Samsung could be about to change the wearable market with a new electronic companion that will live not on your wrists, but rather fingers.
After two announcements of the device, the proper launch of the smart ring from Samsung is finally set to take place next month now the company has confirmed the date for its next big Unpacked event.
Here’s all we know so far about the Galaxy Ring, which might overcome the Oura Ring‘s patent monopoly.
When will the Samsung Galaxy Ring be released?
At long last, Samsung has confirmed the date for its next Unpacked event and, as expected, it will take place on 19 July in Paris – see the teaser video below.
Samsung said “Prepare to discover the power of Galaxy AI, now infused into the latest Galaxy Z series and the entire Galaxy ecosystem. Get ready for a world of possibilities as we enter a new phase of mobile AI.”
It will be the tech giant’s biggest launch of the year with a tidal wave of new products expected to be unveiled (see below). And although the Galaxy Ring has already been shown off, we’re hoping to hear final details on the release date, price and specs during the event.
Note that Samsung has already announced the Galaxy Watch FE. Find out how to watch Unpacked live.
You can also save £50/$50 by reserving the next Galaxy devices.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Ring cost?
There’s no information about this yet, as Samsung hasn’t announced a price range and there’s no history to go on. That being said, there is already various smart rings on the market, including the Oura Ring 3 which we have reviewed.
This currently retails for a baseline price of $299 (around £250) but goes up from there if you want different materials. It also requires a monthly subscription ($5.99 or around £4.70) to unlock the most useful features.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
As a relatively new category, smart rings have yet to be properly established, so we’d be surprised if Samsung comes in at a high price point. Of course, the Korean company does make some eye-wateringly premium devices (with the requisite price tag), meaning we can’t rule anything out.
At the moment around $299 is the going rate, so let’s hope Samsung can use its enormous industry clout to bring that down.
What features will be in the Samsung Galaxy Ring?
The Galaxy Ring will be sold in nine different sizes and three colours: black, gold and silver (though Samsung may give them fancier names than that).
This is similar to the Oura Ring 3 which is currently offered in eight sizes. Inside each Galaxy Ring will be a range of sensors that relay information to an app on your smartphone (it’s not clear yet if this will require a Samsung Galaxy handset).
Although nine sizes would match up with the Galaxy Ring display at MWC, the Dutch site Galaxy Club has come across model numbers for the ring which suggests there will be eight.
They are: SM-Q500, SM-Q501, SM-Q502, SM-Q505, SM-Q506, SM-Q507, SM-Q508 and SM-Q509.
You might notice that ‘503’ and ‘504’ are missing which is strange. There’s no explanation but Galaxy Club says ‘SM-Q500’ is the smallest option so the missing sizes are at the smaller end of the scale. It’s understandable that Samsung may want to keep the number of sizes to a minimum considering there are three colours.
The focus of the Ring is to be a health-monitoring device. In a recent press release from the company that outlined its vision for an intelligent health platform, it said, “As a new addition to our wearables portfolio, Galaxy Ring will offer users an all-new way to simplify everyday wellness, empowering them with greater insights and more ways to understand themselves day and night.”
“With Galaxy Ring, users can embrace an unrivalled experience during every step of their wellness journey, all while being delivered in lockstep with Samsung’s broader vision for a more connected, integrated and seamless digital wellness platform.”
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
With the mention of day and night, it’s reasonable to presume that sleep tracking will be one of the features supported by the Ring. In an article that outlined time spent with a prototype of the Ring, Tech Radar said that there would be different sleep analytics that you don’t normally find on a smartwatch, these could include resting heart rate during sleep, respiratory rate, night movement, sleep apnoea monitoring and sleep latency.
These will all be collated, along with other fitness and health metrics, to give the wearer a Vitality score, not dissimilar to the Readiness score that you’ll already find on the Oura Ring 3. What’s different about the approach is that Samsung will be using AI technology to work out these summaries, rather than the algorithm-based approach that most health trackers have previously employed.
Senors should comprise a heart rate monitor, Sp02, skin temperature, as well as the various sleep tracking features mentioned above. An NFC chip for contactless payments would also not be a surprise.
There’s a chance, albeit a slim one, that the Galaxy Ring will get blood sugar monitoring. It’s something Samsung has been working on bringing to devices for a while but while it’s expected to appear on the Galaxy Watch 7, Samsung may hold this feature back for a second-generation model of the ring.
From what we’ve seen so far, there won’t be any controls or buttons on the Galaxy Ring, with all interactions either conducted via the sensors on the underside of the ring which touch the wearer’s skin or via controls on the accompanying smartphone app.
Samsung has already said that the battery life of the Galaxy Ring should run to between five to nine days from a single charge (depending on which size you get), which would also suggest that the tracking features off granular controls so that you can adjust the sensitivity or which sensors remain on at all times.
By way of a leak on Weibo by Ice Universe, it looks like the Galaxy Ring will get a charging case similar to that of the RingConn Smart Ring. You’ll likely place it inside and close the lid while the battery is topped up. If the case has its own battery, like wireless earbud cases, you will be able to charge the ring on-the-go.
Ice Universe
Ice Universe
Ice Universe
