Review of Samsung Galaxy Ring — Is it worth the hype?

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Design: Minimalist and Functional

The most impressive thing about the smart ring is that it gets so close in dimensions to a regular ring that some people would wear.

Now, if you have smaller hands, it’ll look bigger, but it’s 2.6 millimeters thick, so it bulges around your finger, but aside from that, it just looks normal.

It’s not a tiny ring, but it’s still; I’m impressed by how much tech they shove into this tiny frame.

And by tech, I mean a small battery and a couple of pretty basic sensors.

But when you put it all together, you get this all-day activity tracker that you can kind of just put on at the beginning of the week and then forget about it, not worry about the battery life, wear it every day, every night, and then get a ton of valuable insight on your health and sleep and energy levels.

At least, that’s the ideal use case.

I have never worn a ring before, so there’s always some layer of getting used to wearing something on your finger daily.

But then, on top of that, there are a couple of other best practices, like things you should know about wearing this one.

Key Specifications:

Feature	Details
Material	Titanium
Thickness	7 mm
Weight	Under 3 g
Water Resistance	IP68, up to 10 ATM
Color Options	Black, Silver, Gold
Battery Life	Up to 7 days
Charging Method	Wireless charging case

Best Practices: How to Wear the Galaxy Ring

So, first of all, is there a correct way to wear it?

All the sensors are on the same side of the ring, lined up at the bottom with this little notch.

So, you’re supposed to align all those sensors with the palm of your hand for the best readings and wear the device on your index finger for the best results.

So apparently, not actually, on your ring finger.

Once you get this right, you should have all the info in the Samsung Health app.

This is calories burned, steps taken, and how many miles you’ve covered, and it all accumulates together with this one energy score, which is out of 100.

So, I was wearing my Apple Watch Ultra while testing the ring.

And so, I’m looking at the numbers back and forth, and the ring and the watch are way off from each other.

Like the ring, I’m going to say it’s over-counting a lot of regular activity, but then it didn’t count nearly as many floors climbed for some reason.

So, there’s a big delta between these numbers.

And then I also, at one point, took the ring off for a while around 10:00 pm one day, more on that later, but it continued to show heart rate ranges all the way you can see here until 03:00 am when I am not wearing it.

That’s kind of weird. I did that challenge a while ago of walking 1,000 steps in a bunch of smartwatches and with a pedometer, and they were all within a few percent of each other.

So, I lean towards trusting the watch over the ring numbers.

Ring Sizing: A Crucial Factor

But that brings me to the importance of sizing because you only get one size; you don’t get to adjust it as you would with a watch, right? So, you’ve seen this right here.

This thing is Samsung’s ring sizing kit.

You can buy this on their site for 10 bucks, and then you get a whole bunch of different plastic versions of the ring, and they even have the nubs on the inside for the sensors.

So, you try a bunch of these on, and you try to figure out which one is the most snug but won’t fall off.

That’ll be the size of the ring you get.

And then you get 10 bucks off the ring itself.

So, I bring this up because I did the size kit thing, either with the wrong finger or I did something wrong because I ended up with a ring size 11, which was a little too big when I got the actual ring.

And so, I noticed that because it was loose, it didn’t feel comfortable all the time.

There would also be gaps in my sleep readings, which meant that the device was pushed off of my finger while I was asleep and wasn’t reading anything.

So, I got a new size, 10, and it felt much better.

And by the way, the index finger is a much better place to put, like a heart rate monitor and other sorts of vitals sensors, than the back of the wrist.

This is one of those weird secrets that nobody talks about with smartwatches, which is that the back of the wrist is a horrible place to measure any of this stuff.

But yeah, the ring, that’s where you should get that info.

Benefits: A Wearable Solution for Some

Using this smart ring for a while taught me about myself.

All of the benefits are true like it’s more wearable than a watch that is available 24/7.

It’s got that full week-long battery life.

It’s legit.

After wearing it for a few days in a row, you may forget you’re wearing it, and there are lots of ways to wear it out.

It’s more versatile. You don’t have to dress it up or down to match an outfit.

It’s just a simple concave titanium design that looks good anywhere.

There are three colors: gold, silver, or matte black.

So, you already know this matte black one feels right at home.

I’ve just discovered that I’m not a big smart ring person.

That’s just what it’s come down to.

The main thing is the activities I do that I care about the most.

I can’t have anything on my hands.

Like number one, ultimate Frisbee, a lot of throwing and catching.

Golf, where the ring again doesn’t work.

And weight training, a lot of grip stuff, can’t have a ring on.

So, for each of those major workout activities, I take the ring off, which defeats the purpose of a fitness tracker that’s supposed to know everything about my fitness when it’s not tracking the most workout stuff I do.

Now, I did keep the ring on for some other lighter plyo workouts, and there is auto workout detection, but with lighter workouts where you’re not moving quickly and your heart rate doesn’t spike up super high, the auto workout detection didn’t work super well, at least for me.

