Samsung Galaxy Ring: the one ring to rule them all

Oh how times change. Until now, people proposed to their would-be life partners with rings of precious metals studded with precious stones. Now, when you make a similar expression of love, you’ll make it with a… Samsung Galaxy Ring.

And here’s why this is a greater expression of love than the traditional rock or platinum band: with the Galaxy Ring, you can help your beloved to have a healthier life – and isn’t caring about the health of your partner among the greatest expressions of your emotions towards them?

True to form, the Galaxy Ring comes in a suitably bejewelled case. It’s a small clear, glassy box of high-grade acrylic that looks like a little jewel box and has a discreet USB-C port at the back for connectivity and charging. Flip open the transparent top and you have a round bed of smooth white plastic with a ring of light to indicate charge levels and connectivity, at the centre of which, the ring device fits into a neatly raised white button-like holder.

While it comes in several colours, our test piece was golden on its smooth outer side and an equally smooth black on the inside, with three sensors built in that you keep on the underside of your finger when you slip it on.

So, how does it feel to wear the Galaxy Ring? Is it useful? Does it look appealing? And, being a gold ring, does a wizard show up and tell you to take it to Mordor?

Well, a wizard does show up, but It’s not Gandalf the White. Instead, it’s the very useful and simple to use Samsung Health app, which you download on your phone and pair with the Galaxy Ring.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring is a highly anticipated device that will soon launch in the Middle East market, marking a significant step for Samsung as the first major tech company to dive into the smart ring market, at least in this region. Globally, this space has largely been dominated by small tech brands like Oura, Ringconn and Ultrahuman, so Samsung was in the spotlight as it aimed to set a new standard with its Galaxy Ring when it showed off the device along with its new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 launches in Dubai just a couple of months ago.

As wearable technology continues to evolve, I was excited to see how this discreet, stylish alternative to traditional wrist gadgets develops. So, when I finally received a Galaxy Ring form Samsung to test out before it becomes available in the UAE, I immediately charged its elegant case, slipped it onto my finger, and paired it with my regular, everyday phone – a Motorola – particularly with a desire to find out whether using the Ring with a non-Samsung phone would present any challenges.

But that’s when my Gandalf the White for the moment – the Samsung Health app – waved its wand and removed all challenges, making the Galaxy Ring sync smoothly with the app that I had downloaded to my Motorola. If you needed proof that the Galaxy Ring would work well without requiring a Samsung Galaxy smartphone to do so, then here it is.

So how does it work then? The Ring tracks a plethora of health and activity parameters all day and then every morning, it syncs with Samsung Health to provide an Energy Score based on various metrics, including sleep quality, daily activity and heart rate data.

The tracking was extremely accurate in my case – actually, embarrassingly so. It exposed my sedentary lifestyle in figures and presented it to me in a way that was like seeing the ugly face of my evidently unfit self in the mirror.

After a day of wearing the Ring and going about my normal busy day of activities – not – I hit the pillow and went to slumber land at my usual hour. The following morning, I was impressed by the accuracy of the sleep data: the Ring noted that I had dropped off to sleep at 2.11am and woken up at 8.01am (only to snooze the 8am alarm for 5 minutes). And then again woken up at 8.06am.

Despite a solid “Sleep Score” of 90, which indicated that I had slept like a log with no interruption during the few hours that I had indeed been in slumber land, my “Energy Score” was only 52, likely affected by mild fluctuations of my heart rate during sleep due to a mild case of sleep apnoea.

The Ring also indicated, based on the data from the previous 24 hours that I had worn it, that I needed to be more active, as I had only recorded a total of 23 minutes of sustained movement and physical activity. That would be when I walked to lunch from my cubicle and walked back during the afternoon, and my walk to and from the taxi to office and back home.

The app also noted based on the Ring’s data that I hadn’t reached the recommended 33 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise. The next day I proceeded to rectify that by going on a 40-minute “brisk” walk after work, only to find the day after that while I had exceeded the recommended 33 minutes, I had not really been brisk enough in my walk for it to count as exercise. On a personal, happy side note, in the couple of weeks that I had the Galaxy Ring to test, I did manage to soon rectify that lack of briskness and walk fast enough for it to be counted as moderate exercise – and improve my Energy Score to 65.

Accurate health tracking aside, among the standout feature of the Galaxy Ring is also its sleek design. The Gold version I tested was both elegant and as understated as s golden ring can be, though I expect that the Titanium Black version would be even more apt for most users, design-wise. Compared to wearing a substantial and chunky smartwatch, the Ring feels liberating, especially for someone like me, who loves actual watches and haute horology.

If you are like me, you can easily delegate your health tracking discreetly to the Galaxy Ring while still sporting your Omega, Rolex or Seiko on your wrist instead of a smartwatch.

Comfort-wise, I found the Galaxy Ring excellent. It’s slightly narrower than an Oura Ring, and its design ensures it stays in place without feeling loose. There are several sizes available according to the ring size of your preferred finger and after wearing it overnight for several days, I was pleased to find that it functioned well, maintaining contact with my skin without any issues. The battery back-up was also excellent, giving me around a week on a full charge.

Samsung says the Galaxy Ring “will be launched soon in the region”. Though official prices have not yet been revealed, expect it to cost the circa $400 that it does in Western markets where it has recently been made available, or around Dh1,500. If this is the case, then that would be the only nit I could pick with this device. At that price, most people would have to choose between the Galaxy Ring and a smartwatch.

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