Smart rings are all the rage for health and fitness. These rings often come with superior battery life, great wearability, and lack of disruption for health tracking. Some of our favorite smart rings are considered premium investments, especially compared to the cheaper alternatives with similar features. Samsung released the Samsung Galaxy Ring during Samsung’s Unpacked July 2024 event; we’ve had a few months since to judge this product, and as a result of our findings, we rounded up the top reasons you should buy a Galaxy Ring and why we still love it.
Read our review
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is the best smart ring, for whatever that’s worth
For health nuts, but not fitness freaks
5
It is quite comfortable to wear
You forget that it’s even there
Comfort is a significant selling point for smart rings, as these gadgets are made to be worn 24/7, even while sleeping. Additionally, health tracking doesn’t become useful until it has enough measurements, meaning you must wear it for a while. The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a lot more comfortable than wearing a Galaxy Watch on your ring. If you had a look at the Galaxy Watch 7 and the Ultra, you will notice how enormous these watches are, especially if you have tinier wrists. Plus, if you’re using your phone for tracking, sometimes carrying it around isn’t convenient. The Galaxy Ring has become a better solution for both comfort and convenience.
4
It has decent water resistance
A splash of water won’t hurt it
Part of the concern for wearing trackers 24/7 is the wear and tear that accumulates over time. You’ll often work up a sweat during an intense workout, and you may be tempted to take it off while in the shower. The Galaxy Ring can handle these conditions, as it sports an IP68 rating for water resistance, handling fresh water to a maximum depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes (according to Samsung).
As for the Galaxy Ring’s scratch resistance, it’s good but not perfect. The Galaxy Ring is made with titanium (grade 5), which is meant to slow down wear and tear for everyday use. However, with more intense workouts, you may see some light scratches, but nothing too noticeable unless looking closely.
3
Integrates well with the Samsung Health app
It doesn’t require a subscription to use
The Galaxy Ring also doesn’t require a subscription to use any advanced health features. Once you buy the Galaxy Ring, you can sync it with the Samsung Health app and have it work alongside your Galaxy Watch and phone. You also don’t necessarily need a Samsung phone to use it — it just requires an Android phone with the Samsung Health on it. The Galaxy Ring costs $400, slightly more expensive than its biggest competitor, the Oura Ring 3, at $300. However, the lack of a subscription to get full use compared to the Oura Ring Membership suggests that the slightly higher price point may be more worth it.
You won’t have access to gesture controls without the Galaxy Wearable app. It also requires owning a Samsung device running One UI 6.1.1 or above.
The Samsung Health app comes packed with some neat features. You can use the Galaxy Ring and Samsung Health app to track your sleeping, heart rate, energy levels, and activity. You can also gain a numerical snapshot of your fitness and well-being using Samsung’s advanced Energy Score. There’s plenty to uncover using the Galaxy Ring paired with the Samsung Health app, as both can help you develop more personalized routines.
2
It plays nice with Samsung’s ecosystem
The Galaxy Ring and Watch can pair well together
As stated previously, you do not need to own a Samsung phone or smartwatch to use your Galaxy Ring. Instead, Samsung incentivizes it with additional features. It’s an interesting approach, especially when these features can bring new life to your product.
One example is the battery life optimizations that Samsung added. When combining your Galaxy Ring with a Galaxy Watch, you can use the shared health features to extend the Galaxy Ring’s battery life by up to 30%. This happens because the Galaxy Ring or Galaxy Watch senses which devices are being used as the primary health tracker. The device not being actively used will have the features disabled until activated or if the other one runs out of battery.
Related
7 reasons why you should buy the Galaxy Ring over a Galaxy Watch
I think the Galaxy Ring is the smarter choice
It’s great when you don’t want to miss a beat with health tracking, though it might be slightly overkill to have both worn simultaneously. We would much rather see Samsung use this as a bonus without requiring the Galaxy Ring to need it — which seems to be the case. Plus, even if you own both, it isn’t punishing, as owning a smart ring is a great stand-in for a smartwatch (and vice-versa). It’s just a matter of preference and whether the workout makes it appropriate. Flexibility is key, which seems to be Samsung’s aim.
1
It’s fantastic for health-tracking
The Galaxy Ring doesn’t fall short
Perhaps those who have already dabbled with fitness and sleep tracking know what the Galaxy Ring is used for. But others might only have begun securing their first health tracker. Samsung made it easy and streamlined compared to other options. It also helps that the Galaxy Ring is the first and only Samsung smart ring. In this case, the Galaxy Ring can do what most smart rings can, but we also found it most effective while measuring step count, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sleep quality, and sleep cycle.
Additionally, according to our reviewer, the accuracy is pretty spot compared to other trackers (he compared his tracking to his Oura Ring and Xiaomi Watch S3), and they all fell within the range of one another when he measured his steps, heart rate, and sleep quality. So you don’t have to worry about the Galaxy Ring’s measured stats deceiving you — it is reliable and works well for its intended use.
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How to get the best health measurements with your Samsung Galaxy Ring
Try these tips for more precise readings
To purchase a Samsung Galaxy Ring or not to purchase
The Galaxy Ring deserves more love, but the slightly pricey tag makes it difficult to stand out among other smart rings and watches. But still, it does everything Samsung advertises and pairs well inside the ecosystem. The Galaxy Ring is made for comfort, and if you don’t like the size (we recommend using a sizing kit) or feel, you can always return it. Smart rings might not be for everyone, and that’s okay — we have so many choices, which is all the more power for the consumer.
Samsung Galaxy Ring
- Heart rate monitor
-
Yes
- Notification support
-
No
- Battery life
-
Up to 7 days
- Sensors
-
Accelerometer; PPG; skin temperature
- Water Resistance
-
IP68; 10 ATM
- Ring sizing
-
5 – 13
