It’s IP68 and 10 ATM water resistant, so you can use it while in the shower or doing the dishes. It pairs with any Android phone through the Samsung Health app, but it won’t work with iPhones. You do not need a subscription to access the full suite of features; all of the available features are included with the purchase. It also works with Samsung Find, so you can easily locate it if it’s misplaced. It has a charging case that works exactly like the case for your wireless earbuds. Samsung claims the Galaxy Ring can last seven days on a single charge, matching the battery life of the Oura Ring.
The ring covers many health-tracking features you’d expect from a smartwatch, including sleep tracking, cycle tracking, high or low heart rate alerts, and auto-workout detection. Samsung has talked up its use of artificial intelligence on the Ring, using smart algorithms to monitor sleep patterns, snoring, and heart and respiratory rate to help you get more robust information about your sleep.
More important is a feature called Energy Score, also available in the new Galaxy Watches. Much like Fitbit’s Daily Readiness or Garmin’s Body Battery, it looks at your data and then recommends how ready you are to take on the day based on factors like sleep quality and your recent activity levels. You’ll also get “wellness tips” throughout the day to keep you on your health goals. If you use both the Galaxy Ring and the new Galaxy Watch series simultaneously, some sensors may turn off in the watch to conserve its battery life, which is something I haven’t seen before.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
The Ring does not provide haptic feedback, but you can perform some rudimentary gesture controls with your fingers for a few tasks, like dismissing an alarm or starting a video recording on your phone. These “Double Pinch Gestures” are also available on the Galaxy Watch7 series.
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