Samsung Galaxy Ring: Price, release date, health tracking, and battery life
Samsung is well-known for its powerful smartphones with beautiful displays and its sleek smartwatches, among other devices, like TVs, laptops, and tablets. With many large companies, most notably Apple, coming out with a VR headset this year, it seemed like the next big thing Samsung was going to announce was its very own rumored XR/VR headset.
To everyone's surprise, Samsung revealed at the end of January's Galaxy Unpacked event that it was working on a new wearable: the Galaxy Ring. This exciting announcement followed a keynote speech about Samsung Health, but no specific information was given about the new wearable.
If you're wondering what the Galaxy Ring is or when it'll be released, you're not alone. Here's everything we know right now on Samsung's latest gadget.
Latest news (updated July 3, 2024)
July 3, 2024: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event set for July 10 could include Galaxy Ring
July 2, 2024: Report: Samsung Galaxy Ring will track an embarrassing but important health metric
Feb 4, 2024: Interview: Oura VP on smart rings and Galaxy Ring's announcement
Jan 17, 2024: Surprise Galaxy Ring announcement capstones Galaxy Unpacked
September 2023: Galaxy Ring could arrive alongside S24 Ultra
July 2023: Initial rumors of Samsung's Galaxy Ring
Samsung Galaxy Ring: Price
While there's no official price yet for Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Ring, it's a pretty safe bet to consider it might be priced around $300, similar to the Oura Ring. The Oura Ring is arguably the most popular health-tracking ring on the market right now and will be the Galaxy Ring's main competitor.
Currently, the Oura Ring also requires a monthly subscription for full features on top of the original purchase price. However, since Samsung doesn't require a subscription for its Galaxy Watches, we're hoping the company also opts for a no-subscription model for the Galaxy Ring.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: Release date
Towards the end of 2023, we saw plenty of Galaxy Ring patents pop up to give us an idea of what the ring might look like, but no official release date has been mentioned yet. However, there's a good chance Samsung could unveil it at its Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event on July 10 in Paris.
This date would make sense considering Samsung originally announced the Galaxy Ring at a January Galaxy Unpacked event. So, it's likely the Ring will be ready for a launch sometime in late 2024 or 2025.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: Specs
Right now, there are no official specs for Samsung's Galaxy Ring, but we do have a few filed patents and rumors that give us some hints. Of course, keep in mind that filed patents don't always mean that a feature or a piece of tech will show up on the final product.
In one patent image from 2022, shown below, the ring appears to have an inner electrode, which will probably be used for recording constant body data, like heart rate and body temperature. Then, two ring illustrations show a small, rectangular outer electrode that would respond to touch input. Two other illustrations show possible variations of outer electrode placement.
Another Galaxy Ring patent image was found in late 2023, shown below, that demonstrates a few exciting potential features. In addition to illustrated hands demonstrating how the touch input would work on the ring's outer surface, a closeup of the ring shows what might appear on the ring's touchscreen.
In this closeup, an email icon with "Gmail" written underneath it is prominent on the display. Then, there are lines pointing to a camera above the email icon and two buttons on either side of the email icon.
In addition to this basic design, there have also been some rumors about the tech powering the ring. A leak in May 2024 highlighted some potential specs for the Galaxy Ring found in what is reportedly an FCC listing for the device.
According to this data, the Galaxy Ring will come in several different sizes, which will also determine the battery size in the ring. Smaller sizes will have a 17 mAh battery, medium sizes will have an 18.5 mAh battery, and the largest size will include a 22.5 mAh battery. Ideally, all three battery sizes will offer battery life competitive with the Oura Ring, which is designed to go a full week between charges.
The leaked FCC listing data also shows that the Galaxy Ring will use Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth 5.4 and will be available in at least one color, a sleek black shade.
Samsung Galaxy Ring: Health features
A slew of health tracking features for the Galaxy Ring were recently revealed in leaked screenshots from the Samsung Health app, as originally reported by Android Authority.
It looks like the Galaxy Ring will monitor several key health metrics including heart rate, skin temperature, and breathing patterns. Data from these sensors, and possibly others, will allow the Ring to act as a fitness tracker, offer menstrual cycle tracking, monitor sleep patterns, and even detect snoring and potential symptoms of heart disease.
The Galaxy Ring will transmit this data to the Samsung Health app, where you can view all of the info in one place. A May 6 leak from Wearable also hints that Samsung may be developing AI tech to enhance heart monitoring features even further.
It would also be nice to see the Galaxy Ring include a blood oxygen sensor, which would allow it to monitor sleep apnea, certain breathing conditions, and overall wellness.
What's next?
While many people were shocked to see Samsung announce a smart ring instead of its rumored XR/VR headset, it's not too surprising. With Apple, Meta, Valve, and so many other major companies entering the VR space this year, Samsung would have to do a lot with its VR headset to stand out. But if it's one of the only companies with a smart ring to challenge the Oura Ring, that's an easier battle.
The Galaxy Ring could also be a great complement to or even a replacement for the Galaxy Watch. If watches aren't really your style or you just want something lighter, the Galaxy Ring could be a great alternative while still providing valuable health and fitness tracking.
We may not have to wait much longer for the Samsung Galaxy Ring. There's a high probability that it will launch at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Summer 2024, which is set for July 10. We'll be covering everything announced at the event, so stay tuned for more details and insights.
