Ring is something you love.
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