I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Samsung Galaxy Ring has surprisingly upstaged my Apple Watch Series 9. The Galaxy Ring has no business being this good. No, wearables aren't new for the Korea-based tech giant. After all, it's got a smartwatch line (i.e., Galaxy Watch) competing with the Apple Watch series.
However, Samsung has never made a health-focused ring à la Oura — until now.
If this is Samsung's first foray into the ring space, and it slaps this hard, I can't help but stan.
I wore the Galaxy Ring for over seven days now, and although my Watch Series 9 has its own advantages, if I had to choose one over the other, I'd opt for Samsung's new darling device. Read on to find out why.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is $399 at Amazon. That's it. There's no upselling for a more premium finish nor a more refined shape (ahem, I'm looking at you Oura) — it's just $400 across the board.
It's also available at Best Buy, and of course, Samsung's official website.
And you know what makes the Galaxy Ring pricing even sweeter? Unlike the Oura Ring, which has a starting price of $299, the Galaxy Ring does not require a subscription to access one's own health and fitness analysis.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring comes in nine sizes: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13. During your purchase journey, you'll be prompted to get the sizing kit first — free via Samsung — which features plastic moldings of the Galaxy Ring in all the aforementioned sizes. Once you find the right fit, you can update your order with the new sizing information in "My Orders."
I measured the circumference of my ring finger and it's just over five centimeters, putting me between a size 5 and 6.
As such, size 6 is slightly too loose, but 5 is far too tight. I ended up going with size 6 for the most comfortable fit. On the Galaxy Ring, you'll find a tiny raised line that indicates the correct orientation (it should be facing your inner palm). This ensures the most accurate readings because the fleshiest part of your finger, which leads into your inner palm, is easiest to measure.
The problem for me, though, is that because I'm in between sizes, I find that the Galaxy Ring often rotates out of position. C'est la vie!
The Galaxy Ring comes in three colors: Titanium Silver, Titanium Gold, and Titanium Black.
Samsung sent Mashable the Titanium Black finish, but I'm lucky to have had the experience of testing all three — and the Titanium Gold variant is stunning.
It has a glossy finish, almost as if you could see yourself in its reflection, with a fancy-schmancy, gilded surface that adds a touch of elegance.
The Titanium Black is for the pared-back, minimalist folks who prefer a matte finish and a low-key, subtle style. It's not my taste personally, but I see why others — particularly those who want simple sophistication — would prefer such an understated look.
As I mentioned in my first impressions of the Galaxy Ring, it has a concave design (as opposed to the Oura Ring's flatter surface), which reduces the risk of scratches. During the week I've been wearing the Galaxy Ring, if there are any scratches on my Titanium Black model, I wouldn't be able to tell. It still looks mint as far as I can see.
I found the Galaxy Ring to be comfortable, but I'd be pushing it if I said "I don't even notice it's there." On one hand, despite the many sensors packed inside the Galaxy Ring, it has a cozy fit on my ring finger. However, there were times that I felt like my finger needed a "breather" from the Galaxy Ring and craved some fresh air.
However, I'd argue it's less intrusive than my Apple Watch Series 9. I certainly notice when that thing is on my wrist.
You can wear the Galaxy Ring on any finger, but keep in mind that your other fingers may either be too small or too big. So you'll want to put it on the finger with the most snug fit.
I've been showering with the Galaxy Ring during my seven days of testing and it's still running smoothly. And no, I'm no rebel. The Galaxy Ring is, indeed, water resistant. It has an IP68 rating, which means it can handle submersion of up to 100 meters (i.e., 328 feet).
This means you can also take it to the beach, go swimming, and enjoy other water-based activities without worry. It's also worth noting that the Galaxy Ring is made out of Titanium Grade 5, a titanium alloy that is often used in jewelry to ensure strength and longevity.
I can tell that this bad boy is sturdy and built to last. If you told me that the Galaxy Ring has an eternal life span, I'd believe you.
You won't believe the number of sensors stuffed inside the tiny Galaxy Ring. Packed inside is a photodiode sensor to monitor heart rate fluctuations, an infrared sensor that measures blood-oxygen levels, accelerometers for workout detection, and more.
If you're wondering how well the Galaxy Ring tracks your wellness, the short answer is that it does a darn good job. But first, let me tell you which aspects of your health, exactly, the Galaxy Ring monitors:
heart rate
sleep
physical activity
steps
stress
blood oxygen level
menstrual cycle
It can also keep tabs on your medication as well as food-and-water intake, but these require manual input.
The Galaxy Ring can send you high-and-low heart rate alerts, but you'll have to toggle them on yourself. They're not on by default. You'll get a warning if your beats per minute (bps) drop to 40 (or lower) or climbs to 120 bpm (or higher).
It also determines your average resting range per hour, which is somewhere between 66 bpm and 82 bpm for me. The Galaxy Ring takes automatic heart-rate readings every 10 minutes. However, via the Samsung Health app, you can measure your bpm any time you want.
The Galaxy Ring also tracks my sleep accurately — and it's been wagging my finger at me these past few days for pulling all-nighters for work-related pressures. It even assumed that I'd been drinking a bit too much one day, preventing me from getting a good night's sleep. And as much as I hate to admit, its assumption was bang on.
