The wearable tech landscape has seen a significant shift since Samsung entered the smart ring market last year, challenging the dominance of the Oura ring. The Galaxy Ring, reportedly in development since 2021, launched in late July with an initial production run of 400,000 units, later increased to 1 million due to soaring pre-orders.
What is the Samsung Galaxy Ring?
Like the Oura ring, the Galaxy Ring is a durable, unobtrusive AI-powered device that tracks sleep, walks, runs, heart rate, skin temperature, and menstrual cycles. It aggregates metrics into an overall energy score and provides personalised health insights. However, thoughtful extras such as gesture controls, a subscription-free experience, and a smart charging case may give Samsung an edge.
First Impressions and Testing Methodology
Senior tech critic Alex Lee wore the Galaxy Ring daily for over two weeks, evaluating comfort, battery life, and accuracy against a smartwatch and the Oura ring. The review focused on design, ease of use, and the quality of health insights, as well as features like gesture controls and the charging case.
Design and Build
The Galaxy Ring is made from durable titanium and comes in black, gold, and silver finishes. Its concave outer edge protects against scratches and knocks. It is water-resistant and lightweight, weighing between 2.3g and 3.1g depending on size, making it comfortable for all-day wear. The ring is available in US sizes 5 to 13, and a sizing kit is provided for accurate fit. Samsung recommends wearing the test ring for 24 hours to determine the best finger size.
The charging case is a standout feature, resembling a jewellery box with a lid. It charges the ring via USB-C or wireless and offers a convenient storage solution. Unlike the Oura ring's cradle, which can be easily lost, the Galaxy Ring's case is more user-friendly. The ring’s battery lasts up to seven days on a single charge.
Health Tracking and Features
The Galaxy Ring is designed to complement, not replace, a smartwatch. It tracks heart rate, steps, stress, sleep, and menstrual cycles, and provides a daily energy score. The Samsung Health app offers insights and tips, though these can be generic. Sleep coaching uses blood oxygen, skin temperature, respiration, and movement data to generate scores and suggestions, which is one of its strongest features.
Inactivity alerts and live heart rate readings are available, though accessing data is less convenient than glancing at a watch. The ring automatically detects walking and running but requires manual start for other workouts like cycling or yoga. Cadence tracking during runs could be more accurate. Gesture controls, such as double pinching to snooze an alarm or take a photo, add a futuristic touch.
Compared to the Oura Ring Gen 4, the Galaxy Ring falls short in heart-rate accuracy, automatic workout detection, and cycle tracking. Oura’s AI Advisor offers more personalised guidance, but requires a £5.99 monthly subscription, whereas Samsung’s features are free.
Compatibility and Performance
The Galaxy Ring works with Android phones running Android 11 or later, but full features require a Samsung Galaxy phone. Features like heart-rate delegation to a Galaxy Watch and ecosystem syncing are seamless for Samsung users. On other Android phones, the experience is limited, and the ring is incompatible with iPhones.
Battery life is excellent, lasting up to seven days. Data syncs with the Samsung Health app, which is well-designed but can be dense to navigate. The ring supports Samsung’s Find My service for easy location if lost.
Price and Value
The Galaxy Ring costs £399, which is more than the Oura Ring Gen 3 (£299) and slightly more than the Oura Ring Gen 4 (£349). However, the lack of a subscription fee makes it more cost-effective in the long run for Samsung users.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a sleek, comfortable wellness tracker ideal for Samsung users. Its solid sleep tracking, clever charging case, and subscription-free model make it the best smart ring for those in the Galaxy ecosystem. However, for users outside this bubble, especially with the improved Oura Ring Gen 4 offering better insights and broader compatibility, the Galaxy Ring is a tougher sell. If you own a Galaxy phone and watch, the seamless integration may be all the convincing you need.
