Samsung has finally pulled back the official curtain on possibly its worst kept secret – the Galaxy Ring health tracker. Though there have been a number of similar wearables available from smaller companies for a while, this is the first from a major brand.
The Galaxy Ring doesn't wander too far from the design path set by pioneers like Oura, and like other so-called smart rings on the market it's designed to be a slip-on-and-forget around-the-clock health tracker for those who don't want or need chunky wristwear.
On the outside is a stylish titanium shell with a concave design that comes in a choice of three finish options. The Ring can weigh as little as 2.3 g (0.08 oz) for the smallest of the nine available sizes, or 3 g for the largest. And it can be kept on during swims, showers or sprints in a downpour thanks to a water resistance rating of 10 ATM/IP68.
Moving inward, the wearable sports an optical heart-rate sensor (with green, red and IR LEDs) and a skin temperature sensor, plus an accelerometer, for tracking key health and activity metrics. An on-device display would be pretty pointless here, so the Ring works with a companion app running on a Bluetooth-paired Android handset (iOS is not supported) – though devices in the Samsung universe will get the best experience.
Nifty smart features include the ability to double pinch the ring to take a photo using a Galaxy phone's camera or cancel an alarm without touching the screen. The handset can also let you know the location of the smart ring when last it was connected, to help you find it if misplaced.
Samsung is bringing its own flavor of artificial intelligence into the mix to help users make better sense of the data and offer personalized insights, cycle tracking, high/low heart rate alerts, inactivity prompts and sleep monitoring information.
A new Energy Score feature takes note of the user's physical condition based on tracked activity, monitored sleep, sleeping heart rate and heart rate variability during shut-eye time. All the data is then combined "so you can utilize recommendations based on your current physical state to focus your daily efforts on making improvements."
The Galaxy Ring is up for pre-order now. It's available in gold, silver or black for US$399.99 a pop, with no additional monthly subscription fee. Online buyers will first receive a sizing kit, and after confirmation a ring will be sent out.
It comes with a funky transparent 361-mAh charging case with LED status lighting that offers a potential of 14 days of smart ring use – including up to 7 days via the ring itself – before needing to find a wall outlet. General availability starts from July 24.
Product page: Samsung Galaxy Ring