Samsung’s wearables are getting smaller. At Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona on Sunday, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Ring, a smart ring it’s been teasing since January. The device will purportedly allow users to receive a “deeper, more holistic understanding” of their health using biometric sensors, which fit snugly around just one finger.
Samsung first offered a peek at the Galaxy Ring last month at Unpacked. All we saw was a render of the device and a cheeky video about keeping an eye on one’s physical health, which could have easily been associated with the company’s updates to its Samsung Health platform. Now we know the Galaxy Ring is dedicated entirely to building upon users’ existing health insights by monitoring their heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep quality, and (supposedly) mental wellness. Eventually, this data will work alongside Galaxy AI to offer personalized health suggestions in the form of an AI wellness coach.
The Galaxy Ring will come in sizes 5 through 13, denoted by “S” through “XL” on the inside of the band. Its battery will differ depending on size, with small Galaxy Rings offering a 14.5mAh battery and large rings leveraging a 21.5mAh. It’s unclear how much use these options will allow on a single charge. In addition to providing the above basic health insights, the Galaxy Ring will use a feature freshly approved by the FDA to monitor users for sleep apnea, while Natural Cycles—a third-party partner already involved with the Galaxy Watch—will offer fertility tracking.
The Galaxy Ring is far from the first smart ring. Oura, Motiv, and Evie rings each promise a range of real-time biometric measurements and batteries that can go several days without a charge. Ringly, which also makes smart bracelets, even diverts from the sleek, straightforward design of most smart rings, opting instead for a “statement piece” look with an artificial gemstone. But while each of these has fairly positive reviews, none of them integrate directly with Samsung Health, which Samsung claims has 64 million monthly active users. For those already committed to the Samsung ecosystem, a device like the Galaxy Ring offers a way to gain deeper insight into their physical activity, sleep, and cardiovascular health.
Users involved in the smartwatch part of that ecosystem will receive special perks. In an interview with CNBC, Hon Pak, chief medical officer of Samsung Electronics, said users will get “different health insights” when they wear the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring together. Details regarding the Galaxy Ring’s sensors, price, and availability date are still outstanding.
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