The Samsung Galaxy Ring is now official, after its surprising (and brief) teaser appearance at the end of Unpacked 2024.
The long-rumored rival to the Oura Ring was the encore at the Samsung Galaxy S24 launch, where we got our first glimpse at the smart ring and... not a lot else. The announcement effectively confirmed the Galaxy Ring's existence, with no details on price, release date or specs.
That said, we can make some educated guesses about the Samsung Galaxy Ring's potential health and sleep tracking talents, based on the announcements the tech giant made about a big update to Samsung Health that's coming "later this year".
Given the growing number of challengers for the title of best smart ring – and some rumors last year from The Elec that Samsung had "started developing" some prototypes of the Galaxy Ring – the wearable had been expected to land sometime in 2024.
But now it's official, what do we know about its design and what features can we expect from it? We've rounded up all of the latest Samsung Galaxy Ring details here so you can decide if it's going to be your next wearable or fitness tracker.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: Cut to the chase
- What is it? Samsung's first ever smart ring
- When is it out? Unknown, but likely sometime in 2024
- How much will it cost? No details yet, but probably more than the Galaxy Watch
Samsung Galaxy Ring: Price
The Samsung Galaxy Ring may have been officially teased at Unpacked 2024, but we didn't hear a jot about pricing. That means we can only speculate based on its existing rivals.
Our benchmark is the Oura ring. In our Oura (Generation 3) review we noted that the device was impressive but relatively expensive compared to a traditional smartwatch coming in at $299 (about £230 / AU$440).
On top of that, you have to pay $5.99 (about £4.50 / AU$8) per month for an Oura membership to keep access to premium features (you do get six months free with your smart ring purchase though).
Another reference point should be Samsung's best smartwatch. In our Galaxy Watch 6 review we found that the gadget offered comprehensive support for apps and fitness features, and at launch, prices started at $299.99 / £289 / AU$549.
Based on these gadgets we wouldn’t be surprised if the Galaxy Ring came in somewhere around $300 / £300 / $550. Will it be worth that price tag?
On the one hand, the Galaxy Ring is expected to offer a bevy of fitness features thanks a major update to the Samsung Health app that's coming "later this year". The Ring could also potentially offer more accurate readings than a smartwatch in some areas.
But on the other hand, the Ring likely won’t offer much support for the non-fitness apps found on a Galaxy Watch. Still, if you care about health and prefer minimalist accessories, then the Ring is an exciting prospect, even if those looking for more of a smartphone companion will be happier with a smartwatch.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: Release date
While the Samsung Galaxy Ring is now official, we don't yet have any release date details. That said, Samsung did say that a major update to its Health app is coming "later this year", so it's likely that the Ring will launch to tie in with that.
Earlier rumors had correctly predicted that the Galaxy Ring would be announced in January 2024, after noting the arrival of ring icons in the Galaxy Wearable app. But that hasn't translated into a full launch and we'll have to wait to hear when the wearable might arrive on shelves.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: News and features
Right now, all we know for certain is that the Samsung Galaxy Ring exists and will, presumably, arrive later this year to take on the Oura Ring and others.
Still, we can speculate about some of the Galaxy Ring's potential features based on earlier rumors as well as features that Samsung has said are coming to its Health app "later this year".
Before its official unveiling, we'd seen reports about a trademark filing and some Samsung patents, which showed a smart ring with sensors that included electrocardiogram (ECG), for measuring resting heart-rate and heart-rate variability.
It seems likely, then, that the Galaxy Ring will be equipped with ECG and PPG (Photoplethysmography) sensors, so it can detect if your heartbeat has any irregular rhythms. It could also track your steps and house an SpO2 monitoring sensor to detect your blood oxygen saturation, although this only speculation until we get some official specs.
This would all see it play nicely with an incoming Samsung Health app update that the tech giant announced at Unpacked 2024. Samsung said that "later this year" Health will be getting several new features, including "new smart sleep analysis". This will help recognize if you have sleep apnea by monitoring blood oxygen levels while you sleep, while also picking up on any disruptions in your breathing. Whether this is coming to the Galaxy Ring isn't clear, but it's certainly possible.
Another feature that Samsung has revealed is coming to its Health app later this year is 'My Vitality Score' (below).
This sounds very much like Fitbit's 'Daily Readiness Score' and similar features like 'Training Readiness' on Garmin watches, as it crunches together data from your sleep, activity, resting heart rate and heart-rate variability to give you an overall health score alongside tips and advice.
Again, it isn't yet clear which of these new Samsung Health features the Samsung Galaxy Ring will be compatible with. But given that the wearable was announced right after Samsung had crowed about its Health app updates at Unpacked 2024, we previews (like the one above) give a good idea of the kind of features you can expect from the Galaxy Ring when it does eventually arrive for health-tracking duty.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: early thoughts
Smart rings are typically more discreet versions of smartwatches – like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 – with a greater focus on being a fitness tracker rather than a second screen for your smartphone.
Smart rings are typically less noticeable, more lightweight, and – because they fit more tightly than a watch – sometimes more accurate at measuring data. If you find yourself getting distracted by your smartwatch while swimming, running, or sleeping, a smart ring could be the solution.
We don't yet know anything officially about the Galaxy Ring's specs and features, but based on Samsung’s patents and the wearable's design, it could boast many of the same health features found in the latest Galaxy Watch. For example, a step counter, heart rate monitor, and even ECG capabilities to help it detect if your heartbeat has any irregular rhythms.
If that all turns out to be the case, and the Galaxy Ring plays nicely with the big update to Samsung Health coming "later this year", then it could be one of the best sleep trackers and best fitness trackers around. We'll update this page with more official info as soon as we get it.
