Samsung Galaxy Ring hands-on review: One smart ring to rule them all
With no monthly subscription, up to seven days of battery life, an included charging case and a competitive $399 price, Samsung's Galaxy Ring is starting off strong
Update: My Samsung Galaxy Ring review is around the corner, and I’ve updated my impressions on this new smart ring based on nearly two weeks of testing.
Pros
✅ 💍 Samsung’s first smart ring and it requires no subscription
✅ ❤️ Tracks heart rate with high/low alerts and inactivity alerts
✅ 🔋 Up to 7 days of battery life with a charging case
✅ 😴 Sleep Score, 📈 Energy Score and 📋 Wellness Tips
✅ 🏃♂️ Samsung has a pretty good Samsung Health app
✅ 📱 Works with Samsung phones best but any Android
✅ 🪨 Durable grade-5 titanium with a concave surface to reduce scratches
✅ 🪶 Weighs under 3g plus 100m (330ft) water resistance
✅ 🛜 Samsung SmartThings Find built-in (just like the Galaxy Tag 2)
Cons
❌ 📱 Only works on Android phones – no iPhone compatibility
❌ 🎨 Just three colors so far
❌ 📳 No vibration motor for standing notifications or silent alarms
❌ ⌚ This isn’t a smartwatch replacement like some think
Why trust my hands-on review
I’ve spent 11 days wearing the new Samsung Galaxy Ring, testing it with the Fold 6, Flip 6, and Buds 3 Pro for this in-depth review. I’ve tested multiple smart rings in addition to my 25 years of tech journalism for this very moment on The Shortcut.
The Samsung Galaxy Ring shrinks fitness and activity tracking tech down to the size of a ring for your finger, and it’s my favorite new gadget that can be worn 24/7. Sure, many start-ups in the new “smart ring” category (including the Oura Ring) are vying for your attention, but Samsung is the first major tech company – not Apple or Google – encircling that smaller competition with some winning ideas.
Samsung has crammed so much into the tiny Galaxy Ring that it’s the smart ring to rule them all. It tracks your health and sleep in the company’s robust Samsung Health app and does so with a more comfortable and longer-lasting piece of tech than any smartwatch. The fact that the Galaxy Ring comes with a charging case (the same concept as an earbuds case) is a major win over the Oura Ring Horizon.
🙅♂️ No monthly subscription fee. Contrast that with the Oura Ring Generation 3, which costs $6/mo for its daily health insights. Galaxy Ring has all of that included – for free – inside its robust Samsung Health app. This is Samsung’s biggest win.
💰 Competitive launch price. It’s launching at $399 – but with a $50 discount to make it $349 during the pre-order phase only. The Oura Ring Horizon costs $349 to $550 depending on the finish, so Samsung is staying competitive.
📱 Android required, Samsung preferred. Samsung phones work best if you want AI features like Energy Score, but any Android will work with this ring. That’s good news for when I switch over to the Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold soon.
🍎 Not for Apple users. Sadly, iPhone users will have to get an Oura Ring. Samsung didn’t make its smart ring compatible with iOS, so I’ve had to ditch my iPhone 15 Pro Max (and, soon, the iPhone 16) when I want to taste the future of smart tech.
⌚ Can’t replace a smartwatch. It’s a supplemental gadget and fashion accessory – I’ll still want a watch for the display (I live and die by notifications in busy NYC). But, at a time when smartwatches are becoming bigger (see my Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra review), the Galaxy Ring allows me to track my sleep in a less obtrusive way.
🔋 7 days of battery life. I have never been hurting for battery life with the Galaxy Ring. I get almost seven days of battery life from the size 11. The battery capacity will vary anywhere from 18mAh on size 5 to 23.5mAh on size 13.
⚡ Charging case is included. Samsung’s Galaxy Ring comes with a charging cradle that adds an extra 361mAh battery. It takes 80 minutes to charge to 100%, and you can get multiple charges – exactly like an AirPods or Galaxy Buds case.
❤️ Live heart-rate tracking. Awake? Asleep? The Galaxy Ring tracks your heart rate, offering a live heart check with high and low alerts.
📳 No vibration motor. Sadly, you’ll have to check your phone or watch to get critical alerts, including high and low heart-rate alerts and standing notifications. This also means that silent alarms aren’t a thing on the Galaxy Ring.
😴 Sleep tracking to increase your Zzzs. This is possibly my favorite feature because wearing a Galaxy Ring at night will be so much more comfortable than wearing any smartwatch. It measures your sleep latency, heart rate, time in bed, nighttime movement, and respiratory rate.
📐 It’s comfortable. Ditch the smartwatch at night – the Galaxy feels comfortable to wear if you get your sizing right. It’s just 7mm wide and 2.6mm thick, and it weighs less than 3g, depending on your size.
🖐️ 9 ring sizes. From size 5 to size 13, the Samsung Galaxy Ring comes in nine different sizes to fit most fingers out there. Bonus for larger fingers: the largest size – size 13 – gets extra battery life. There are no half sizes, and it’s not adjustable.
📐 Free sizing kit. When you order your Galaxy Ring, you’ll be sent a sizing kit to ensure you get the right size. It costs $10, but that $10 will go toward the cost of the Galaxy Ring in the end. The box contains all nine ring sizes (of course, lacking any tech). You can also visit a store to try the Galaxy Ring sizing kit.
🪨 Rugged design. It’s easy to scratch some smart rings out there (trust me, I know), so Samsung has made the Galaxy Ring out of grade-5 titanium. It is also designed with a gentle concave surface to reduce scratches.
📱 Strong app and brand. Samsung Health is well-designed and reliable. It’s been around for a while, so I’m a bit more trusting of my data here than with some start-ups. That trust includes the fact that I know the tracking data should be around for a while to come – Samsung isn’t going defunct any time soon. Some other smart ring start-ups I see advertising on Instagram, I’m not sure about.
💍➕⌚ Overlap for a battery boost. Some sensors will be turned off on the ring to extend the battery life up to 30% if you’re already using the Galaxy Watch Ultra or 7.
🏊♂️ Shower, swim, or snorkel with it. According to Samsung, the Ring’s IP68 rating allows it to survive 100m (330ft) underwater. You can swim and snorkel with it, but the fine print says it’s not meant for high-pressure diving.
📈 Comprehensive health app. The “Daily Energy Score” is easy to figure out, giving you one distilled number to calculate your activity and sleep. There’s also auto-workout detection, inactivity alerts, and cycle tracking for women. Wellness tips should take that data and propel you to improve on a daily basis.
🎨 Only three colors. I like the Titanium Black and Titanium Silver in a matte finish and Titanium Gold in a glossy finish. But Oura Ring colors list has grown to six, including Rose Gold and Stealth. I hope Samsung offers more colors and finishes in the future, considering the fact that this is a very personalized piece of tech.