It’s the same for sleep tracking; I had a couple of days on here where I thought I didn’t sleep until midnight when I was in bed earlier than that with the ring on.

I didn’t know.

I can see the exact numbers because the smart mattress cover, Eight Sleep, picked up everything, which is a great segue because this video is sponsored by Eight Sleep.

So, I was recently telling you guys how the two-times better cooling performance was helping me sleep better and getting me more than 100 sleep scores, which it still does.

Also, the autopilot intelligence automatically adjusts the temperature throughout the night and the elevation on the Ultra, responding to sensor readings to find optimal sleep conditions.

So, the Pod 4s tech is clinically validated to increase total sleep time by up to an hour every night, increase deep sleep by up to 2.5 hours a month, reduce wake-up time by up to three hours per month, and is just as comfortable as the last gen.

I love it.

Even for my lighter workouts, my wristwatch has a screen, even though it’s not in the optimal place.

It’s not the optimal form factor to wear 24/7, but I can tell it when I’m starting a workout, and I can have it track the specific sets of times when I’m using it for a workout that I need to know everything about.

So, I like the idea of the ring.

Pros

The Galaxy Ring closely resembles a standard ring, making it easy to wear in any setting.
You can wear it while sleeping, showering, and swimming, with no need to take it off frequently.
The ring’s battery lasts for a full week, reducing the need for constant charging.
The ring doesn’t distract you with notifications, vibrations, or sounds.
No subscription required.

Cons

The Galaxy Ring only works with Samsung Galaxy phones, limiting its compatibility.

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Final Thoughts: Is the Galaxy Ring for You?

Cause I love the idea of it not distracting me with notifications.

It never vibrates, makes any noise, and has no speaker.

It’s just this 24/7 ultra minimal, smart wearable with a stripped-down feature set that you can wear for a week, but that’s a sick idea.

Samsung made this nice little case for theirs that charges the ring inductively from the inside and has these clever little LEDs to indicate how much battery is left in the case and the ring.

So, it can charge the ring up to 1.5 times with its built-in battery.

So, it’s not meant to replace a smartwatch; it’s just a different product offering in the same ecosystem.

But that brings me to my last point: they’ve leaned heavily into the ecosystem thing with the Galaxy Ring.

So, some specific Samsung-only features, such as dismissing an alarm or taking a picture with a gesture with your Samsung phone, are hilarious.

I don’t think anyone’s going to do that very often.

However, according to Samsung’s site, the Galaxy Ring can only be paired with a Galaxy phone.

It is not an Android phone; it is just a Samsung phone.

So, I am using a Samsung phone right now, and that’s fine, and I can test it.

Still, if I were using a Pixel or something else, I don’t see what would stop me from picking up an Oura ring, an Ultrahuman ring, or any of those others.

They basically have the same feature set but work with any Android phone.

Conclusion:

A smartwatch is clearly more functional but less wearable; this thing is all about simplicity, which is probably a good time to mention the one feature that I wish the ring did have, which is either some tiny speaker or maybe some ultra-wideband antenna or something like that. Something to make it easier to find if you lose it, because if you do lose it, well, this is really hard to find. The Find My function in the app gives you the rough GPS location based on the last time it was connected to your phone. It can also light up the LEDs on the inside to measure heart rate. So, if it’s dark, you’ll see it visually.

FAQs:

1. How does the Galaxy Ring compare to a smartwatch?

The Galaxy Ring is much smaller and more discreet than a smartwatch, making it easier to wear 24/7. However, it lacks the extensive functionality of smartwatches, such as notifications, apps, and advanced fitness tracking. The Galaxy Ring is ideal for those who want basic health monitoring without the bulk of a smartwatch.

2. Can I wear the Galaxy Ring while swimming?

Yes, the Galaxy Ring is water-resistant and can be worn while swimming. It’s designed to handle daily activities, including showers and swimming, without needing to be removed.

3. How accurate is the Galaxy Ring’s heart rate monitoring?

The Galaxy Ring’s heart rate monitoring is generally reliable, but some users have reported inconsistencies, particularly when comparing it to other devices like smartwatches. It’s important to wear the ring correctly for the most accurate readings.

4. What happens if I choose the wrong size for the Galaxy Ring?

If you choose the wrong size, the ring may be uncomfortable to wear, and the sensors may not work correctly. It’s crucial to use Samsung’s sizing kit and choose the correct finger for the best fit and accurate readings.

5. Is the Galaxy Ring compatible with non-Samsung phones?

No, the Galaxy Ring is only compatible with Samsung Galaxy phones. If you use a phone from a different brand, you won’t be able to pair the ring with it.

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Luis Cooper

Hi, I'm Luis, the guy behind this site. I love wearing watches, especially ones that look great on small wrists (mine are about 6.3" around). The Watches Geek is dedicated to helping you learn about and buy watches that you will love wearing. I want this website to be the last destination for people to pick the best watches to fit their needs. You can find our unbiased reviews here on Thewatchesgeek.

Samsung Galaxy Ring Review: My Favorite Smart Ring