Through the Samsung Health app, I can see how many hours I slept, which is illustrated in an easy-to-understand bar graph. Unsurprisingly, I get plenty of sleep on Fridays and Saturdays, but become a zombie during weekdays.
I also get a sleep score for each day, which is currently at a "61." Samsung calls this "Fair" – a nice way of saying, "Do better."
The app also monitors your sleep stages, from REM to deep sleep.
Interestingly, the Galaxy Ring features snore detection, but you'll be prompted to subscribe to a third-party app called "Sleep Cycle: Sleep Tracker" for the benefit. It's free for the first 14 days, but $30 a year thereafter. Even then, it's not the ring that's recording your snoring, it's your phone doing all the legwork here.
The stress detector on the Galaxy Ring is the best feature on this wearable. Looking back at the Samsung Health chart that indicated when my stress was highest, it was always during work hours or moments when I couldn't quite figure something out.
It even pinpointed moments when I got frustrated during my workouts (e.g., when I'd look at the time and be disappointed that I still have 10 minutes left in my 30-minute run).
Meanwhile, during sleep hours or post-work periods, my stress is virtually non-existent.
You can also allow the Galaxy Ring to measure your stress level at any time, but keep in mind that you need to stay still during the testing. Any wayward movements will throw it off.
There's also "Breathe" utility under the "Stress" section that encourages you to mimic a pulsating flower for inhaling and exhaling.
For the uninitiated, your blood-oxygen level tells you how effective your blood is at carrying oxygen throughout your body. This, in turn, tells you whether you're breathing effectively.
Your blood-oxygen level should be somewhere between 95% and 100%, particularly if you're resting.
Personally, the chart above reveals that my blood oxygen saturation has been consistently between the range of 82% and 100%, which is still considered healthy.
The Galaxy Ring has auto detection for walking and running. In Samsung Health, it will record how long you walked and ran – and how many miles you covered. It will even tell you how many calories you burned.
By extension, the Galaxy Ring also tracks your steps and encourages you, like Apple Watch, to close your "rings." But in Samsung Health, you're closing a heart instead.
You can input the number of steps you want to achieve each day. I put 7,000 because, let's be realistic, I'm a bit of a couch potato (10,000 steps is the typical recommendation.) Fortunately, the Galaxy Ring doesn't pester me toward the end of the way if I don't meet my step goals.
Under the "Fitness" tab in Samsung Health, there are carousels of videos, including some content from YouTube, that feature "work out with me" guides for yoga, squats, lower-body core exercises, HIIT, and more.
At first, I thought the menstrual cycle feature was largely manual. Meaning, based on your own recordings of your menstrual cycle, the Galaxy Ring will predict your next period.
However, the Galaxy Ring can track your menstrual cycle by taking skin temperature readings, but this is something you'll have to toggle on yourself in the app. It doesn't do it by default.
I didn't figure this out until a few days ago, so I don't know how well it tracks my menstrual cycle yet. But once I start getting those readings, I'll update this review.
Just like you can use an Apple Watch to control the camera on your iPhone, the Galaxy Ring lets you take photos with any Galaxy phone running One UI 6.1.1 or higher.
You can wear the ring on any finger, and after a quick setup and two deliberate taps, I managed to snap a photo with the Galaxy Z Flip 6. I reviewed the most recent shot — and there I was — my selfie captured with a simple double-tap. Samsung also mentions that you can use the double-tap feature to record videos and snooze alarms.
Y'all, I am sick and tired of needing to charge my Apple Watch Series 9 darn-near every night. It lasts about a day and a half on a charge, and it quite frankly, it makes it difficult to get into the habit of wearing it consistently. Sometimes, I get too lazy — and I don't end up charging my Watch Series 9.
The Galaxy Ring, on the other hand, not handicapped by a glaring display that eats up battery life, lasted six days on a charge in my personal experience. Samsung boasts that it has seven-day battery life, so its six-day runtime is pretty close to the Korea-based tech giant's claims.
For this very reason, if someone were to ask me, "If you could only choose one, would you go with the Galaxy Ring or the Apple Watch Series 9?", I'd go with the former.
Yes, the Apple Watch delivers a wealth of other utilities like Tap-to-Pay, Walkie Talkie, and staying "in the know" with notifications, texts, and calls. However, long battery life is such a great selling point for me, so I'd forgo those incredible features for a survivor like the Galaxy Ring.
Plus, the Galaxy Ring's charging case is a stunner. If you juice it up via a USB-C cable, you can charge your Galaxy Ring wirelessly. And it climbs to 100% fast, too, in a little over an hour.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring isn't for everyone. If you have an iPhone, don't even bother with the Galaxy Ring. It's not compatible with iOS. Secondly, the Galaxy Ring is compatible with Android devices, yes, but it works best with Samsung phones.
If you're not using it with a Samsung phone, you won't be able to take advantage of features like double pinch, which lets you have a hands-free experience with your Samsung Galaxy device.
However, if you have a Samsung Galaxy device, particularly one that supports Galaxy AI, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not having a Galaxy Ring. I thought I knew where my health stood, but my Galaxy Ring humbled me. And we all need a kick in the butt every now and then — even if it's coming from a tiny piece of jewelry on your finger.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is hands down the best health-focused wearable of 2024 so far.
